A week ago, I listened to Fr. Paul Soukup’s presentation on “At the Cross.”  Fr. Paul invited all the listeners to enter into an imaginative prayer, seeing ourselves as standing at the foot of the cross. What struck me was when he referred to all of us as the “beloved disciple.”  I have always thought “the beloved disciple” was John the Evangelist because that is what I learned in the seminary. Although Fr. Paul is not refuting that claim; he was inviting us to see ourselves as “THE” beloved disciple. We can begin to appreciate what we are about to celebrate.

As we prepare for the Paschal Triduum, I offer you what Pope Francis shared in 2016 regarding the THREE GREAT DAYS – Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter:

We will live Holy Thursday, Friday, and Saturday as intense moments, which enable us to enter increasingly in the great mystery of our faith: the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Everything in these three days speaks of mercy, because it renders visible the point that God’s love can reach. We will listen to the account of the last days of Jesus’ life. The evangelist John offers us the key to understand the profound meaning: “He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end” (John 13:1). God’s love has no limits. As Saint Augustine often repeated, it is a love that goes “to the end without end.” God truly offers Himself wholly for each one of us and does not spare Himself in anything. The Mystery we adore in this Holy Week is a great story of love that knows no obstacles. Jesus’ Passion lasts until the end of the world, because it is a story of sharing with the sufferings of the whole of humanity and a permanent presence in the events of the personal life of each one of us. In sum, the Easter Triduum is the memorial of a drama of love that gives us the certainty that we will never be abandoned in life’s trials.

These three days are the MOST important and holy liturgical celebrations in the Church. So, I invite all of you to join the whole community in celebrating the paschal triduum. Let us remember God’s mercy and love and give thanks. 

I join Fr.  Robert and the rest of the staff in praying for all of you. May this week truly be a grace-filled moment and a joyful remembrance of God’s infinite mercy and love.

Blessed and Happy Holy Week!