Bob Jensen

Procession in Holy Week

 by Paul Turner

You may feel you deserve applause when you get out of bed or off the couch and go to church. After all, many Catholics don’t even do that much. You do. During Holy Week however, going to church is not enough. Just when you think you can settle into your favorite pew, you will be asked to stand up, leave your place, and walk. Many Catholics resist. They become pew potatoes. But those who join the processions of Holy Week will find their faith and charity rewarded.

On Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, for example, the Mass will begin outdoors. Instead of going directly into the church as usual, you may gather in another area – indoors or out. The priest will bless the palm branches; he or the deacon will proclaim the Gospel, and then all process into the church acclaiming Christ. (Of course, those with walking difficulties may be seated in the church beforehand.)

On Thursday of the Lord’s Supper, the evening Mass does not conclude in the usual way. Instead, a procession forms right after communion. The Blessed Sacrament is brought to a special chapel or tabernacle. You will be invited to join this procession, singing hymns of praise and moving to a place where you may pray privately in the course of the night.

During the Good Friday liturgy, you will be invited forward to adore the cross. The Eucharist is the only thing we genuflect before, except on Good Friday when we genuflect before the Cross.

At the Easter Vigil, as on Palm Sunday, you will be invited forward to start Mass outside the church. There, a fire will be burning, signifying the resurrection of Christ, the light that shatters darkness. Carrying candles, you enter the church following a pillar of fire, as our ancestors marched from slavery to freedom.

The processions of Holy Week draw us into the mystery of the death and resurrection of Christ. It is worthwhile to get up out of the pew.

Father Bill is taking some time off to visit family in Florida. Let’s hope he brings back some warm weather for us!
In his absence, one of his past articles from January 22, 2023 is reprinted below. As we approach Easter and
welcome returning Catholics or new Catholics, let us be reminded when we should make the sign of the cross
during Mass.

When Do You Make the Sign of the Cross?

A couple of weeks ago, when I was teaching an RCIA Class on the Mass, the question emerged about when we make the Sign of the Cross. The Catholics in the group shared how they were trained to make the Sign of the Cross multiple times. It may surprise you when and when not the rubrics call for the Sign of the Cross. Here is a little quiz. Answer Yes or No to
the following if you should make the sign of the cross during these portions of the Mass. The Answer Key is someplace in the bulletin.

1. Anyone entering the church using holy water makes the sign of the cross on themselves.
2. The priest, putting incense in the thurible, makes the sign of the cross over the incense.
3. Anyone, making a genuflection, makes the sign of the cross on themselves.
4. All, at the beginning of Mass while saying “In the Name of the Father,” makes the sign of the cross on themselves.
5. All, when the priest says, “May Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins…” makes the sign of the cross on themselves.
6. When the priest sprinkles with water, all makes the sign of the cross on themselves.
7. Priest or deacon, before adding water to the wine, makes the sign of the cross over the water.
8. Priest, holding a particle of the host just before dropping it into the chalice, makes the sign of the cross over the chalice.
9. Any minister of communion holding the host and saying “The Body of Christ.”
10. Anyone, after receiving Communion, makes the sign of the cross on themselves.
11. The priest, when saying the final blessing, makes the sign of the cross over the people.
12. The people, hearing the final blessing, makes the sign of the cross on themselves.
13. Anyone leaving the church using holy water makes the sign of the cross on themselves.

I must admit – when I took this quiz, I did not score 100%. I share this quiz with you just to acknowledge we so easily add things to the liturgy. It becomes a problem when individual gestures begin to weaken the expression of unity or draws attention to an individual. This quiz comes from Fr. Paul Turner’s book, In these or Similar Words.

When We Are Called Home

Recently, people have been asking about the “Last Rites.” This term has not been used for the past 60 years. The Second Vatican Council, in its reform of the liturgy, restored Extreme Unction (the Last Anointing) to its more ancient practice of being not just for the dying, but for the sick. Now know known as “The Anointing of the Sick”, this sacrament prays for healing of body and soul. It is celebrated with those who are seriously ill, anticipating surgery, or suffering from advancing age.

The Church has a special care for those who are dying. There are two prayers for the dying. The first is called Viaticum, which translates “for the journey.” It is sharing Holy Communion with the dying and focuses on the gift of Eucharist as the promise of eternal life. Jesus said, “The one who eats my body and drinks my blood will live forever.” (John 6:54) Viaticum often includes a renewal of one’s baptismal promises that began the journey of faith, now that the journey is reaching its conclusion.

The other prayer for the dying is called the Commendation of the Dying. It is a beautiful prayer that includes the litany of the saints and entrusts the dying into the gentle embrace of God. In one sense, it is the sending forth of the Christian soul from this life to eternity. Not only a comfort to the person dying, this prayer can have great meaning for family and friends who have gathered.

The Anointing of the Sick is led by a bishop or priest. Viaticum and the Commendation of the Dying can be led by a priest, deacon, or even a layperson. With fewer priests possibly covering larger areas, lay people may be called upon more and more to pray with the dying and accompanying them on this journey of faith. Though often difficult, it is a very holy experience.