Mass Times

Passiontide is the name given to the last two weeks of Lent, the final week being Holy Week. The holy liturgy, in union with Our Lady of Sorrows, is imbued with sorrowful meditation on the holy Passion of Our Lord and the Church puts on the widow’s garments. One of the most striking changes in the Passiontide is that the crosses and statues are draped, as an outward sign of the Church’s inward sorrow. The veiling of the Cross is a relic from an ancient practice. When crosses, without the corpus, shone glorious with gold and precious stones (the crux gemmata), there was deep meaning in the practice of veiling their brilliance during the days when the Bridegroom was taken away. In the spiritual life, we contemplate the various scenes of the bitter passion, we are immersed into all the feelings and thoughts of our suffering Savior, and we adore the virtues displayed by the Lord at every step. "How shall I imitate Him… what can I learn from Him?" are our most important questions. Suffering is the great motive for amendment: "He died on the Cross for me, and I have offended Him so deeply." Indeed, on Good Friday, we lift up our voices, crying: Ave Crux, spes unica! Hail O Cross, our only hope! (Parsch)

Christ is risen! The Easter acclamation can be considered a summary of the Faith, an acknowledgment of the reality of what we celebrate in this holiest and most joyous of all the seasons of the liturgical year. After the voluntary penances of Lent, and amidst all the involuntary sufferings of daily life, the Resurrection of Our Lord reminds us not only of the immense love He bears for us, but of our final destiny. The liturgy is the teacher of life. All throughout Lent, we have followed the life of Our Lord leading to his Passion, Death, and Resurrection. Holy Mother Church puts before us the beautiful Collects and readings during this season to help us enter into union with Christ more intimately. Our brief time here in the vale of tears is but a preparation for eternity. The joy and hope of Easter remind us like nothing else can of Our Lord's desire that we remain united to him here on earth and in heaven. Let us take this responsibility seriously, properly celebrating this season which ends with the Octave of Pentecost, and looking forward to the day when all sorrows shall end! Indeed, He is risen!