April 13, 2025
Today we celebrate Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord. It is the beginning of Holy Week and recalls Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem at the beginning of the last week of his life. From the 4th Century, a procession and other ceremonies commemorating Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem were held in Jerusalem and were adopted by Rome in the 9th Century. At that time, the blessing of palms was introduced. Later, in the Middle Ages, a wooden statue of Jesus sitting on a donkey (on wheels) was pulled in the center of the procession. These statues, known as Palmesel or “Palm Donkey”, may still be seen in a number of museums in European cities. Full liturgical observance includes the blessing of palms and a procession before the principal Mass of the day. The Passion from Luke’s Gospel is read. The color for Palm Sunday is red and the statues and candle boxes are still covered. On Thursday, Lent comes to an end and we begin the Triduum. The Triduum, the three days, is the center and the core of the year for us. The celebration begins with Mass on Holy Thursday and ends with Evening Prayer on Easter Sunday. On Thursday we commemorate the institution of the Holy Eucharist and the priesthood. Friday of the Passion of the Lord we will again hear the passion but this time from John’s Gospel. The service begins with the clergy lying prostrate as they did at their ordination. We will hear the Solemn Intercessions and process forward for the Adoration of the Holy Cross. On Holy Saturday, the Easter Vigil in the Holy Night, we will come together in anticipation of the Resurrection of the Lord. And on Sunday, we celebrate the Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord… Gay Snell
April 20, 2025
He is Risen! Alleluia!
Like Christmas, Easter is far more than a single day of observance but rather a period of time. It is a 7-week season of the Church year called Eastertide, the fifty days that begins at sundown on the Easter Vigil and continues for 6 more Sundays until Pentecost Sunday. The symbols of Easter include: The Paschal or Easter Candle—Each year at the Easter Vigil a new Paschal Candle is prepared, blessed, and lighted. It is a symbol of the Risen Christ. It is lighted at Masses from Easter to Pentecost (as well as all Baptisms and funerals). At the Easter Vigil it is lowered into the Baptismal Font 3 times in a symbolic relationship to our Baptism (Father, Son, Holy Spirit). The Easter Lily—It is the traditional flower used at Easter and throughout the Easter season. It is a symbol of beauty, perfection, and goodness. The Easter lily acquired religious symbolism after being introduced in Bermuda from Japan in the mid-19th-century. It was brought to the United States in 1882 by the florist W. K. Harris. Because in America it first flowers in mid-spring, it came to be called the “Easter Lily”. Its flower, known as a trumpet, parallels the jubilant Alleluia proclaimed throughout the Church at the Resurrection. Easter Water—Easter Water, or Holy Water, is the new water blessed at the Easter Vigil. It is used for Christian Initiation at the Vigil, for the renewal of Baptismal vows at Masses on Easter day, and at Baptisms throughout the Easter Season. The 50 days of the Easter Season allow us to concentrate on the mystery of the Resurrection and Jesus’ continued presence with us through the Holy Spirit. 40 days into Eastertide is the Ascension of the Lord which reminds us that although Jesus has left us physically, he remains with us always through the power of the Holy Spirit. Easter blessings, Gay Snell
April 27, 2025
What is the protocol when a pope passes? When a pope passes, the Church begins a solemn and organized transition. As Pope Francis did, a pope may request certain modifications to their funeral and burial. Pope Francis requested to be buried at Santa Maria Maggiore church in Rome and not the Vatican Grottoes beneath Saint Peter’s Basilica. The carnerlengo, a high-ranking Vatican official, is responsible for confirming the pope’s death. Then the pope’s signet ring, an official symbol of the pope’s authority, is destroyed by the carnerlengo. The Vatican publicly announces the death of the pope. Flags are lowered, church bells toll, and Catholic communities around the globe enter a time of prayer and remembrance. The Church then enters into a nine-day mourning period known as Novemdiales. It is during this time that Pope Francis will be prepared to lie in state, for his funeral, and for his burial. It is during this time, as well, that special Masses and prayers take place throughout the Catholic Church. A pope’s burial typically occurs 4 to 6 days after death. Traditionally, popes have been buried in 3 nested coffins—one of cypress, one of zinc, and one of elm. Pope Francis, however, has asked for a simpler wooden and zinc coffin. It is also traditional to bury with him a rogito, a document summarizing his life and papacy. During the time between the pope’s death and the election of a new pope, the College of Cardinals assumes temporary leadership of the Church. May Pope Francis rest in peace…Amen.
Gay Snell
