Christ became obedient to the point of death,

even death on a cross.

because of this, God greatly exalted him

and bestowed on him the name which is above every name. Phil 2:8-9

“You are afraid to suffer, but it were better to thank God for it, since the more you undergo down here, the less you will endure above. Grief is a portion of one's heritage taken in advance from Purgatory.”

― Saint Lydwine of Schiedam

Feast day April 14

Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion, Cycle C

Sunday, April 10, 2022

Gospel at the Procession with Palms

Luke 19:28-40

Jesus sends his disciples for a colt and then rides into Jerusalem.

First Reading

Isaiah 50:4-7

The Lord's Servant will stand firm, even when persecuted.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 22:8-9,17-20,23-24

A cry for help to the Lord in the face of evildoers.

Second Reading

Philippians 2:6-11

Christ was obedient even to death, but God has exalted him.

Gospel Reading

Luke 22:14—23:56 (shorter form: Luke 23:1-49)

From the cross, Jesus speaks words of forgiveness and promises that the good thief will be with him in paradise.



Background on the Gospel Reading

This Sunday, called Palm or Passion Sunday, is the first day of Holy Week. Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday are called the Triduum, three days that are the highlight of the Church year. There are two Gospels proclaimed at today's Mass. The first Gospel, proclaimed before the procession with palms, tells of Jesus' triumphant entrance into Jerusalem. Riding on a borrowed colt, Jesus was hailed by the crowds as they shouted blessings and praise to God. This event is reported in each of the four Gospels.

Luke's Gospel is the only one to report the exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees as Jesus enters Jerusalem. Jesus' response shows that this event, and those yet to come, are part of a divine plan. We hear this echoed again in Luke's description of the Last Supper when Jesus speaks of Judas' betrayal, saying that the Son of Man “goes as has been determined.”

At the Liturgy of the Word on this Sunday, the events of Jesus' passion are proclaimed in their entirety. In Lectionary Cycle C, we read the passion of Jesus as found in the Gospel of Luke. We will hear these events proclaimed again during the Triduum when we read the passion of Jesus from the Gospel of John.

Throughout Luke's Gospel we see that Jesus' words and actions proclaim the Kingdom of God. This motif continues throughout Luke's passion narrative. Jesus appears to be in total command of events at the Passover meal as he hands over the kingdom to his disciples. He welcomes them to the Passover meal announcing that this will be his last until the Kingdom of God is fulfilled.

As throughout Luke's Gospel, however, the disciples show little understanding of this kingdom that Jesus often announces. Following the meal, the disciples argue about who is the greatest. Jesus takes the opportunity to distinguish the meaning of leadership in the Kingdom of God from the forms of leadership seen in the world.

Jesus initiates a conversation with Simon and predicts his denial. Jesus then instructs his disciples to prepare themselves for the events that will follow. His words reveal an awareness of the challenges that all of them will face in the days ahead. As the disciples and Jesus enter the Mount of Olives, Jesus indicates the importance of the disciples' time in prayer, telling them that through prayer they will be able to face the challenges ahead.

As he prays, Jesus is tested. In the garden, an angel is sent to strengthen him and to prepare him for the events ahead. After this moment, Jesus is again in charge of the events and circumstances.

In Luke's Gospel, Jesus is portrayed as active and vocal throughout his passion. When one of the disciples strikes the high priest's servant, Jesus heals the man, an event reported only in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus stops the disciples' protest against his arrest by noting that this is the “time for the power of darkness.” Jesus engages and responds when brought before the Sanhedrin; his words speak about the “power of God” that will bring about the reign of the Son of Man. When questioned by Pilate, Jesus responds with just one phrase; yet before Herod, Jesus refuses to speak.

When Luke describes the Way of the Cross and Jesus' crucifixion, he calls to our attention many events that are not reported in the other Gospels. Throughout his Gospel, Luke has paid heed to the women who accompanied Jesus. Now, on the road to Calvary, Jesus speaks to the women who walk with him. Only Luke reports Jesus' words of forgiveness spoken from the cross. And only Luke reports the dialogue between Jesus and the good thief. Finally, in contrast with the Gospels of Mark and Matthew, Luke reports no words of abandonment spoken by Jesus on the cross. Instead, Jesus, in full command until his death, commends his spirit to his Father and takes his final breath.

Throughout Holy Week, we will continue to reflect on the events of Jesus' passion and death. As we meditate on the cross, we ask again and anew what it means to make the statement of faith that Jesus, in his obedient suffering and dying, revealed himself to us as God's Son and brought to fulfillment the Kingdom of God. Layola Press

Wilhelm Morgner, “Entry of Christ into Jerusalem,” 1912

Welcome to Holy Week. Here we are Palm Sunday. The beginning of my favorite week in the year. I love Holy Week. I love experiencing through daily Mass, prayer, reflection, and the Gospels Christ’s journey of triumph over death. Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday is celebrated this weekend. This feast commemorates Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem the week before his passion and crucifixion. The Gospels attest that as Jesus entered the city, crowds lay down palm branches and cloaks as he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. I can remember as far back as when I was a child how much I loved this weekend and these Gospels.

As a kid I was so excited to get a palm. Of course, back then I didn’t understand the meaning of the palm or why we were processing from one place to another. It was just fun to receive the palm then process from the church hall into the church with family and friends. Reenacting the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. As any typical kids, my brothers and sisters and I would poke and tickle each other with palms. This would earn us a stern look from our parents of course. I enjoy to this day seeing kids with the Palm branches. Eagerly grasping them in their hands and waving them as we process into church. Just think what it must have been like all those years ago waving the palm branch as Jesus’ rode into Jerusalem.

For centuries we have been celebrating this weekend. We use palms as they did when Jesus first entered the city. The palm branch is a sign of peace and victory. The church will be adorned in the color red. A visible difference of the purple the last 6 weeks, reminding us of the redemption in blood that Christ paid for our world. Sunday is rich in tradition and meaning. We indeed experience the same feelings of triumph as Jesus enters the city, then the betrayal and sadness as we read the Passion. Our faith acknowledges that the same people who shout with joy on Jesus’s arrival then shout out “crucify him” just days later. What a powerful reminder of our human weaknesses.

Looking forward to this Holy Week I hope you will join me in some time for reflection. Take some time to sit quietly with Christ. Imagine what feelings he must be feeling, knowing what is about to come to pass. Open the bible and read the Gospel accounts of Jesus' passion. And as you hold your palm this weekend remember you are joyful greeting the arrival our Lord just as others have for generations before you on Palm Sunday. J. Geeting

This Weekend is the St. Lucy CCW

Raffle Ticket Drawing!!!!

We are so grateful to all of you have purchased tickets supporting the Council!

The drawing takes place after the 10:00 AM Mass on Palm Sunday!

Saint Julie Billiart

Feast day April 8

Many faithful Catholics resisted the French Revolution’s anticlericalism and the destruction of the church. But perhaps the most outstanding opponent of the Jacobins, and certainly the most unusual, was St. Julie Billiart, for she was paralyzed and conducted her defiance from her bed. In 1790 a schismatic priest who had sworn loyalty to the revolution took over the Cuvilly church. He tried to visit Julie but she refused to admit him. And singlehandedly the invalid persuaded the entire village to boycott him. Enraged by Julie’s opposition, revolutionary authorities sought to silence her, so she fled in a hay wagon and went into hiding. At Amiens she met Frances Blin, a viscountess who became her friend and companion. The women went to Bettencourt, where they taught catechism classes and restored the entire village to the practice of the faith. Julie and Frances returned to Amiens where they founded the Institute of Notre Dame, a community of women dedicated mainly to the care and instruction of poor girls. In 1804 during a novena, a priest exhorted Julie to take a step in faith and on the spot she was miraculously healed. With her restored strength, Julie together with Frances spent her last years establishing fifteen Notre Dame convents throughout France. She died at Namur in 1816.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Feast day April 9

Dietrich Bonhoeffer is not officially a saint of the Catholic Church, but he is remembered by the Church for his courage in the face of Nazi Germany. Bonhoeffer was a clergyman who lived in Germany during World War II. Adolf Hitler came to power of the Nazi Party, and soon after a group of Protestants formed an anti-Hitler group called the Confessing Church. Bonhoeffer was a member of this group and began training its members to become teachers and preachers. When the Nazis found out, they closed the church down. Bonhoeffer was forbidden to teach and was banned from the city of Berlin. Fearing what would happen to the world with a man like Hitler leading it, Bonhoeffer became a double agent by taking a job in the Nazi Military Intelligence Department. His job allowed him to travel all over Europe to visit churches with the expectation that he would bring back information to help the Nazis—but he wasn’t really working with the Nazis, he was working against them and was secretly helping Jews escape Germany to less-hostile countries in Europe.

In the end, the Nazis discovered he was a double agent, and he was put in a Berlin military prison. They also discovered he was involved in a plot to kill Hitler. He was then sentenced to death shortly after. Before he died, he said to another prisoner, “This is the end—but for me it is also the beginning of new life.” He was hanged a few days before the end of the war. Bonhoeffer knelt for the last time to pray; and within five minutes, his life was over.

Saint Stanislaus

Feast day April 11

In 1072, the people of Krakow, Poland, begged Pope Alexander II to give them Stanislaus as their bishop, which he did. As bishop, Stanislaus was generous to those who were poor. His courage proved itself when he opposed King Boleslaus II for unjust wars, violence, cheating those who were poor, and abducting a nobleman’s wife. King Boleslaus pretended repentance but soon returned to his old ways. Stanislaus tirelessly preached the ways of God to the king. Enraged by Stanislaus’s reprimands, Boleslaus accused the bishop of crimes.

One story reports that a man named Knight Peter had given an estate to the bishop. After Peter died, Boleslaus accused Stanislaus of not paying for it. Stanislaus fasted for three days, ordered the grave of Peter opened, raised him to life, and brought him to court. Peter upheld the good name of the bishop. Still Boleslaus behaved like a tyrant, and Stanislaus had to excommunicate him. Boleslaus entered the cathedral where Stanislaus was officiating, and services were suspended. Stanislaus, pursued by the king, fled to a chapel outside of town. The king ordered his guards to enter the church and kill the bishop. When they refused, the king marched into the chapel and slew Stanislaus with his own sword. Stanislaus is the patron of Poland

Saint Martin I

Feast day April 13

St. Lydwine

Feast Day April 14

St. Lydwine is the patroness of sickness Lydwine of Schiedam was born at Schiedam, Holland, one of nine children of a working man. After an injury in her youth, she became bedridden and suffered the rest of her life from various illnesses and diseases. She experienced mystical gifts, including supernatural visions of heaven, hell, purgatory, apparitions of Christ, and the stigmata. Thomas a Kempis wrote a biography of her. She was canonized Pope Leo XIII in 1890.

Prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas

Lord, Father all-powerful and ever-living God, I thank You, for

even though I am a sinner, your unprofitable servant, not

because of my worth but in the kindness of your mercy,

You have fed me with the Precious Body & Blood of Your Son,

our Lord Jesus Christ.

I pray that this Holy Communion may not bring me

condemnation and punishment but forgiveness and salvation.

May it be a helmet of faith and a shield of good will.

May it purify me from evil ways and put an end to my evil passions.

May it bring me charity and patience, humility and obedience,

and growth in the power to do good.

May it be my strong defense against all my enemies, visible and invisible, and the perfect calming of all my evil impulses,

bodily and spiritual.

May it unite me more closely to you, the One true God, and lead me

safely through death to everlasting happiness with You.

And I pray that You will lead me, a sinner, to the banquet where you,

with Your Son and holy Spirit, are true and perfect light, total fulfillment, everlasting joy, gladness without end, and perfect

happiness to your saints. grant this through Christ our Lord,

Amen.

The history of the pope’s palms — the ‘parmureli’

Michelle La Rosa

Next weekend is Palm Sunday, the start of Holy Week. Around the world, Catholics will commemorate Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey ahead of his Passion, as the crowds laid palm branches at his feet.

But while most Catholics will receive simple palm fronds at Mass, the pope and cardinals in St. Peter’s Square will be carrying elaborate palm weavings known as “parmureli.”

These hand-braided palm creations are meant call to mind the Trinity. They come to the Vatican from the towns of Sanremo and Bordighera, in the northwestern Italian region of Liguria. This region, along the Mediterranean, is known for its lush palms.

But the reason the parmureli come from Liguria is actually more complex than just having beautiful trees – and more interesting.

As the story goes, in 1586, Pope Sixtus V ordered a nearly 85-foot Egyptian obelisk to be moved from the nearby Circus of Nero to the center of St. Peter’s Square.

The obelisk weighed 350 tons and required more than 900 men to move. A crowd gathered to watch as it was raised into its new location in St. Peter’s Square. Knowing that there was little room for error, given the massive size of the obelisk, the pope strictly ordered that complete silence must be maintained in the square. Anyone who spoke would be executed.

As the obelisk was being raised, however, the weight of the pillar began to strain the ropes, which started to fray. The obelisk began to sway dangerously.

A sea captain in the crowd, Benedetto Bresca, saw what was happening and cried out, “Water on the ropes!” As an experienced sailor, he knew that wetting rope tightens and strengthens it. The head of the project heeded Bresca’s advice and had water poured on the ropes, and the obelisk was successfully put into place.

Though Bresca had violated the pope’s order, he had also saved the obelisk - and possibly the lives of some of those erecting it.

Rather than punishing the captain, Pope Sixtus acknowledged his contribution by making him and his descendants the official Vatican suppliers of palms for Palm Sunday.

More than four centuries later, the tradition continues. Each year, the pope receives the largest and most elaborate parmurelo, about 8 feet in height. The cardinals and bishops present at St. Peter’s receive smaller ones. The parmureli have become more elaborate over time, although they are all still hand-woven in Sanremo and Bordighera, thanks to the courage and quick thinking of Captain Bresca.