 Today marks the beginning of the Sacred Triduum, or the commemoration of the Lord’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection. It is also the climax of the loving salvation about the Creator who endured much in order to save his beloved. We are reminded of the love that envelopes the Triduum in the Gospel passage from the Holy Thursday Mass. The Gospel recounts Jesus washing the disciples’ feet, and it begins by confirming the love Christ has for his beloved: “Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass from this world to the Father. He loved his own in the world, and he loved them to the end.” These words precede the entire Passion narrative in John’s Gospel. Their placement at the beginning is significant for how we recount the remainder of the Triduum. We enter Holy Week knowing the events that will unfold during that time. Jesus knew better than anyone what that week of suffering, betrayal, death, and ultimately life would entail. In less than a day he would be tortured in every way imaginable and descend into hell. Yet, Jesus thought about “his own” and how dear they are to him on the night before he suffered. I love how St. John uses the words “his own” to describe Jesus’ apostles. There are numerous times in his Gospel where John uses “the world” to describe the human race, but “his own” emphasizes the love and care Jesus had during the Passion. He, the Good Shepherd, claimed his sheep, and that claim extends to us two millennia later. The love he had for the flock was so great that he suffered individually for each sheep. Just as Jesus took the time to individually wash each disciple’s feet, he thought about you, me, and every human to ever exist during his sufferings. Christ’s contemplation never fails to astound me, especially knowing that his chosen band will fail to keep watch with him and stand by his side during the hardest moment of his life. The pain he must have felt at their abandonment, especially loving his apostles as much as he did, must have been heart-wrenching. For me, one of the hardest realities of Holy Week is knowing that the pain Christ endured continues when I fail to be his disciple and flee from his goodness through sin. Recounting the immense tribulation Jesus endured for the salvation of the world is a chilling reality, but considering his sacrifice was not confined to first-century Jerusalem brings a feeling of guilt, especially thinking about each one of my sins adding dead weight to the cross. Yet, the love Christ felt for his disciples before and during the Passion is the same love he holds for all of us. And that love which gushed forth from his heart at the cross is stronger than any of the weight our sins adds to the cross. It can be hard to respond to this beautiful reality because of the scars of our sins. Looking at the apostles, however, can provide guidance for our next steps. While they all denied Christ in some capacity during the Passion, they returned to the Lord. John wakes up from his slumber and goes to the foot of the cross. On Easter Sunday, Peter runs to the tomb of the Lord he denied. Thomas comes to fully believe that the risen Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The ones who ran away from Jesus eventually ran out to the world, boldly proclaiming the Good News. They go on to live their lives like Christ as they loved Jesus “to the end”. The events of the Passion were not the end of their stories because of Jesus’ fierce love for his own. Through God’s mercy, our stories are not over either, no matter how many times we have fallen in our faith. Christ, out of his tremendous love for us, waits for us to come back to him. One way to physically return to him this Triduum is through Adoration. Many churches offer Adoration after their Holy Thursday Masses so their parishioners can keep watch with Christ in the garden. If you are able, take a moment to be with the one who loved and suffered much for your sake. He went through much just so he could be with us both in the present age, and more importantly, the age to come.
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 It is officially Holy Week. On Sunday, we commemorated Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem as the people laid down palm fronds and cried out, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord...Hosanna in the highest!”. In many dioceses, the Chrism Mass was celebrated on Monday at which the bishop or archbishop consecrated the holy oils that will be used at the Easter Vigil and in upcoming celebrations of Baptism, Confirmation, Ordination, and the Anointing of the Sick. The Chrism Mass is a beautiful sign of unity amongst the presbyterate of a diocese and closeness with their bishop. At our campus ministry, we chose to make the Chrism Mass our daily Mass on the Monday of Holy Week, shepherding our community to this beautiful liturgy where the Oils of Chrism and Catechumen, which will be used to fully initiate six of our students at the Easter Vigil, will be blessed. When many of us think of Holy Week, we think of the Paschal Triduum: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter. We shouldn’t look at these days like just any other Thursday, Friday, or Sunday (and Saturday); they’re the most important ones of each week. On Holy Thursday, we begin what is one liturgy which lasts from Thursday through the end of Easter Sunday, unfolding Christ's Paschal Mystery for us. We have a lot to be grateful for on Holy Thursday, especially the institution of the Eucharist and the priesthood. Holy Thursday’s liturgy is called the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, calling to mind the Last Supper shared in the upper room by Christ and his disciples. At that meal, Jesus gives us the Holy Eucharist, his body, blood, soul, and divinity, which we partake in every time we go to Mass. It is by the priesthood that Christ instituted our share in that Eucharist. We should not forget that Christ not only instituted the Eucharist and priesthood on Holy Thursday, but also gave us the perfect model of humility and service when he washed his disciples’ feet in the Gospel of John. Holy Thursday is an opportunity to reflect upon the humility of our Lord who humbled himself to wash the feet of those who would betray and abandon him and who continues to come to us in the humble form of bread and wine. Good Friday is not a Mass but a service of our Lord’s Passion. We recall Christ’s passion and death by adoring the cross, the instrument of Jesus’ suffering and death, and simultaneously, his throne. On Good Friday, like on the day Jesus died, a silence comes over the world as Jesus descends into hell. While bloody and an instance of great sorrow, we should take time to reflect on Christ’s sacrifice on Good Friday. He who became sin and yet himself was sinless took to an instrument of government torture and execution for you and for me to offer us redemption and salvation with no motivation other than love! If the stainless lamb could give everything for me, then what should I be willing to endure to hope to spend eternity with that same Christ? And then we arrive to Holy Saturday: a day of silence, a day of mourning, a day of expectation. While Christ’s disciples were frantic and worried, grieving the loss of their friend and master, we know how the story ends. When the Easter Vigil arrives, we can see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel! That light is not merely a candle or the headlight of a car on a dark road, but THE light, the light of the world, the triumphant Christ who has defeated sin and death for us. At the Easter Liturgy, we celebrate and meditate on this victory over sin and death, and we also celebrate our brothers and sisters becoming fully initiated Catholics by receiving the sacraments of initiation. What better way is there to celebrate the gift of salvation by witnessing and celebrating with those men and women who become children of God in Baptism and receive the fullness of Baptismal grace in Confirmation? Easter is so much more than just bunnies and chocolate. Easter is the most important day in human history and an annual commemoration of the greatest gift we’ve been given: the offer and promise of salvation, won for us by God who became man. There is so much to think and pray about this Holy Week, so much to celebrate and to commemorate. Maybe this is the first Holy Week that you’re trying to enter deeply into the mysteries. Maybe you’re not totally sure. But as my friend and co-worker in the vineyard Fr. Mike says to our students, “just do the thing!”. Give Christ a chance to change your heart in a way he never has this Holy Week. You won’t regret it.
 Moral conscience, present at the heart of a person, enjoins him at the appropriate moment to do good and to avoid evil (CCC 1777). When it comes to the human heart, does a sentimental, biological, or Catholic image come to mind? My trusty Merriam-Webster Dictionary offered six definitions for the word “heart.” The first was the biological definition - the muscular organ that pumps blood. A more sentimental image could be a passing emotion, like a heart emoji on a social media post (my sister-in-law is all about beagle puppies), romantic love celebrated on Valentine's Day, or even a “sensitive” personality. The Catholic image for the heart, “the heart of the person,” is the “central or innermost part” of the human person. This definition points to a more older understanding of “heart.” Our ancestors in faith saw the human heart as the center of one’s being that encompasses intellect, will, emotions, and moral character. They believed the heart, not the brain, was the place where one reasoned, understood, and made judgements. Pope Francis, in his recent letter Dilexit Nos, noted that the heart is “the locus of sincerity, where deceit and disguise have no place. It usually indicates our true intentions, what we really think, believe and desire, the “secrets” that we tell no one: in a word, the naked truth about ourselves (para 5).” I have always been drawn to the story of Joseph, the youngest son of Jacob, who was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. Joseph: King of Dreams, the 2000 animated film by Dreamworks, beautifully portrayed his anguish, and the “naked truth” he had to confront deep within his own heart. Would he make his brothers suffer, as they made him suffer, or will he forgive them and reunite with his father? As Dion, the American musician and songwriter said, “My definition of the blues is the naked cry of the human heart longing to be in union with God.” There are three other Scripture passages that illuminate the heart as our “innermost being” where we are in relationship with God as we discern the good we are to choose and the evil we are to avoid. In Jeremiah 31:31-34, God establishes a new covenant with his people: “I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” As our innermost center, free of deceit and disguise, our hearts already know the good, however frightening, and evil, however enticing. This is truly a sanctuary, a holy place, because God trusts the human heart. Pope Francis, in his letter Fratelli Tutti, on fraternity and social friendship, reflects on the parable of the Good Samaritan: “Jesus trusts in the best of the human spirit; with this parable, he encourages us to persevere in love, to restore dignity to the suffering and to build a society worthy of the name.” Jesus can trust us because he is the Word of God that is written on our hearts, or, as Saint John Henry Newman says, “conscience is the aboriginal Vicar of Christ” (CCC 1778). Finally, on Easter Sunday, Luke describes an encounter between the Risen Lord and two disciples on the Road to Emmaus. They are perplexed by all the events in Jerusalem resulting in the death of Jesus and hearing that Jesus had been raised from the dead. Jesus listens to them, and then explains all the ways Sacred Scripture points to him. They entreat him to stay with them as the day ends. During their meal, the two disciples finally recognized him in the breaking of the bread:“Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32). Our conscience is present in our innermost being: in our hearts, where we are most truly ourselves before God. God has written his law on our hearts, as he trusts “the best of the human spirit,” and he fills us up so we can empty ourselves out in love. The paradox of conscience is that the more attune we are to the promptings of our hearts, the more selfless we become. Lent is a time for purification, for self-emptying, so we are less distracted and more attune to the “Vicar of Christ.”
 As I was reflecting on the importance of the Lenten journey, it occurred to me that the forty days Jesus spent in the desert were Christ’s training and preparatory period for His life of ministry. By entering into the desert to pray and fast, our Savior was preparing Himself in body and soul to enter into His public mission. We too are called into a time of spiritual preparation to grow in holiness and become followers of Christ sent on mission. Lent helps us to do this by inviting us to focus on prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Because we are personally called to be stewards of Christ’s work on earth, we each have a special vocation that plays an important role in salvation history. Our Lord, in His humanity, demonstrated for us the importance of preparing for our calling. Let’s take a moment to look at the temptations presented to Jesus in the desert and to reflect on how they may relate to our present life and Lenten journey. The First Temptation: Hunger “The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.’” (Luke 4:3) Let’s look at hunger from both a physical and spiritual dimension. Are we respecting our physical hunger by providing our body with appropriate nourishment through a well-balanced diet? Our bodies have been fashioned by our Divine Creator. Are we respecting that gift? Learning to discern the various signs that our body sends us is an important step in growing in discipline. We can strengthen, energize, and nourish our physical selves in a way that will enable us to carry out our calling. When we ignore this area of challenge and growth, we fail to establish a sense of physical discernment and our fallen desires become the master of our selves. Throughout Lent, we are invited to abstain from certain things, like meat on Fridays. This helps us to grow in healthy self-denial and invites us to make sacrifices that free us to more intentionally satisfy our spiritual hunger. When looking at spiritual hunger, do we even acknowledge that this desire exists? Are we aware of it? We cannot live without God. Oftentimes, it can be tempting to focus more on satisfying our physical needs than our spiritual needs. Lent is a wonderful time to focus on satisfying our spiritual hunger for God. Can we discern a spiritual versus physical desire? Are we turning to good, Christian practices to help us sustain our spiritual bodies or are we starving them? Do we nourish our soul with Scripture and frequent reception of the sacraments or do we drown this desire in the noise of daily life? The Second Temptation: Power “Then he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant. The devil said to him, ‘I shall give to you all this power and their glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I may give it to whomever I wish. All this will be yours, if you worship me.’” (Luke 4: 5-7) In this temptation, the devil offers Jesus thrones and dominions, the powers of the world. Jesus knew that all powers belonged to His Father in heaven, and that all human power is a gift from God. On Ash Wednesday, we often hear the words, “Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Lent reminds us of our humble origin and our final end. It invites us to grow deeper in our humility and on our reliance on God, who elevates us to His sons and daughters through Baptism and invites us to eternal life with Him. What powers or successes are we tempted by in our lives? Are they disordered? Let us reflect on the things in our lives that we cling to, strive for, or attempt to control. Is there anything God is asking us to hand over that we can give Him this Lent? Have our goals become idols in our life? What false power have we been blinded by that has taken worship away from our Almighty and Triune God? The Third Temptation: Putting God to The Test “Then he led him to Jerusalem, made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here…’” (Luke 4: 9-10) In this temptation, the devil challenges God’s authority and invites Jesus to test God’s power. What are the ways in which we test our Heavenly Father? Do we only turn to God in times of need or instead seek His guidance in all circumstances in life? There is a very important difference between throwing ourselves down in order to see if we’ll be caught versus allowing ourselves to fall, trusting that we’ll be held. Our relationship with our Heavenly Father should not be one of testing, but of trusting. By refusing to give in to the devil’s temptation, Jesus models for us trust, obedience, and faith—what Adam and Eve lacked when they experienced temptation in the Garden of Eden. As we continue through our Lenten journey, may we open ourselves to a deep and honest reflection of these temptations and remember that Christ has already overcome our greatest enemy: the devil. Our Savior, who is fully God and fully man, entered into a time of preparation to discipline and strengthen the physical in order to allow the spiritual to grow and develop. Christ shows us the way against temptation and gives us the strength to overcome it, knowing that the Father of Lies will be waiting with his temptations and tricks to stop us from fulfilling our role in salvation history. During Lent, let us continue to prepare for our call and, strengthened by the powers of heaven and Jesus Christ Himself, not allow the temptations of the Evil One to stand in our way. Questions for Reflection: What are your greatest temptations during Lent? What are some ways you have been able to overcome temptation? *This blog was originally published on March 1, 2018* AuthorElaine Seckar is the Wellness Coordinator of Saint Patrick Church in Carlisle, PA.
 The day I have dreaded for years is coming – this August, my oldest child will go to his first day of school. Last month, my husband and I filled out our parish school’s enrollment paperwork for our son, and just like that, the days of being at home with mommy full-time are winding down. Of course, as a former Catholic school teacher, I know his time at school will be good. He will love making new friends, learning so many new things, and running nonstop around a new playground. But knowing in my head that his school will be a second home for him, filled with prayer and encouragement, does not make my heart stop from feeling a little sad at the fact that “My baby boy is growing up!”. This milestone moment of letting go – when I voluntarily forgo one thing in exchange for something better – has led me to reflect on our Lenten moments of letting go and their significance. (1) Worthwhile Sacrifice: Similarly to how I will forgo the weekday hours of playing with my son, in exchange for gifting him all the benefits of Catholic education, in Lent, we fast and give alms; that is, we choose to give up something – perhaps money, time, meat, or sweets – in exchange for something better like the “mastery over our instincts and freedom of heart” gained by acts of asceticism or self-discipline (CCC 2043). Gaining self-control through “voluntary self-denial such as fasting and almsgiving” – like sacrificially passing on dessert – can help prepare us for when the temptation to sin comes and help us grow stronger in resisting that temptation (CCC 1438). (2) An Opportunity to Refocus: Additionally, just like the reality check that in a few months I will be sending my oldest child to school reminds me to appreciate and be grateful for every moment I get to spend with him, our Lenten acts of fasting and almsgiving should serve as reminders to refocus ourselves on what should be at the center of our lives – our love of God and neighbor. Our earthly comfort and pleasures are not the be-all, end-all of our days, and complaining about minor inconveniences and sacrifices does not make us any holier. Rather, all our actions and all our resources should ultimately direct us towards achieving holiness and sharing the love of Christ with others. (3) Necessary Letting Go: Lastly, it is worth remembering that letting go of something can also be a necessary part of our journey towards Heaven. Just like in human development where a child naturally grows, learns, and eventually reaches adulthood, we can and should challenge ourselves to grow spiritually during this Lent – which will entail letting go of a sinful habit or two. This Lent, we can reflect, with the help of an excellent confession guide, perhaps, on what sinful habits we need to let go of. Also, we can reflect on how and in what areas we can improve. Lent needs not only focus on what sins we want to get rid of, but we can also focus this Lent on the positive spiritual habits we would like to begin. Afterall, Lent is a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, and we certainly should not forget to take this opportunity to bolster our prayer life. I pray your Lent is a holy and fruitful one that brings your focus ever more lovingly back to Christ.
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