SILENCE. Christ is in the tomb, hidden from view, closed off and seemingly absent. Embrace this silence today. Turn off the music, the TV, for one day set aside looking at the internet and news. Rest with your own thoughts. Observe as much silence as possible today, even from idle chatter. Attempt for just one day to be like a monk or nun in the monastery. Staying silent so that the Lord whom they search for might find them. Silence in fact can be deafening. It can make us feel uncomfortable, awkward; but at the same time silence can be healing, rejuvenating. Our church as perennially preached the value and benefit of some silence. Silence has 3 main benefits, 1) Silence is an aid to doing the good... i.e. keeping silent with others to better speak with God. 2) Silence helps prevent evil... i.e. if you do not have something nice to say than don't say anything at all. 3) Silence is a beautiful form of penance that leads to self mastery and virtue... i.e. it is good not to say everything that pops into our mind. Therefore, this day try your best to embrace silence... even if it is just for a short while.

One of the parts of today's Liturgy that we all can do from home is to venerate the Cross of Christ. This veneration often takes the form of a kiss. But why do we give such reverance to the crucifix that we kiss it? It is not like this is a piece of the true cross on which Jesus hung. When I pray the rosary and at the end kiss the cross, it may even be a small cheap plastic crucifix. So why do we kiss the cross? Because we as Christians are intimately tied to Christ's cross and we cannot be saved without it. We are not worshipping the material, but we are venerating the very idea that the cross is Christ's instrument of love. Jesus says, there is no greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends." He also tells us to "renounce yourself, take up your cross and follow me." It is not that we are more focused on His death than His Ressurrection, nor is it that we worship graven images; but rather that show our affection for the instrument that Christ used to show us that He loves us. The 11th Station of the cross is Jesus is Nailed to the Cross. In his description of this station, St. Alphonsus Liguori writes, "Consider Jesus , thrown down upon the cross, He stretched out his arms and offered to the Eternal Father the sacrifice of His life for our salvation." But even more important, in his prayer on the same station, St. Alphonsus says, "My despised Jesus, I nail my heart to the cross that it way always remain there to love You and never leave You again." This why we say in our liturgy today, "Behold the wood of the cross on which is hung our salvation of the world. Come let us adore." and then we kiss the cross as a form of venerating the very means of our salvation and showing love to Him who loves us perfectly.

Normally today is one of my favorite days of the year! Today, usually, we have the Chrism Mass, where not only does the Bishop consecrate the sacred oils that I use in my priesthood, but also it is the day when, we the priests celebrate our priesthood by renewing our priestly promises before the Bishop. In the evening, I love the Mass of the Lord Supper. At every Mass we celebrate anew the mystery of Christ's gift of the Eucharist, but on this night in particular we celebrate the anniversary of the night that Christ gave us this wonderful sacrament. Then we, usually, follow it up with the tradition of spending extra time with Christ in adoration of his eucharistic presence by having altars set up called altars of repose. They represent the moment Christ led his apostles into the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. We hear Jesus say to us, like he said to them, "could you not stay with me one hour" and "get up and pray that this trial pass you by." I, ordinarily, would have visited 7 different churches to see their altars of repose and to pray in their gardens with Jesus. Normally, Usually, Ordinarily... but there is nothing normal, usual or ordinary about these sacred days. Yes we will have to enter into these days differently than we are accustomed to... but never the less, they are no less sacred, no less mystical, no less important. AND SO, I thank God for the differences this Holy Week, I thank Him for the opportunity to look at these days anew, with new eyes, a new mind, and hopefully a renewed reverence and awe. To help me enter into today specifically.. I will prayerfully look at the John chapter 14-17... the farewell discourse. Jesus' final instructions to His apostles... I will also spend an hour with Jesus, in the garden of my heart, to stay awake with Him in His agony and to pray specifically for each and every single one of you and your intentions.

Both yesterday and today, the church leaves us with Judas for our spiritual reflection. As the Gospel says today, that what is supposed to happen to the Son of Man, will happen to him, "but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed." If we were all kids reenacting the Last Supper, none of us would want to be Judas. Certainly he is not one of the apostles that any of us like to identify with, yet Judas has a few unique lessons to teach us. 1) Do not take matters into your own hands; acting without God, is act against God. 2) Don't leave the party early. Instead surround yourself with good friends because they will keep you out of trouble. 3) It might make you feel important to hold the money bag, but with that same responsibility comes the danger of pride and selfishness instead of service and generosity. Finally 4) Don't take food off of another person's plate at dinner party, it just means your a jerk and you are probably going to betray them. Seriously, may we never feel too important, too useful, too needed or too relied upon. If you wish to be first, than be the servant of all.

Can you imagine how intense the atmosphere in the upper room must have been when Jesus said to his 12 closest friends, the apostles, "one of you will betray me." The silence would have been deafening. Who could it be? Then cue the chorus of protestations, "Surely not I", "Nor I", I would die for you." etc... Yet Jesus still looks them in the eye and does not look away or back down. They may protest all they want, but He knows what is about to transpire. Judas will betray Him, Peter will deny Him, and all but John will abandon Him. Where are you in that moment? Is it not our sins that betray Him, our well meaning failures that deny him, and our focus on this world that abandons Him? Are we not as responsible as each of these apostles for our shortcomings? I think only of St. Alphonsus Liguori's words, "Jesus, my love, I love with all my heart. I repent of ever having offended You. Never let me be separated from You again. Grant that I may love You always, and do with me as you will." Amen!

I like to create my own versions of the Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. I find it is a wonderful way to prayerfully reflect upon the important moments of our Faith and the Life of Christ. Through the years I have developed many different non-traditional mysteries of the Rosary. Each mystery has a corresponding grace that you can ask for while praying the mystery. So I offer for your prayer and reflection The Mysteries of Redemption for Holy Week. 1) Christ’s Triumphal Entrance into Jerusalem Grace: Piety, praise owed to God out of love. 2) The Institution of the Eucharist and the Priesthood Grace: Reverence, especially for Christ’s presence. 3) The Veneration of the Holy Cross on which hung the Savior of the World Grace: Contrition, sorrow for our sins 4) Christ Enters the Tomb Grace: Silence 5) Resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Grace: Joy

Many people are asking me how to get blessed palms this Sunday. There are NO PALMS available at the church. Do to the concerns about the spread of the virus we do not want to do anything that would encourage people , especially those at risk, to leave their self isolation. HOWEVER you can still join in the same spirit of what we celebrate on Palm Sunday at home. Gather any green branches that you can find, even houseplants could work, and place them on your front doorL Let your Hosannas to the King ring out! Because we need now more than ever for Christ the King to ride triumphantly into our cities and our homes. May we welcome our ssavior as the crowd did many years ago this day. It is time for us to celebrate... Today we begin Holy Week, the week that changed the world! HOSANNA in the highest!

As we hear in today's Gospel, the desire to silence Jesus had become so great in Jerusalem, and the plot to kill him had become so well known that Jesus went into semi-seclusion and the people began to wonder if Jesus would even dare to come to Jerusalem for the High Holy Days. Imagine the overwhelming joy in the people as Jesus begins his triumphant entrance into the holy city! The breakout into song, and let their Hosannas ring! They line the street with green branches and palms. They cheer his entrance as a great king. WHY? Were the Jews so desperate for a regime change or were they so confident that Jesus is the Messiah? If so then why days later did they beg Pilate to "Crucify Him"? I believe the answer lies in HOPE. We trust in God, we believe in His promises, we Hope in Him! May we dare to hope that just the mere presence of Christ is all we will ever need.

Both our reading from Jeremiah as well as John's Gospel has the image of being surrounded by enemies. Jeremiah's life is in danger, the Hebrew people do not want to hear nor heed his message. Therefore, his own people are seeking to take his life. We see the same situation with Jesus, as the Jews are seeking to stone Him. In both situations the one whose life is in danger has no fear. They both know that they are simply being faithful to what they have been asked to do. Jeremiah's confidence is in the Lord; and Jesus is confident in that He is doing the will of the Father. We too may feel surrounded on all sides, and like "terror [is] on every side", but we to should fear not that which threatens our life. Just like Jeremiah we to should have confidence to say, "The Lord is with me, like a mighty champion, my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph."