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.