The Church ushers in the holiest time of the year with Palm Sunday. From the joyful cries of Hosanna in the highest to the haunting shouts of Crucify Him, we are invited to enter deeply into the Paschal Mystery. Our King, Jesus, came to dwell among us, taking on human flesh so that He might become the perfect offering, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.
It is easy to become lost in a torrent of guilt and remorse. Yet we are not alone. We journey with our Lord Jesus on the road to Calvary. In many ways, we are like the tethered colt, uncertain of the path yet called to carry Christ to the place of supreme love, where He gave His life for all. At times we resemble Saint Peter, tempted to deny our Lord, only to weep bitterly when we recognize our weakness and are invited to rise again. Or like Simon of Cyrene, we may be called unexpectedly to carry a cross not our own, only to discover that sharing in another’s burden reveals the depth of agape love, a love that surpasses all understanding.
The Paschal Mystery of the Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of our Lord transcends time and space. Though these events occurred in history, they are made present in a profound way in the Divine Liturgy. Each Holy Mass does more than recall these sacred moments. It draws us into them through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, inviting us to take up our cross and go forth as witnesses to the love of the Father and the Son. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us:
“The Paschal mystery of Christ cannot remain only in the past, because by his death he destroyed death. All that Christ is, everything he did and suffered for humanity, participates in the divine eternity, transcending all time while being made present in every moment. The event of the Cross and Resurrection abides, drawing all things toward life.” (CCC 1085)
The single liturgy of the Triduum, encompassing Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil, invites us into the mystery of love, sacrifice, and joy. As we walk with our Lord toward Calvary this Holy Week, we are called to reflect:
Are we willing to die with Him, surrendering our faults, desires, and human frailty, so that we may rise to new life in Christ?
Am I willing to be transformed, to seek God’s will rather than my own, and to draw closer to Jesus?
It is not too late. Turn to Jesus and say, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.” “Remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” With Him, we overcome sin and death and are raised to new life.
Good Friday, April 3, 2026 is more profound than in year’s past as some scholars believe that April 3, AD 33 is a date which coincides to the actual date of Jesus’s crucifixion. What sin will you lift up to Jesus and present to Him at the foot of the cross this week?
This Holy Week, go deeper. Pray more, tithe more, love more, and sacrifice more as we wait in eager anticipation for Resurrection Day, when the stench and death of sin are vanquished and we rise to new life with Jesus Christ, our Sovereign King!
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