Great beginning! The crowds go wild as Jesus enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and then, on Holy Thursday, the disciples have a delicious meal in a room with an astounding view. (Apparently it was so good that it took four days to cook it.) But the story goes downhill from there, way down! Jesus experiences a “Rock bottom” CRISIS! He sweats blood and then dies as a criminal on the smelly, raucous outskirts of Jerusalem on Good Friday. But WAIT! Here comes the SURPRISE ending, not the “let’s pretend, fairy tale” kind of a surprise. But a dazzling SHOCKER that unfolds on Holy Saturday, a surprise akin to seeing Uncle Henry in a casket one afternoon and meeting him as you jog down the street the next day! And the whole plot, the climax and the punch line is that LOVE WINS! Jesus saves every one of us from the clutches of our own deaths, even if yours is the worst “science fiction, horrible, concentration camp, torture” kind of death. Because Jesus came to usher us into ETERNAL HAPPINESS! (Which by the way, most of us barely understand except for rare sneak previews).
So now you have heard our quasi-Hollywood version of what happens during Holy Week. There are many other explanations. But the important thing is that all of these celebrations, taken together, offer us a recap, or a front-row instant replay of the Good News about God made flesh in Jesus, the Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Please consider this blog as a PERSONAL INVITATION to your nearby church and come see for yourself. If you already plan on participating, invite a friend (by sharing this blog); or just bring a friend who might not come otherwise; and top off your time together with a coffee and a conversation at a restaurant. If you are not sure what Catholic Churches are nearby, visit masstimes.org/ and bring a friend for moral support.