Collect for Palm Sunday

Almighty and everlasting God, who, of thy tender love towards humankind, hast sent thy Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon him our flesh, and to suffer death upon the cross, that all humanity should follow the example of his great humility: Mercifully grant that we may both follow the example of his patience, and also be made partakers of his resurrection; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Isaiah 50:4-9 (Click to read the passage)

Biblical scholars largely place this passage within what is called “Deutero-Isaiah,” the second of three move-ments in the Book of Isaiah dating to the end of the Babylonian Exile or the early post-exilic period. The passage contains the third of Isaiah’s four songs about the “suffering servant,” who is often identified as the book’s titular prophet, the Messiah, the people of Israel, or some combination of these.

In this passage, the servant self-identifies as both a student and teacher who is tasked with providing God’s weary people with sustaining words while in exile. God teaches these words to the servant each day and the servant dutifully relays God’s words to the people of Israel, even when doing so results in the servant suffering ridicule or violent persecution. Trusting in God to bring justice and salvation, the servant willingly and self-sacrificially endures this suffering with a “face like flint:” an extremely dense rock used in ancient tool building that signifies the firm resolve of the servant in the face of suffering. But as flint has also been used since antiquity to start fires, the willful suffering of the servant serves as an example for Israel of steadfast and self-sacrificial love for God and neighbor: an example that--when emulated--can spark exponentially more examples for Israel’s neighbors to follow until the world is engulfed in God’s love.

• Like the suffering servant, Christians are called to proclaim God’s word to a world that often proves hostile to the Gospel. Have you ever experienced hostility or endured suffering when proclaiming the Gospel? What happened? How did you respond?
• In our Baptismal Covenant, we vow to “proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ” (BCP, 305). What is one way this week that you can proclaim the Gospel by example? What is one way you can encourage others to follow this example?

Psalm 31:9-16 (Click to read the psalm)

The Psalter is filled with expressions of intense human emotion: the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. In this passage from Psalm 31, we encounter the Psalmist expressing one of their lowest moments. Sorrow and grief compounded with enmity and persecution from friend and enemy alike have resulted in an affliction that has entirely consumed the Psalmist, whose very body is being destroyed by trauma. Suffering is ubiquitous to the human experience, and whether or not we have suffered to the extent expressed in this passage, the Psalmist’s pain and the physical manifestations of that pain are deeply relatable. And in the midst of such immense suffering, perhaps we can understand the Psalmist’s feelings of uselessness and abandonment.

But the Psalmist knows that their abandonment is not absolute. Though the Psalmist has “become a reproach to all,” they know that God has not abandoned them. Even as their body is wasting away, the Psalmist remains confident that God is present and in control. Despite the suffering experienced at the hands of their enemies, the Psalmist affirms that it is God alone who is in control over their life and surrenders all their pain and grief into God’s saving hands.

• Have you—like the Psalmist—had an experience of intense grief or sorrow that resulted in physical symptoms? How did you find relief?
• The Psalmist writes elsewhere that “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted” (Psalm 34:18). Where have you witnessed God’s presence and control amid great suffering?

Philippians 2:5-11 (Click to read the passage)

In this passage from Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, the apostle encourages the church at Philippi to frame their thoughts, deeds, and entire lives on the example set by Christ. Paul then appeals to an early Christian hymn to articulate the nature of Christ’s example. The hymn describes Jesus’ incarnation as a process of self-emptying (or kenosis), whereby the divine adopted our humanity. And rather than choosing to be born to a wealthy or powerful family, Christ’s kenosis goes even further, instead being raised in the lowly town of Nazareth. Though himself divine, the Lord of all, with the name above all others, Jesus consistently spent his life identifying with and serving the least, the vulnerable, and the marginalized. But Christ’s life of self-emptying goes further still, culminating in his sacrificial death on the cross.

With this Christ hymn, Paul tells the Philippians and all Christians that the example set by Jesus Christ is a life of humility, self-emptying, and obedient self-sacrifice for the sake of others. Paul encourages us to model our entire lives after this example, prefacing this passage with an exhortation to “look not to [our] own interests but to the interests of others” (Phil. 2:4). This means loving our neighbors—especially the most vulnerable among us—even when doing so requires us to empty ourselves of our notions of status, convenience, or comfort.

• Who are the vulnerable/marginalized people in your community? How do you identify with them? What barriers might prevent you from identifying with them?
• What is one act of loving service you can offer this week for the sake of the vulnerable/marginalized people in your community? What might you need to empty yourself of to complete this act of loving service?

Mark 14:1 - 15:47 (Click to read the passage)

In the Markan account of the Passion, we encounter the culmination of this week’s readings. Like the Psalmist, Jesus is abandoned, denied, and betrayed by his friends, and the extent of his grief is made clear in Gethsemane. But even in his grief (again like the Psalmist), Jesus obediently surrenders himself to the will of God. Like Isaiah’s suffering servant and as stated in the Christ hymn quoted by Paul, Jesus willingly endures derision, abuse, and all manner of suffering until his brutal death on the cross: Christ’s perfect example of self-sacrificial love for the sake of the whole world.

Of course, Jesus had lived his entire life as such an example and this passage depicts several people who have been inspired to follow in his self-sacrificial footsteps. The woman at Simon’s house sacrificing nearly a year’s wages to anoint Jesus for burial, Simon of Cyrene taking Jesus’ cross upon his own shoulders, Joseph of Arimathea boldly requesting Jesus’ lifeless body before dressing and laying it in his own hewn tomb, and Mary, Mary, and Solome bearing witness to Christ’s passion and staying to witness his burial after sundown on the day of Preparation: each has begun to follow Christ’s example by offering their life as a living sacrifice to their God.

• Of those in this passage who have begun to follow Christ’s self-sacrificial example, who do you find most inspiring? Do you know any such inspiring people in your own life?
• As we commemorate Christ’s sacrificial life and death this Holy Week, what sacrifices might God be inviting you to make to better love both God and neighbor?

The Episcopal Church: Bible Study - Palm Sunday B - March 24, 2024

This Week at All Saints

Events this Week

(Holy Week)



Live streams can be viewed at the times indicated below

and anytime thereafter.

Monday, March 25

(Monday in Holy Week)

12:15 PM - Low Mass

Click here to view on Facebook Live.

Tuesday, March 26

(Tuesday in Holy Week)

8:00 AM - Low Mass is cancelled.

8:30 AM - Funeral Mass for Thomas Biglin, Sr.

Wednesday, March 27

(Wednesday in Holy Week)

7:00 PM - Low Mass

Click here to view on Facebook Live.

Thursday, March 28

(Maundy Thursday)

7:00 PM - High Mass for Maundy Thursday

Click here to view on YouTube.

9:30 PM to 12 AM - Vigil at the Altar of Repose

Friday, March 29

(Good Friday)

12:00 Noon - Stations of the Cross

2:00 PM - Good Friday Liturgy

Click here to view on YouTube.

Saturday, March 30

(Holy Saturday)

10:00 AM - Holy Saturday Liturgy

Click here to view on Facebook Live.

11 AM to 1 PM - Rehearsal for Easter Masses

7:30 PM - The Great Vigil and First Mass of Easter

Click here to view on YouTube.

Sunday, March 31

(Easter Day)

8:00 AM - Said Mass (in person only)

9:30 AM - La Misa en Español

Click here to view on YouTube.

11:00 AM - Procession & Festive High Mass

Click here to view on YouTube.

Easter Rehearsal

Calling All

Acolytes, Eucharistic Ministers (LEMs), and Lectors

We must prepare for

the beautiful liturgies of Easter.

Rehearsal for the Great Vigil & Easter Day

(LEMs, Acolytes, & Lectors)

Saturday, March 30

11 AM - 1 PM

(Following the morning Holy Saturday Liturgy)

Please contact Fr. Whitmire ASAP by phone or e-mail

to let him know your availability for Holy Week.

Weekday Low Masses

Monday, March 25 – 12:15 PM

Tuesday, March 26 – Mass is cancelled.

Wednesday, March 27 – 7:00 PM

Maundy Thursday – March 28

High Mass for Maundy Thursday

7:00 PM

with Reception of the Holy Oils, the Footwashing,

the Exhortation, Translation of the Blessed Sacrament,

and Stripping of the Altar

Vigil at the Altar of Repose

9:30 PM - 12 Midnight

Good Friday – March 29

Stations of the Cross

12:00 Noon

Good Friday Liturgy & Mass of the Presanctified

2:00 PM

with the Solemn Collects, the Reproaches,

and Veneration of the Cross

Holy Saturday – March 30

Holy Saturday Liturgy

10:00 AM

The Great Vigil & First Mass of Easter

7:30 PM

with Lighting of the New Fire, the Exultet,

the Renewal of Baptismal Vows, Blessing of Easter Water,

and the Litany of Saints

Reception in the Parish Hall following the Vigil Mass.

Sunday, March 31

The Solemnity of the Resurrection: Easter Day

8:00 AM – Said Mass of Easter

9:30 AM – La Misa en Español de Pascua

11:00 AM – Procession & Festive High Mass

Annual Easter Egg Hunt following the High Mass.

Donate Easter Flowers!

Make a donation toward the lilies and other flowers for Easter on behalf of or in loving memory of someone. Envelopes are available in the nave, or make a donation online.

2024 Calendar of

Combined Masses

On the following Sundays,

one bilingual mass will be celebrated at 10:00 AM.

July 28 (“Mass on the Grass”)

October 6 (“Mass on the Grass”; Blessing of the Animals)

November 3 (All Saints Sunday & Titular Feast)



Pray the Rosary

Join the members of the

Cell of Our Lady of Walsingham

in praying for our parish,

those on our prayer lists,

and for your own needs.

Download the parish prayer lists below.

As a church family, we pray for each other and our needs, and share in celebrating our joys. Please pray for those on our parish prayer lists. You may click on the links below to download the lists.

Weekly Prayer List

Those with immediate concerns.

Monthly Prayer List

Those who request our prayers long-term.

List of those who have died recently

Pray for the souls of the faithful departed.

May they rest in peace and rise in glory.

Give Thanks to God and Celebrate Life!

At All Saints we love celebrating birthdays. After each Mass, we bless anyone who is celebrating their birthday or anniversary. There are several ways you can give thanks to God for blessing you with another year of life or marriage by making a gift for flowers, bread and wine, altar candles, or candles for the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. You can even have a mass dedicated in your honor!

Another way you should thank God for your birthday is by making a birthday donation; there is a special envelope in your pledge boxes for a birthday gift and a gift can be made online. But how much should you give?

Beginning in January, we are starting a new All Saints tradition of thanking God for every year of life by giving one dollar ($1) for every year as your birthday gift. In other words, if you’re turning 2, give $2; if you’re tuning 21, give $21; if you’re turning 65, give $65. Get the idea?

The great thing is that everyone in the church can participate--kids and adults! Everyone has a birthday!!!

Why is Holy Week Important?

Holy Week is the most solemn and glorious week in Christianity, the pinnacle of the liturgical year. It’s more sacred than Christmas! This is because Holy Week com-memorates the final week of Our Lord’s life, the very purpose for which Christmas happened. Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday (when Jesus made his final entrance into Jerusalem) and culminates with Easter Sunday. As Holy Week progresses to its final days, the solemnity heightens.

The Sacred Triduum

Sundown on Holy Thursday to sundown on Easter Sunday is considered the most solemn part of the liturgical year. This three-day period is referred to as the Easter Triduum, also known as the Sacred Triduum, or Paschal Triduum. The word “triduum” comes from the Latin word triduum, which comes from tris (“three”) + dies (“day”). Basically, the Sacred Triduum is one great festival recounting the last three days of Jesus’ life on earth, the events of his Passion and Resurrection, when the Lamb of God laid down his life in atonement for our sins. Though chronologically three days, they are liturgically one day unfolding for us the unity of Christ’s Paschal Mystery.

It is known as the “Paschal Mystery” because it is the ultimate fulfillment of the ancient Jewish Passover (or Pasch), which itself was a recollection of how God brought the Jews out of their slavery in Egypt. The spotless lamb was slaughtered at the Passover meal and consumed—that same night the destroying angel “passed over” the homes marked with the blood of the Passover Lamb, and those covered by the Blood were saved. This was the Old Testament pre-figurement of Jesus’ work at the Last Supper—where he inserted himself as the Paschal Lamb—and Calvary, where the sacrifice was offered to save us from our slavery to sin. With the Holy Eucharist, we consume the victim that died for our sins. The Paschal Mystery is, therefore, God’s plan of redemption for the fallen human race through the passion, death, and resurrection of the God-man Jesus Christ. It is one marvelous event stretched out over three days. Here is a breakdown of each of the three days that make up the Easter Triduum.

Maundy Thursday

The evening Mass on Holy Thursday is referred to as The Mass of the Lord’s Supper. This is where the Church re-lives the institution of the Eucharist and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at the Last Supper, as well as the institution of the priesthood, which took place the evening before Jesus was crucified. After the homily there is an optional “washing of the feet” ceremony, where the priest washes the feet of others to signify his role as servant—just as Jesus did with his disciples. The word “maundy” comes from the Latin ‘mandatum’ in reference to the commandment Jesus gave to his disciples, “to love one another as I have loved you.” Extra hosts are consecrated at this Mass to be used on Good Friday when no Mass will be celebrated. The Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday concludes with a procession of the Blessed Sacrament to the “altar of repose,” a place where the consecrated Host is kept, away from the main altar where Mass is normally celebrated. Many parishes will create space for people to stay and pray with the reposed Eucharist at this altar of repose late into the night, remembering Jesus’ request in the Garden of Gethsemane for someone to “watch and pray” with Him. 

Good Friday

Good Friday is a mandatory day of fasting and abstinence. This is the day of the crucifixion, the day Jesus died for the sins of the world. The parish altar looks very different on Good Friday: it is plain and bare. There is no consecrated Host in the tabernacle at the main altar of the church; it was carried away on Holy Thursday night to the “altar of repose” to signify Jesus’ death. The candle by the tabernacle is blown out, and the tabernacle doors are left open to show that it is empty. Jesus is gone. This is quite dramatic, reminding us that Good Friday is a solemn day of mourning and prayer. The ceremony on Good Friday is not a Mass—it is a communion service using the consecrated hosts from Holy Thursday. Good Friday is the only day of the year on which no Masses are offered. These Good Friday services often take place at 3 p.m., the hour that Jesus breathed his last on the cross. Often the priest will begin the service by prostrating himself in front of the altar. Veneration of the Cross usually takes place at this service, in which the priest and the faithful kneel before a cross and kiss it.

Holy Saturday

On this day Christ is in the tomb. There is no daytime Mass on Holy Saturday. It is still a day of fasting and sorrow before the Easter Vigil begins that evening. We recall, with Mary and the disciples, that Jesus died and was separated from them for the first time as He lay in the tomb. The faithful often continue their Good Friday fast through Holy Saturday. In the Apostles Creed we pray “He descended into hell” (translated hades, that is, the temporary abode of the dead—not the eternal lake of fire) which describes what Jesus did in the time between his burial and Resurrection. Jesus descended to the realm of the dead on Holy Saturday to save the righteous souls—the Old Testament patriarchs, for example—who died before his crucifixion. Jesus’ descent into the realm of the dead is “the last phase of Jesus’ messianic mission,” during which he “opened heaven’s gates for the just who had gone before him.” Before Holy Saturday, there were no souls enjoying the beatific vision of God in heaven! Christ’s work on Holy Saturday is also known as the “Harrowing of Hell.”

The Great Vigil

A vigil Mass is held after nightfall on Holy Saturday, or before dawn on Easter Sunday, in celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. This is called the Easter Vigil: the most glorious, beautiful, and dramatic liturgy for the Church. The vigil is divided into four parts and can last up to three hours:

1) the Service of Light,

2) the Liturgy of the Word,

3) the Liturgy of Baptism, and

4) the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

This is also the Mass in which many are baptized into full communion with the Body of Christ, the Church. Easter Sunday is what we’ve all been waiting for! The forty days of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving during Lent was in preparation for this day, when our hearts and souls can drink in deeply the culmination of the Paschal mystery: the Resurrection.

Adapted from

https://www.catholiccompany.com/magazine/the-easter-triduum-what-is-it-6028