21 MARCH 2024
Holy Week begins this Sunday, but first I want to thank everyone for the beautiful mass we enjoyed on Saint Joseph's Day. The choir did a superb job, as is regularly the case, and many were grateful for the Bach voluntaries by Kathy Crosier, our organist. This was the first time we celebrated this feast with more than a low mass, and as several of us reflected the day after via texts and phone calls, celebrating Saint Joseph with a sung mass was well worth it. The attendance was small, but those who came were full of devotion, and in the end we do not offer worship for ourselves but for God. The mass was also a wonderful way to support the many fathers within our congregation.
Having celebrated our Lord's earthly father Joseph, we now turn our attention to the mysteries of Holy Week. I have written extensively over the past few weeks about the various liturgies, and that information is catalogued on the parish website. This last Friday before Holy Week, we have our final Stations of the Cross with Benediction, and we have the added benefit that this Friday is also the Compassion of the Blessed Virgin Mary - a day commemorating Mary's faithful presence at the cross. The antiphons at Vespers are some of the richest due to this feast.
Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, and after Vespers and Benediction we gather again for supper and study. I will continue to share information about the liturgies of Holy Week, and I look forward to fielding the many questions a lot of you bring. These Sunday evening gatherings benefit us in multiple ways. They help us gain greater comprehension into our worship, so that we might be active participants in the worship of God. They also provide the space for reflection with one another, and we discover that our insights and questions are deepened by our explorations with fellow disciples.
Perhaps most importantly, these Sunday evenings are a wonderful way to relax as a weekend ends. The psalms and chants of Vespers soothe our hearts and minds as they wash over us; the meditations of Benediction are a healing salve for our weary souls; and the study and food following Benediction creates community that strengthens the shared heart of Saint Mark's.
Holy Week is a great gift to each of us - a time when the spiritual riches of our faith are on full display before us, and we are invited to receive all that our God offers us. As Christians it is a week for which we always make space, for the events of Holy Week come first in our lives. Such commitment is the same for Sundays and feast days. When we are "all-in" for the Triune God, we find we are unable miss any opportunity to worship. The Lord of Life is forever calling us, and we go forth to be with him at the cross and empty tomb.
Father Paul Lillie +
