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Today we celebrate Passion
Sunday or Palm Sunday as it was formerly known. We commemorate Jesus'
triumphal entrance into Jerusalem. In Europe the procession with palms
was considered a special celebration for children. It was thought that
the children of Jerusalem went out to greet the Lord when he entered.
The children proclaimed " Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is he who
comes in the name of the Lord!" How appropriate that we encourage our
own children to proclaim Jesus our King when he enters into our
community.
A characteristic of our Holy Week liturgies is that we repeat the cycle
of these life-giving events each year. The repetition gives rhythm and
meaning to our lives. Unfortunately we can grow accustomed to the
celebrations and take them for granted. Perhaps that is why the children
are so important, for them everything is new! Children can easily relate
to the joy of that first Palm Sunday. Given permission to be themselves,
they will wave their palms and proclaim with all their hearts that Jesus
is coming. We adults tend to minimize the procession with palms, perhaps
because we know what comes next, the terrible passion and death of the
Lord. In their innocence children relate best to the joy of the
procession. In our guilt, we adults relate more to the suffering of the
Lord.
This Sunday begins the holiest season of the year, the end of Lent and
the days of the Paschal Triduum. Lent ends as the Church begins the Mass
of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday night. This is to be a time of
peace, prayer and vigil. The Mass of the Lord's Supper recalls the
Lord's command of loving service and his gift of the Eucharist to his
followers. Our Catholic community here in Chicago Heights will continue
our tradition of pilgrimage to the local churches in honor of the Lord's
vigil in the garden.
The celebration of the Lord's Passion on Good Friday calls us to witness
the mystery of God's love for us. We venerate the cross on which hung
the savior of the world. We reverently receive the Body and Blood of
Christ, the promise of a heavenly banquet.
Holy Saturday night we celebrate the Easter Vigil. On this holy night we
bless the new fire and light the paschal candle, the symbol of the Risen
Christ with us. In the liturgy of the Word we hear the story of our
salvation, the history of God's people — our ancestors in the faith. Our
catechumen and candidates come forward for full acceptance into the
church.
In them we have an opportunity to die and rise again with Christ who
saves us. We witness the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Confirmation.
We joyfully celebrate the resurrection of Jesus with our newest members
in full communion with the Body of Christ throughout the world.
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