Passion Sunday

April is here. April Fool's Day is here (and, amazingly, I think I've completely avoided even seeing or hearing an April Fool's joke today... gosh it's nice to live with adults). More importantly, it's a week until Easter.

Holy Week has begun. The most solemn and important week in the Church's calendar has arrived.

Passion Sunday, of course, is also known as Palm Sunday, because the Mass first remembers Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem before his final Passover. It is, I am fairly sure, the biggest supporter of the international fresh-branches-of-palm-trees trade. My palm (the branch, not a hand) has been nailed up underneath my crucifix, since I no longer have a calendar to go there (yeah, me remembering things depends on me... well... remembering...).

But important as the whole palm-blessing ceremony, and subsequent proclamation of the Gospel of the original event that prompted it, and the imitation procession into the Church-- important as that is, the first Sunday of Holy Week is foremostly PASSION Sunday.

We recall Christ's Passion. His last hours, of suffering and betrayal, culminating in His penultimate gift to Humanity: Death, Death on a Cross.

All of Holy Week remembers Jesus' Passion, but as the Sunday of the week, today has a special place in remembering it. Though the Church gathers on Good Friday to commemorate the death on the proper day of the week, we do not celebrate Mass. Passion Sunday, therefore, is the chief feast day when we celebrate Mass in specific connection to the memory of Jesus's death-- and His death and the Eucharist are intimately connected. The Eucharist IS His death.

In the celebration of the Mass, the priest (acting in persona Christi) re-offers the same sacrifical lamb (Jesus) that was offered on the Cross nearly two thousand years ago. In every Mass, therefore, the people of God are able to participate in the greatest event of human history. Consequently, Passion Sunday, which not only celebrates the Eucharist, as every Mass does, but also makes that death the focus of the instruction, is unique.

I love Holy Week. It's... undescribable. Passion Sunday and Holy Thursday are both great feasts that have their own memorable and unique ceremonies (palms and foot-washing), and both are lead-ins to the most bittersweet service of the year: Good Friday. It's a bittersweet like the last chapter of the Lord of the Rings. It's harder for me to sit through a Good Friday without going overboard emotionally (by my standards) than a funeral-- even my own grandfather's funeral (and I was really close to Grandpa).

But it's necessary! It's important! And without it, there could be no Easter! And the soaring glory of the Easter Vigil, the pre-eminent Mass of the liturgical year, would not have the same impact if it did not come after Good Friday. Indeed, if COULD not come if not for Good Friday.

"Come let us worship the Lord, who for our sake enduring suffering and death."