The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1955-04-01
Week of Climax

In The week which begins with Palm Sunday,
the liturgy of the Church rises to It's greatest
heights; all the Of prayer ceremonial and
chant are brought into service to commemorate
The days when Chrlsts work Of Redemption reached
its terrible sublime climax OF betrayal, suffering
and death. Making supreme effort to touch the
hearts of her children the Church re-enacts step
by STEP the events Of that first Holy Week; she
opens the Old Testament and recalls the prophecies
that found fufillment in ChTist-the prophecies of
lamentstion, and fear and hope and confidence
She asks US orealize that not spectators
or aloof observers of what transpired in Holy Week,
but participants: members of the crowd that waved
palm branches TO welcome the Savior; and also part,
alas. of the crowd that turned against Him. that
shouted for His blood that preferred the criminal
Barabbas to the gentle Christ She asks us to be
moved by the reproaches she utters in His name,
and 10 acknowledge that each sin commit is an
affront to Him Who bore indeserbable torments
for our salvation.
As pentents then but filled with hope and de-
termination we should follow the Way of the Cross
which Holy Week brings us. We come together
Palm Sunday TO make this journey with Christ;
each parish church Is sort Of representation OF
the jerusalem of nineteen centuries ago. Palms are
blessed and hold them aoft as the procession
moves along, recalling Christs triumphant entry
into the Holy City. But then the theme changes:
the Long Gospel" is ehanted the story of Chrst's
Passion and death, and though We still hold the
palm it has become symbol of peoples disloy
atty
The striking ceremonies of Holy Week continue:
Tuesday and Wednesday The Passion Is again
the Gospel of the day; the Lamentations and the
mournfuI psalms OF Tenebrae are chanted ''in the
darkness" Of Wednesday Thursday and Friday;
the Mass OF Thursday brings tremendous surge
Of Joy, as the institution of the Holy Eucharist is
commemorated The bells ring for this Mass and
the organ peals forth but then they are sllenced,
the altar is stripped OF its decorations and the lamps
and candles are extinguished
There is no real Mass Good Friday for II
Is the day on which The Sacrifice of the Cross
took place Words of the prophets are recited; the
Passion is again read the series of prayers in which
the Church emulates her Divine Founder by ask
ing Gods favor and mercy for all her enemies,
follows; then the crucifN Is unveiled, and we are
called upon to veneratc it, pondcring as we do so
ITS tremendous meaning in the life of each Of us.
AT length the Host consccrated the preceding day
is reverently received by the priest, ending the
Mass of the Presanelilied For the only time during
the year the tabernacle Is empty We thus com
memorate Christs death on Calvary and His burial
in the tomb,
We're II not Tor Gods love and mercy our lives
would be empty like the tabernacle on Good Friday.
Evil men had their way then, and when lie was laid
in the tomb they thought they had triumphed over
Him. But We know better: come away from the
tomb and the empty tabernacle looking forward
to His victory sin and DEATH the Day Of Resur-
recton.