More Triduum unpacking

Holy Thursday:

How nice to see the families that came forward, children washing and drying the feet of their parents, their siblings. I hope we gain the insight we're supposed to from this ritual. It is the mundane and, if you will, highly unpleasant task that we are called to undertake in love. I'm not opposed to this ritual, by any means. I just want it to mean all it should for us.

But, like the sacraments, I believe there can be a grace at work in such acts that far exceeds our awareness of it.


Good Friday:

Fr. Dave's reflections on the Stations of the Cross during our celebration of the Passion of the Lord was a wonderful bridge to this form of prayer which is practiced in many parishes on Good Friday.

I hope people are engaged rather than put off by our chanting of St. John's passion narrative. I know it engages me, but as a participant, it had better! The odd thing is, I find I can relate to everyone whose words I express, in some way. And I know that my role in Jesus' crucifixion is at least as great as any of theirs.


Easter Vigil:
Wow! The joy of sponsoring him is beyond words. To have walked these past months with all of these newly baptized and confirmed members of the church is priceless! And Teri was thrilled to be able to distribute first Eucharist to so many of them.


Easter morning liturgies:
It was such a joy to be able to participate in music ministry. I missed that aspect of the vigil service, though I would not have traded in my role for anything! I didn't expect to be at both Easter morning services, but then Teri decided she was going to 10:30 mass after all, so there wasn't any point in my staying home.
The brass was fabulous. The handbell choir did a great job! But my favorite addition had to be Julian, who did a great job with the percussion in general, and the timpani in particular. Easter Alleluia was fabulous!
I hope we truly helped people gain a closer sense of the joy of the resurrection, and of the rejoicing we have in store for us for eternity.

Both in the vigil and morning liturgies, Fr. Dave talked about little George, who after running into the bedroom wall early in the morning on his first day of school, guessed it was because "I still have too much dark in my eyes." Fr. Dave, if the mark of a good homily is that it leaves us chewing on it for a while, then this was certainly was one.

In addition to the darkness of self-centeredness and hedonism, I think there is a darkness of pride. Maybe it was the first darkness in creation, and maybe every other darkness really has it its roots there. I sense that a lot of folks think that a little religion is okay, as long as you don't go too crazy with all of it. Don't, like, expect me to sit through a bunch of extra stuff at liturgy, especially week in and week out. And don't expect me to actually interact with someone undesireable, either because they are beneath my social peer group, they're too plain, they've done something disgusting, they smell, they're not very bright . . . basically, their faults are outside my comfort zone. BTW, I'm not picking on others, here. This message is hitting me where I live. And it ought to. I have Christ living next door to me, and I don't bother helping him shoulder his cross. And the reason I don't is because of my pride.

I'm not beating myself up over that, just recognizing that Jesus wants that part of me to die so that he can resurrect it into something wonderful.

Christ is risen, Alleuia! And he's going to make sure that I'm fully risen in him.