Lenten Joy?

Palm Sunday? Already?

Palm Sunday is this Sunday. It sure seems like Lent went by very quickly this year. At the beginning of Lent, we received the gift of ashes on our foreheads as a reminder to repent and believe in the Gospel. I wonder how many who received the ashes were able to live this out during Lent? What Gospel message did you receive during Lent and share with the community, church, and cosmos? Now at the end of Lent, we receive another gift: palm branches. Why palms? In ancient times, palm branches symbolized goodness and victory. Often you would find palm branches on coins and important buildings. Solomon even had them carved into the walls and doors of the temple. As you know, Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus entering Jerusalem during which people threw palm branches in his path. Nowadays it would be a red carpet and, instead of a donkey, a limo or popemobile. After the palm branches are blessed, a procession (a parade) follows. Thus, begins Holy Week during which we recall Jesus’ death and resurrection. Don’t you wonder how the people who honored him felt after Good Friday? This week is one of ups and downs. We celebrate, we fear, we grieve, we hope, and by Easter we truly celebrate Jesus’ Resurrection.

Entering the Triduum

We are entering into the most sacred days of our Church calendar. The Triduum encourages us to remember, to break bread, to wash feet, to tell stories, to experience great sadness and exultant joy. The emotions run high and deep. We walk with Jesus and we walk with each other. Mostly our hearts long for the silence that great sadness and exultant joy need in order to be fully integrated into our lives. It is the opportunity to spend time with the greatest transformation we will ever experience, from death to new life. It is the greatest transformation and one we witness every day of our lives should our eyes be open to see.

I pray you will find the silence you need this Holy Week and experience once more a touch of new life. 

Sr. Joyce Shanabarger

A Willingness to Be Transformed

As we prepare to enter into this, the holiest of weeks, our hearts are full of all that has happened since we began this Lenten journey.  The commentary in a past Lenten missalette says: “Let us enter this week with hearts willing to be transformed again by a paschal love that has the power to lift us from the grave of sin and into the light and life that come only from God.”                     

“…hearts willing to be transformed again…”  Transformation is hard work.  All our prayers, fasting and almsgiving these past weeks have been to help open us up to our need and the world’s need for this paschal love.  We know it is God who first loved us, who calls us to open our hearts to that love and to let it transform us and others. How difficult it is to understand and believe in such a love! And yet, this week we celebrate the fact that God sent the Son to identify with each of us in an unbelievable act of love.           

Where I once celebrated weekday Eucharist, a blind man was also often present.  At communion time he needed someone’s assistance to come forward.  As I witnessed this and reflected upon it, I realized that this is what we are each called to do daily.  Our words and actions lead others closer to the love God offers and we also rely on others to reflect the love of God they hold, back to us, for us.                  

As we enter into this Holy Week and the graced time of General Chapter that will soon follow, let us rejoice in the love of our God and of those whom we call our sisters and brothers.

Blessings this Holy Week!