Even as we are only into the second full week of the Lenten Season, many liturgical planners are already looking ahead and planning for the end of our Lenten Journey and the high point of the Church's Year, THE EASTER TRIDUUM (beginning on Holy Thursday evening and ending on Easter Sunday evening). My plan this year (as in previous years) is to promote participation in the Easter Triduum, especially the liturgies of Holy Thursday evening (6:30 p.m.), Good Friday (3:00 p.m.), and the Easter Vigil (Holy Saturday night at 8:00 p.m.). They are the most unique, beautiful and meaningful liturgies of the whole church year. They help us grow deeper in our appreciation of what Jesus Christ did for us and for all of humanity through His Passion, Death and Resurrection. They are CERTAINLY worth our time and effort to attend and fully participate.
Some of the Old Testament readings that we are hearing proclaimed during the Lenten Season are actually preparing us for the beautiful scripture passages that we will hear during the Triduum. References to the "Passover" of the Israelites and the call of Abraham (in the first two Sundays of Lent) will be proclaimed in full at the Easter Vigil. In fact, during the Triduum, the Church gives us more Old Testament passages to read and reflect on than New Testament passages. This, among other things, reminds us of Jewish heritage and its importance to Christ, the early Church, and Christians of all times.
How blessed we are to live at a time in history when Jewish/Christian relations are better than they have been for years. To that end, I would like to encourage attendance at a special presentation by the Ouachita Speaker Series on Wednesday, March 9, at 7:00 p.m. at the Woodlands Auditorium. The guest speaker will be Dora Klayman, a Holocaust survivor who will share her interesting, yet sobering, story. Admission is free, but you need to reserve tickets. Please look for the bulletin announcement about this event and find out how to obtain your ticket. We will have our soup, sandwich and video that night, but we will finish in time for those who want to get over to the Woodlands. I plan to go, and I hope some of you will join me.
Some of the Old Testament readings that we are hearing proclaimed during the Lenten Season are actually preparing us for the beautiful scripture passages that we will hear during the Triduum. References to the "Passover" of the Israelites and the call of Abraham (in the first two Sundays of Lent) will be proclaimed in full at the Easter Vigil. In fact, during the Triduum, the Church gives us more Old Testament passages to read and reflect on than New Testament passages. This, among other things, reminds us of Jewish heritage and its importance to Christ, the early Church, and Christians of all times.
How blessed we are to live at a time in history when Jewish/Christian relations are better than they have been for years. To that end, I would like to encourage attendance at a special presentation by the Ouachita Speaker Series on Wednesday, March 9, at 7:00 p.m. at the Woodlands Auditorium. The guest speaker will be Dora Klayman, a Holocaust survivor who will share her interesting, yet sobering, story. Admission is free, but you need to reserve tickets. Please look for the bulletin announcement about this event and find out how to obtain your ticket. We will have our soup, sandwich and video that night, but we will finish in time for those who want to get over to the Woodlands. I plan to go, and I hope some of you will join me.