by Fr. Bernard Holzer, aa

 THE WAY OF THE CROSS IN THE TIME OF PANDEMIC - PDF file

Introduction Remark

The Way of the Cross is much more than a time to relive the passion of Jesus 2000 years ago.
Today, especially in this time of pandemic, we make our own the passion of the men and women in all continents, who have suffered and continue to suffer.
In Jesus all sufferings, all injustices, all hatreds and all sins are brought together.
Let us pray for the world Jesus Christ loved and saved.
 

Where you there when they crucified my Lord? 
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. 
Where you there when they crucified my Lord? (Negro spiritual)

Preparatory Prayer
Lord, here we are before you
to journey with you on the road of your Passion
with today's men and women.
We fervently pray that you will accompany us in the pandemic we are going through and give us the strength to believe and hope in you and in your resurrection. Amen!
 

Our Father
Hail Mary
Glory be to the Father
 

Station 1: Jesus is condemned to death
 

“When Pilate saw that he was not succeeding at all, but that a riot was breaking out instead, he took water and washed his hands in the sight of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. Look to it yourselves.”
And the whole people said in reply, “His blood be upon us and upon our children.”
Then he released Barabbas to them, but after he had Jesus scourged, he handed him over to be crucified.” (Matthew 27: 24-26)

From one day to the next the crowd cheered and condemned Jesus, without thinking, guided by emotion and passion.
The leaders - political and religious - fled their responsibilities, washed their hands. They believe that violence solves problems, they condemn without evidence, they favor institutions over men, and they refuse to listen.
Jesus kept silent.

Let us pray:
Lord, I ask your forgiveness for my lack of courage and my cowardice, for my indifference to injustice and error, for my accusations, for my lack of faith and hope.

Do this in remembrance of me

Each of our liturgical readings tonight ends with a command, an exhortation, or simply a statement of fact, all of which are intended to take an historical event and make it present for future generations. About the Passover meal: this is a memorial feast for you that all generations to come shall celebrate as a perpetual institution. About the Last Supper: do this in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes. About the washing of the feet: If I, therefore, Master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet.

Read more...

“Surely it is not I, Lord?”

The early Christian community was deeply shaken by what Judas had done. That one of the inner circle, to whom he had confided so much, could have betrayed him, was shocking. That comes through in today’s Gospel when, after telling the twelve that one of them is about to betray him, what follows has the tension of a courtroom drama. One after another of them says, “Surely it is not I, Lord.”

Read more...

The impetuous one goes to school

’m drawn to the apostle Peter on this Tuesday of Holy Week. Peter, the impetuous one. “Master, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”  We can call this another moment in the ongoing education of Peter, the Rock on which the Church is to be built. And it isn’t pretty. “Will you lay down your life for me?” Jesus asks.

“Amen, Amen I say to you, the cock will not crow until you deny me three times.”

Read more...

We’ve taken to responding “perfect” these days to texts and emails making arrangements of one sort or another. It’s so common that, however reassuring, my contrarian self usually avoids it.

Not so with what Mary does in today’s Gospel: anointing the feet of Jesus with a large quantity of “costly perfumed oil” and drying them with her hair. We’re invited to place ourselves there, seeing Mary’s devotion, hearing the oil washing over Jesus’ feet and the gentle sound of Mary’s hair, breathing in the aroma filling the room.

Read more...

Private Masses for Holy Monday to Holy Wednesday will be at 8:15 AM at St. Anne Church. They will be live streamed on the St. Anne/St. Patrick Parish Facebook page.

Fr. Alex Castro, A.A.

The vain delights that charm me most, I sacrifice them to his blood…

Holy Week is not for the faint of heart. A good prayer at the beginning of this sacred time is to have the courage to face these events as they unfold, not to turn away from them, not to busy ourselves with all the things that we do in order to escape the truth about ourselves.

Read more...

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Attached are two suggestions on how we can celebrate the Paschal Triduum at home as a community. We may be physically separated from each other but we can still celebrate together spiritually the Paschal Mystery of our Lord Jesus Christ. We thank Kathy Menard for the suggested texts and Sylvia Desautels for the deisgn. God bless you all!
Fr. Alex, A.A.

 Celebrating the Paschal Triduum at Home

Watch Palm Sunday Mass live streamed from
St. Anne Church this Sunday, April 5 at 8:15 AM
on the St. Anne - St. Patrick Parish Facebook page!