This Sunday, Palm Sunday, marks the beginning of the holiest week of the church year. At mass today we received the blessed palms and remembered Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
This sets the stage for what is to come. This Thursday (7 pm.) begins what is called the Sacred Triduum. These are the three days that changed the world! Thursday recalls the night Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and offered the Passover meal that gave us the Eucharist.
Good Friday (3 pm.) Jesus is crucified and dies. We kiss the wooden cross and each of us makes our own prayer to him. Holy Saturday begins in darkness (8 pm.) as we light the new fire and announce that Jesus Christ, the Light of the World is raised by the Father from the dead. We will welcome our candidates to full union in the Catholic Faith.
Whether your Lent has been a time of growth in prayer or kindness or perhaps a disappointment from what you had hoped for yourself, IT DOESN’T MATTER . . . this is the week Christ calls us to his side. Please join us for these beautiful liturgies. God has a powerful grace for you to help you on your journey of life.
God bless all who come this Holy Week.
Fr. Tim
What is the Liturgy of the Hours?
First, a very brief overview (for a reader who is interested in knowing more and perhaps to learn how to pray the hours).
The Liturgy of the Hours (also called the Divine Office) is, along with the celebration of Eucharist, the public prayer of the Church. Christ asks us to pray always and he asked his apostles to watch one hour with him. In the Liturgy of the Hours, the Church throughout the world is constantly watching with him, praying with him.
The Liturgy of the Hours is a way of praying through scripture-and especially the Psalms, to sanctify the hours of the day. There are seven hours or times of prayer spread throughout the day and night. The liturgy of each of these hours is comprised of Psalms, canticles (songs from other books of the Bible than the Book of Psalms), scripture readings from both the Old and New Testaments, hymns and prayers.
The two main hours of the Liturgy are Morning and Evening Prayer, which take place at sunrise and sun- set, bookending the day. It takes about 10-20 minutes to pray each of the hours depending on whether you pray it silently or with a group.
I personally invite you to join us in Morning Prayer this very Holy Triduum. I have been touched deeply knowing that the whole Church is praying with me during this time. I love reciting the psalms and prayers. The reflections from our leaders are inspiring and meaningful. Come and pray with the whole Church. You will not be disappointed.
~ Clare Schreiber.
Thursday 9:00 am. | Friday 9:00 am. | Saturday 9:00 am.
