Sermon Cloud

Some of those present might remember the days when the Church would celebrate Passion Sunday two weeks before Easter … and Palm Sunday as the ‘official’ beginning of Holy Week.  Since the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council, these two celebrations have been combined, and the only vestige of Passion Sunday that remains in the liturgy these days is the proclamation of the gospel and the procession with palms that began this liturgy.

Throughout the coming week, God’s people are being called to relive some of the most significant moments in the life of Christ.  The events of Holy Week are the stuff that true drama is made of, and we get to experience it first hand.

On Holy Thursday, we will celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, recalling the last night that Jesus spent on earth.  He chose to spend it with his closest friends, and there were some specific lessons he wanted them, and us to learn – about being there for one another, about anticipating one another’s needs, about trusting one another, about serving one another in love.

On Good Friday, we will commemorate the Lord’s Passion and death.  John’s gospel tells us that ‘God so loved the world that he gave his only Son’ (Jn 3:16).  If God was willing to give that much so that we could be counted among his precious ones, should we not also be willing to love one another?

Holy Saturday is a day of private prayer as we contemplate Christ in the tomb.  There is a deafening silence about this day, but it is really a preparation for the unfathomable truth that the impossible is about to come true.  Christ, God, is about to show us his true power to overcome death.  In anticipation of this revelation, we wait in vigil.   The Church gathers for the celebration of the Easter Vigil once the sun has set and we recall the story of God’s goodness to his people throughout time.

During the liturgy of the Easter Vigil, we will also baptise two adult members of our congregation, Sadie Thompson and Andrea Hodgins, who have been preparing since last Fall for this cleansing with the water of new life.  There is also a third person who has already been baptised in another Christian tradition, but who has asked to be confirmed as a Roman Catholic.  Deanne Wells will therefore join with Sadie and Andrea as they are all confirmed on Saturday night, and these women will also receive the gift of the Eucharist, Christ’s gift for the life of the world, for the first time on this night.

The joy of Christ’s victory over death is so overwhelming that the Church actually takes 50 days to celebrate it.  On Easter morning, we gather like the women who came to the tomb, only to discover the truth of the resurrection.  May this week be an occasion for each of us to discover the depth of God’s love, and the gift of life that has been given to us in the miracle of the Resurrection.