We are now here at the last ‘regular’ Sunday of Lent. Next week begins Holy Week with the celebration of Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, the Easter Vigil, and Easter Sunday. I would highly recommend that you make plans NOW to attend as many of these services as possible to fully engage in this once-a-year religious experience. The schedule for the services are in this bulletin.
In our Gospel, we hear of Christ showing mercy to the condemned woman. We are now ready for the Passover Feast. Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem is impending and going to happen next Sunday. We need to start preparing ourselves to enter into Jerusalem with Jesus and all that it entails. Are we ready to carry our own cross with Him? “Only This I Want”, our song at the preparation of the altar and gifts, references this: “Only this I want: but to know the Lord, and to bear his cross, so to wear the crown he wore.” If we follow Him and bear our own cross, we will be with Him in eternity – with the ‘crown’ he wore. Our second song during Communion is “Save Your People” by J. Farrell, reminding us that it’s still not too late to turn to Him. He will always be there for us.
“Save your people, O Lord. Show us the way to come home. We have been wandering far from your love. Save your people, O Lord. One thing I ask, O Lord, this I seek: to dwell forever in your house, that I may gaze on your loveliness all the days of my life.”
We conclude our service with “Take Up Your Cross”, once again the comparison between taking up our own cross in order to wear the crown he wore is referenced:
Take up your cross, the Savior said, if you would my disciple be;
Deny yourself, the world forsake, and humbly follow after me.
Take up your cross, be not ashamed! Let not disgrace your spirit fill!
For God himself endured to die upon a cross, on Calvary’s hill.
Take up your cross, which gives you strength, which makes your trembling spirit brave:
‘Twill guide you to a better home and lead to vict’ry o’er the grave.
Take up your cross, and follow Christ, nor think till death to lay it down;
For only they who bear the cross may hope to wear the glorious crown.