Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem for His Passion. Although we are unable to be physically united in the parish church for the Holy Week celebrations this year for very obvious reasons, I know we’re virtually and spiritually united in celebration. Be assured that the blessings and spiritual fruits that come from this Holy Week and Easter celebrations will reach you wherever you’re. 

The Palm Sunday liturgy captures for us in a nutshell what would become the unfolding events of our salvation during the Sacred Paschal Triduum and Easter.

We have listened to the Passion story of Jesus’ suffering: his agony, betrayal, scourging, crown of thorns, way to Calvary, crucifixion and death.

In all this, what was the human response of Jesus to his suffering: fear, pain, a sense of frustration, betrayal and abandonment.

But again, even in the face of that natural human response to suffering, what was his spiritual response: courage, determination to move on to accomplish his mission, prayer, resignation to God’s will.

I know, too, that in the face of the many sufferings or cross that come our way in life, including the coronavirus pandemic, our human response, like our master and savior, has often (and expectedly) been that of fear, pain, frustration, betrayal and some sense of abandonment. May our spiritual response, like Jesus too, continue to be that of courage, determination, prayer, and resignation to God.

Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, at some point in the early days of the Church, followers of Christ celebrated the Faith in the “Catacombs” as they hid away from their persecutors. Despite their travails, they kept the Faith. Nothing could stop them from celebrating and expressing their Faith. And Faith sustained them. This year, we celebrate the Holy Week and Easter in and from our home enclosures as we hide away from the ravaging Coronavirus. Not even COVID-19 can stop us from expressing and celebrating the Faith that sustains is all.

However, Scripture informs us that God works everything unto good for those who trust in him. I’ve a strong feeling that this lockdown or “social distancing” will, at the end of it,  help us realize how important community and church fellowship (just like family) are in our daily life; and I think when we are let out of the bag, we’ll value and cherish one another the more.

Since the coronavirus started ravaging the world, no Nation is at war with another Nation. Rather, all the Nations of the world (and even Terrorist groups) are headed in one direction: to battle this common enemy called coronavirus. This proves one point: Our common and real enemy is the Devil and not human beings.

My interior reaction each time the Passion of Jesus is presented to me: Oh, All this Jesus suffered for me? And will I allow all this to be in vain?

As we celebrate these days of our christian Passover, pray that the Holy Spirit may give us more zeal to grow in our relationship with the Trinity, and be more committed to those expressions that our faith in Christ must find in daily life.

In the absence of a physical Palm in our hands today, may your Palm be the joyous praise & thanksgiving you offer to Jesus our savior in your heart and home. 

For if we’re one with him in his Passion and cross, we’ll share in his resurrection and new life. 

Have a grace filled Holy Week. 

Fr. JT.

Administrator