Happy Holy Week and Palm Sunday!

Holy Week has arrived! This weekend, we bless palm branches and journey with Jesus into Jerusalem crying out the words "Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Hosanna in excelsis!" "Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest." I proposed the question in my Palm Sunday homily: Will be follow Jesus all the way to His crucifixion or won't we? A decision needs to be made by us all, even me. 

This year, I encouraged parishioners to be present at as many Holy Week liturgies and events as they possible can, even more than they have ever done before. This is easier said then done. But, if we allow the busyness of our lives and the constant bombardment from our secular culture pull us away from what is MOST important (OUR FAITH), then our Holy Week will not be very holy for us.

This is the Holiest Week of the entire Church Year. Our worship and prayer are intensified as we approach Jesus' Passion, Death and Resurrection. I also shared that Holy Week could end today on Palm Sunday and that we could just focus on Easter Morning, ignoring all the events that occur prior to Jesus' Resurrection from the dead.

However, as Catholic Christians, God calls us to grow in holiness and in Holy Week, that is what we strive to do. Will we be like the people in the Gospel who cried out there Hosannas and shortly after cried out "Crucify Him"?

Our Lord awaits the members of His Body, the Church, each one of us, to join Him in this journey every step of the way from His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem all the way to the Cross where He cries out "Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit." Let us enter now with our Lord into this Holiest of Weeks and prepare together for Easter.