April 8 update from Fr. Sean

Parish Update – Wednesday, April 8 from Fr. Sean

Happy  Spy Wednesday, everyone. It’s an ancient name for today as it recalls Judas’ betrayal of Jesus that sets the scene for the Passion that follows. Today is also the last full day of Lent before we begin the Sacred Triduum tomorrow. Lent begins with a bang on Ash Wednesday, but it ends very quietly in the morning of Holy Thursday, and then the Mass of the Lord’s Supper begins the three days of waiting for Easter Sunday.  We invite you to join us for our livestream each day of the Triduum beginning at 7 p.m. tomorrow.

I’ve got much to share with you about the next few days (and there's an accompanying video that has many of the details), but first let me encourage you to make these coming three days …  different. I know that’s hard this year when all our days are blending together, but it’s important if we are to fully enter into the Paschal Mystery of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. To the extent that it is possible, try to ease back from life online (except for our livestream, of course!) and spend more time in prayer. If you’ve been binging on TV shows or Buck Owens records (I’m guilty as charged), you might  give that a pause on Good Friday, at the very least.

Your bible and your rosary will be your best assets for the Triduum, along with perhaps a quiet place to pray. Again, I know that’s not easy, especially if you’ve got a house full of restless family members, but give it a shot to the best of your ability. To help you and your family prepare your hearts, we’ve assembled a host of resources for each of the coming days of the Triduum. You can find everything conveniently located on our  Faith at Home page of our parish website. I especially encourage you to print the worship aid for each day to follow along with the liturgies. You'll see them marked for each day at that link.

So as not to go too long in this post on the Triduum, I’m going to focus just on Thursday and Friday now, and then I’ll add another post on Saturday morning with information for the Holy Saturday Vigil and Easter Sunday.

• For the Mass of Lord’s Supper on Thursday, April 9 at 7 p.m. one of the hallmark traditions is the Washing of the Feet. In the  mandatum, as it is called, the priest does it as a sign of humility and service in imitation of the great high priest, Jesus Christ (John 13:4-17). Since we obviously won’t be able to do so this year, we invite you to wash one another’s feet at home. The  Faith at Home link has a suggested prayer service you can follow to help make it a family activity. It would be a great lesson for young and old alike to “do this in memory of me,” as Jesus says. Remember, it is first and foremost, an act of love.

• The Mass of the Lord’s Supper is also a celebration of the institution of the Holy Eucharist, and that is perhaps the absence that we will feel the most this year. It’s always a moving part of the sacred liturgy when we process with the Blessed Sacrament from the church to the chapel, singing along the way, and then spend time in silent adoration in the presence of our Eucharistic Lord. We invite you to make your act of spiritual communion alongside us via the livestream, and while we won’t have the procession as normal, we will still have the opportunity to spend the evening contemplating this great gift of himself that Jesus has left us. Though we won’t physically receive it this year on Holy Thursday, that desire for the Lord’s Body and Blood is what will sustain us. Indeed, it is the very balm our world needs.

• On Good Friday, we will have our service at the traditional time of 3 p.m. But before that, we invite you to join us for two opportunities of prayer. The first is in communion with Catholics across the U.S. through the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Archbishop Jose Gomez, the President of the USCCB (he succeeded our own Cardinal DiNardo last November) is inviting Catholics to pray the  Litany of the Sacred Heart in unison. To follow along, go to  www.facebook.com/usccb at 11 a.m. on Friday.

Then at 12 noon,  Deacon Steve Moses will lead our parish in the Stations of the Cross, here on our  parish Facebook page. Good Friday is a traditional day for the Stations, of course, and we invite you to join Deacon Steve, or pray them yourself at some point during the day. It will prepare your heart well for the celebration of the Passion at 3 p.m.

• One of the main parts of the liturgy on Good Friday (incidentally, it’s the only day of the year when Mass is not celebrated) is the Solemn Intercessions. There are traditionally 10 of them, but  Pope Francis has added an 11th this year for the worldwide Church entitled,  “For the afflicted in time of pandemic.” Listen for it and pray for all the sick that are suffering so greatly.

• The Veneration of the Cross is another big feature of the Good Friday liturgy. I always look forward to that at CtR each year. It typically takes up to an hour as the church is always packed. It’s so moving to see people streaming to the cross for a moment of veneration.  It never fails to bring a tear to my eye. I’ll miss seeing you this year, but you can watch on the livestream, and again we encourage you to modify the ritual for your home.

Our  Faith at Home link has a prayer service that you can use at home.  I encourage you to choose a cross in your house, one that can be passed around to each family member. Do so reverently, taking time for everyone (again, young and old alike) to venerate the cross in his or her own manner – maybe holding it tight, kissing it, or clinging it to your chest. The point is to reverently adore the wood of the cross, on which hung the Savior of the world! So pick out your favorite cross and prepare to join us in this solemn Good Friday tradition.

I’ll close for now and encourage you to see our website for all the details and additional prayer resources.  Take a good look at the Faith at Home page as it has a number of ways to draw you and your family deeper into prayer in the Triduum. (Our  CtR Youth page also has a number of idea s for students.) But remember, keep your bible and rosary close at hand and you’ll never lack for a good aid to prayer!

In closing, I would be remiss if I did not thank all who are continuing to support of CtR during this time. Your sacrificial gifts enable us to meet our bills and financial obligations. Please remember the parish at Easter by making  your offertory donation online, through the mail, or by drop-off at the office. Thank you! And we are always accepting donations for the Food Pantry at CAM, too.

More to come on Saturday. Until then, let us prayerfully close out Lent and enter into these three holy days of the Triduum in anticipation for the joy of Easter Sunday.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, pray for us!

Peace, Fr. Sean