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| Dali's Sacrament of the Last Supper |
We focus in particular upon the Paschal mystery: the journey of Jesus from this earthly life through the mystery of death into heavenly life. “Paschal” refers to the Passover: the passing of the angel of death over the homes of the Hebrews in ancient Egypt. In a larger sense, Passover refers to the exodus or liberation of the Hebrews; every year the Jewish community re-experiences this in the Seder – a word meaning order -- which they will celebrate April 20.
Today on Palm Sunday, we reflect upon a paradox of triumph and tragedy: the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, and on the other hand the Gospel proclamation of the passion and death of Jesus. And even in the tragedy of Good Friday there will be the triumph of Easter: Jesus, crucified, risen and in our midst.
The Word of God from Isaiah is a poem about a “servant” who suffers for us (the early Christian community saw Jesus in this servant).
Paul’s letter to the Christian community at Philippi quotes an early Christian hymn about God who became one of us.
And the Gospel according to Luke proclaims the passion and death of Jesus.
This coming Thursday, Friday and Saturday are known as the triduum (from a Latin word which means a period of three days).
On Thursday Christians will commemorate the Lord’s Supper: there is the washing of feet (a symbol of service); and then a sacrificial meal in which Jesus gives himself to us in the signs of bread and wine (a symbol of our oneness with God and with our fellow human beings).
On Good Friday we meditate upon the passion and death of Jesus, and have a simple communion service.
And at the Easter vigil we reflect upon the passage of Jesus from this earthly life through death into a transformative heavenly life; the resurrection of Jesus is a pledge of our own liberation from death or nothingness into eternal life. The Vigil includes fire (a symbol of Jesus as the light who illuminates the darkness around us), the proclamation of the story of our salvation in the Scriptures, the renewal of our baptismal promises, and the Eucharist.
Easter proclaims that Jesus is risen; alive among us. I urge all of you to participate in these services as much as you can.
Throughout the 40 days of Lent we have been trying to steer our lives toward the light of Jesus Christ, trying to shake off darkness around us, and the burdens of our daily lives.
I pray that this Holy Week will inspire us to seek ever more enthusiastically the God who became flesh in Jesus of Nazareth, and who by his death and resurrection opened up to all humankind a transformative eternal life beyond this earthly life.
