If we were to boil Christianity down to the very basics, what would be left in the pot? That would be the message that the apostles proclaimed, called in official circles by its Greek name kerygma: Jesus Christ was sent by God, preached the coming of the reign of God, was crucified, died, and was buried. He rose from the dead, and was raised to the right hand of God. Accept this proclamation, turn away from sin, and you will experience salvation through Christ. This was the essence of the instruction given before baptism. The essence of Christianity is not the golden rule; it is not love one another; it is not being nice; it is not working for justice and peace; it is not living by certain moral values. All those things are important for Christians, but they all flow from our acceptance of Christ and his vision of the reign of God. They flow from our on-going relationship with Christ and the Christian community. A big part of the Renew My Church process is to help us personally appropriate this basic message, and allow that to transform our church communities...

One of the best ways to ground ourselves in the basics of our faith is to actively participate in the services of Holy Week. On Palm Sunday we do hear the gruesome story of Jesus’ passion and death; but it is really the liturgical celebrations of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday that allow us to slow down and take to heart what we hear. In the Gospel According to John, Jesus always refers to his Passion, Death, and Resurrection as his “Hour”. Well, it certainly lasted much more than an hour. His “hour” stretched over three days. But to consider this big chunk of time an “hour” is very appropriate, because considered separately the elements that make up these three days lose much of their meaning. It was, for example, a wonderful thing for Jesus to have a Last Supper with his apostles on Thursday evening, It was wonderful that he left us the Eucharist (his very Body and Blood) to remember him by. But considered apart from Good Friday, the Eucharist is just an amazing ritual. On Good Friday he showed us how serious he was about giving us his body. He showed us how much love is poured into this sacrament, when he literally offered his body and blood on the cross. Likewise, if we consider the events of Good Friday in isolation, they provide a powerful witness to our God’s willingness to share our pain and suffering—not just the physical pain but also the emotional pain of those wrongly accused or tortured or unjustly convicted. But without Holy Thursday and it promise of a heavenly banquet and without the Easter victory over sin, suffering, and death, where would we find hope in our own suffering? And if we only celebrate Easter, we never really enter into the process of conversion, of letting go, of seeking our nourishment from the Bread of Life and the willingness of Christ to share our pain and suffering before entering into glory. Holy Thursday and Good Friday make Easter real, not only for Christ, but also for us.

That is why I strongly encourage all who can to participate in the services of Holy Thursday at 6:00pm, on Good Friday at 12:10 or 6:00pm, and the first Mass of Easter on Holy Saturday night at 7:30pm. In the past, rigid work schedules sometimes prevented people from being present at these services; but with more flexibility with work hours, hopefully more of you will make these “Triduum” services a priority. These services are not only unique (foot washing and procession of the Blessed Sacrament on Holy Thursday; the adoration of the cross on Good Friday; and the blessing of fire and water and the initiation of new members on Holy Saturday), but they allow us to share in a very personal way Christ’s own journey from death to new life.

Over the course of this past year, as part of Renew My Church, many of you have come forward with ideas about how we can make our church more hospitable and welcoming to new members or those who might consider becoming members. While many of these ideas are moving forward, we should not overlook the obvious. What if our church were completely filled on Holy Saturday night? Would that not be a great sign to the eight adults who are being baptized or received into the church that their choosing to become Catholic is something the whole community wants to celebrate? If we are serious about making Assumption a more welcoming community, maybe it is worth sacrificing some of our time to be present on Saturday night. Some people stay away from the Easter Vigil Mass because it starts after sunset and it lasts two hours; but many who have come once have become regulars. It truly is the most important Mass of the year.  It takes care of your Easter Mass in a big way and you can still go out for brunch on Easter Sunday! Have a blessed Holy Week.

                                                Fr. Joe