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| Vol. 1, Issue 5 | . | March 21, 2007 |
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 My dear sisters and brothers in Christ, our Lord, This is Easter 2007. Therefore, I wish all of you God's choicest blessing during this time when the Christian world celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. All of us who live in this time and who are immersed in this culture need something out of the ordinary to bring us into a very conscious appreciation of our faith life and the meaning it should have for us each day. The Catholic - that is - the Universal Church attempts to provide that "out of the ordinary" experience through the celebrations of four special events that take place in the week just prior to Easter. We call that week "Holy Week." Bishop and theologian St. Irenaeus wrote about fasting and other practices associated with Holy Week — the week before Easter — in the second century after Christ. The church historian Eusebius wrote that practices such as these dated to apostolic times, i.e., the years immediately following the death and resurrection of Jesus. In addition to “Holy Week,” it was known as the “Week of the Holy Passion” — from the Latin word “passus” which means “to suffer” — and “The Week of Forgiveness.” The recorded history of Lent goes back almost as far. In 339 A.D., another bishop and theologian, St. Athanasius, described a fast that began 40 days — a period of time that was derived from the 40 days that Jesus fasted in the wilderness at the start of his public ministry — prior to Holy Week as being the custom throughout the Christian world and urged his flock in Alexandria, Egypt not to be a “laughing-stock as the only people who do not fast but take our pleasure in those days.” Irrespective of the particular forms that observances of Lent and Holy Week took, their goals and purposes were the same. It was a time during which recent converts to Christianity were instructed and prepared for baptism, which took place at Easter. For these candidates, known as catechumens, the seven weeks of Lent and Holy Week were figuratively and literally the time during which they passed from darkness to light and from death to life. For the already-baptized, Lent and Holy Week were no less meaningful. Lent has been called the “springtime of the Church.” Christians were called upon to examine their lives and repent of their sins. They were to recall the vows they made at their baptism and recommit themselves to living in a way that was consistent with those vows. All this talk of self-examination and repentance can be unnerving and even depressing. After all, the contours of our lives are marked by disappointment, transcendence, frustration, delight, and anxiety and a fair amount of just plain sin. Our shortcomings can cause us to dread - not look forward to - this “springtime” of the Church. That’s because, our self-absorption may cause us to miss the point and blind us to the central and distinctive role that memory plays in biblical faith, especially during Holy Week. Holy Week is about anamnesis, bringing the past to mind in a way that transforms the present. During Holy Week we rehearse — in the most basic meaning of that word — the story of our salvation, starting with the Fall and culminating in Good Friday. And throughout this rehearsal, a consistent picture of God emerges: the God who takes the initiative in reconciling us to Himself. He didn’t wait for us to somehow “measure up.” Instead, he came down and met us where we were. We are forgiven, as Maximus the Confessor said, through the human decision of a divine person — a decision we recall most vividly on Holy Thursday and Good Friday. Notice the past tense: “forgiven.” It’s already happened and none of us had anything to do with it. As St. Augustine, in his sermon for the Monday of Holy Week, asked “Where were the sinners, what were they, when Christ died for them?” No, this time isn’t about dwelling on our faults but recalling God’s mercy and love for us. The anamnesis I’ve described isn’t meant to be a source of guilt or self-condemnation, but of hope. As Augustine put it, “when Christ has already given us the gift of his death, who is to doubt that he will give the saints the gift of his own life?” Memory is what gives Lent and Holy Week their power. Hope, born of recalling that “through [Christ] we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God,” can transform us in a way that shame and guilt — to say nothing of indifference — cannot. Hope is why this springtime of the Church can shape us in ways that are not only unmistakable but eternal, as well. On our path of Holy week, first, on Palm/Passion Sunday, April 1st we celebrate the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem, not to be crowned king for the liberation of the Jews from the domination of Rome, but to begin the last steps to crucifixion for our salvation and that of the whole world. Then we celebrate the Lord's Supper which is the Father's promise of a place at the eternal banquet in heaven for the true followers of Jesus, His Son. We do this first on Tuesday of Holy Week, April 3rd as the priests of the church all joined with the Bishop the Diocese at the Cathedral to both to commemorate the establishment the priesthood and the renewal of the priestly: The Bishop will bless the holy oils to be used in all the parishes for the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Orders and Anointing of the Sick. We will celebrate Holy Thursday, April 5th at each of our parishes by remembering the Last Supper. Next, Good Friday April 6th we celebrate the crucifixion which is the sign above all signs of the depth of the love that God has for all of us. Finally, on Holy Saturday, April 7th again at each parish of the Church we celebrate the gift of new life given through the Church to those who have accepted the gift of faith from the Triune God and are seeking membership in the Body of Christ, the Church in the midst of a congregation of rejoicing faithful who at the same time are made more conscious of the gift they have received and are now nourishing. Three members of our community at Saint John’s Cathedral and one at All Saints Parish will become Catholic through the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Eucharist. Easter Sunday is the Joy of our own Resurrection to come through the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. To participate consciously and prayerfully in all of these special liturgies within Holy Week would demand an effort on our part. Holy Week is now gone. But it is important for us to relive these same mysteries day after day if we wish to continue to live a life that is built around the realities of our faith. To do so is to live Easter everyday. That is what our Happy Easter greeting is meant to convey. God bless each one of you. I am Christ’s humble servant,
+Thomas Below is a description of the events of our Easter Vigil which is celebrated at each parish in the church. In the Catholic tradition, the Easter Vigil consists of four parts:
All baptized Christians present (i.e. those who have received the "Light of Christ") receive candles which are lit from the Paschal candle. As this symbolic "Light of Christ" spreads throughout those gathered (in the darkness of the church building as in a tomb), the darkness is decreased. A deacon, or the priest if there is no deacon, carries the Paschal Candle at the head of the entrance procession and, at three points, stops and chants the proclamation "Christ our Light," to which the people respond "Thanks be to God." Once the procession concludes, the deacon or a cantor chants the Exultet (also called the "Easter Proclamation"), and, the church remaining lit only by the people's candles and the Paschal candle, the people take their seats for the Liturgy of the Word. The Liturgy of the Word consists of between two and seven readings from the Old Testament (Hebrew Scripture). The account of the Exodus is given particular attention in the readings since it is considered to be the Old Testament antitype of Christian salvation. Each reading is followed by a psalm and a prayer relating what has been read in the Old Testament to the Mystery of Christ. After these readings conclude, a fanfare sound on the organ and additional musical instruments and the Gloria in Excelsis Deo is sung. During this outburst of musical jubilation, the church lights are turned on, and bells rung while the church's decorative furnishings — altar frontals, the reredos, lectern hangings, processional banners, statues and paintings — which had been stripped or covered during Holy Week along with flowers placed near altar and elsewhere are revealed in the light. A reading from the Epistle to the Romans is proclaimed. The Alleluia is sung for the first time since the beginning of Lent. The Gospel of the Resurrection then follows, along with a homily. After the conclusion of the Liturgy of the Word, the water of the baptismal font is consecrated and any catechumens or candidates for full communion are initiated into the church, by baptism and/or confirmation, respectively. After the celebration of these sacraments of initiation, the congregation renews their baptismal vows (again using lighted candles lit from the Paschal Candle) and receives the sprinkling of baptismal water (reminding us of the pouring of the Holy Water at our baptism). The general intercessions (the petitions of the people) follow. After the Liturgy of Baptism, the Liturgy of the Eucharist continues as usual. This is the first Mass of Easter Day. During the Eucharist, the newly baptized receive Holy Communion for the first time.
Please let us know by contacting the and letting him know. To see the list of events at our parishes, please visit Upcoming Events Congratulations to all of our catechumenate as they have become fully elected to our church family.  |
"There
is no sin which cannot be forgiven, if we approach the throne of mercy
with humble and contrite hearts. No evil is more powerful than the
infinite mercy of God."
St. John the Beloved Cathedral All Saint's Parish San Francisco de Asis
Bishop Tom Abel, DD Vicar General Publisher
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