This is it – the holiest week of the year. Only one man could turn a week of betrayal, intrigue and murder into the holiest week of the year. Jesus turns this week into an amazing experience of participating in it all and more – at least that is what is possible if we afford ourselves the time to enter with Him into these days.
Branches of palm, olive, or even budding forsythia or willow are ancient symbols of victory, of hope, that are turned into the wooden bowls at that First Eucharist and the wood for the cross. The procession like parade, with shouts of “Hosanna to the King”, turn into screams of “crucify HIM”. The crowds change of heart illustrates the problem of holding God to our expectations. The crowd expected a liberating leader, the Messiah, to free them from Roman oppression. Jesus instead takes up His Cross and invites us to do the same. Through his death and resurrection he is indeed a liberator, but from death and sin, not from Rome. But unable to see past their need, the crowd’s disappointment turns into anger and a death sentence. As we enter Holy Week, Palm Sunday teaches us to let God be God and to trust in God’s wisdom not only to meet, but shatter and exceed our expectations.
God works in a different manner – something that really we should seek. He sets our path in a new direction, so we should strive to stay with Him on that path. It is so unique that even our Church has a unique approach to our prayer this week. The Roman Missal states our focus for these three days: “In the Sacred Triduum, the Church solemnly celebrates the greatest mysteries of our redemption, keeping by means of special celebrations the memorial of her Lord, crucified, buried and risen” (Triduum, #1). This section is located between the season of Lent, which ends Holy Thursday evening, and the season of Easter which begins Holy Saturday night.
These three days celebrate the memorial of the Last Supper, Passion, Death, Burial, and Resurrection of the Lord. They are anamnetic, which means that we remember the events that we celebrate, to make them present now, in order to affect how we live into the future. These liturgies are not play-acting and are not meant to be dramatic. We don’t need to have a light show or dramatic readings; Jesus lived the drama already. WE do not repeat or attempt to repeat the events remembered during these days like we would in a play. We remember to celebrate these events in our life of faith, to deepen our belief so as to live what we believe. Our lives are already different because of the washing of the feet, institution of the Eucharist, priestly orders, and the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus. Keep this distinction in mind as we prepare and attend these liturgies.
God Bless,