PALM SUNDAY OF THE PASSION OF THE LORD APRIL 5, 2020

Holy Week PALM SUNDAY Monday of Holy Week Tuesday of Holy Week Wednesday of Holy Week

The Sacred Triduum Holy Thursday Good Friday Holy Saturday

The Resurrection of the Lord

EASTER VIGIL EASTER SUNDAY

So Much More! — by Dcn. Dennis Walters —

T he rock opera “Jesus Christ Superstar” has been enjoying a revival lately. First produced in 1970, it is currently touring

around the world. The plot covers the last week of Jesus’ life, told from the viewpoint of Judas Iscariot, disillusioned with Jesus and his mission. Throughout the opera, the questions raised in the title song recur over and over: “Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ, Who are you? What have you sacrificed? Do you think you’re what they say you are?”

The storyline, particularly as it concerns the characters of Jesus and Judas, has more in common with the 3rd-century Gnostic “Gospel of Judas” than it does with the four canonical gospels. All the characters, except only Jesus himself, are skeptical of his claim to be the Son of God. Jesus is a self-absorbed showman; the eleven apostles are little more than groupies; the Jewish authorities believe him a fake and want him out of the way; and Judas kills himself feeling that God has manipulated him into betraying Jesus. The questions asked in the play reflect a modern unwillingness to commit to the truth. According to the lyrics of the song, his crucifixion is nothing more than the ultimate spectacle, “a record breaker.”

There’s no question that Jesus’ real contemporaries had trouble with his claims to divinity. Many people did view Jesus as an entertainer; his miraculous healings drew large crowds, and did not always result in attracting serious disciples. But often they did. Within fifteen years after Jesus’ death, a major persecutor of Christians, the highly educated and ambitious Saul of Tarsus, became totally convinced that Jesus was who he said he was. And within the first thirty years, most of Paul’s letters and at least three of the four gospels had been written, churches were being formed, and the whole Roman empire was being drawn into a living and vibrant faith. — continued on p. 2

The Holy Mass: Although we cannot gather for Mass, we can still enter into the “source & summit” of our Faith when the Sunday Mass is celebrated by Fr. Bosco and streamed on our parish website and Facebook page. Also, Sunday and weekday Masses can be found on EWTN (Dish 261 and Comcast 393 and at https://video.ewtn.com/daily-mass/). Bishop Barron streams Masses at www.wordonfire.org/daily-mass/

p. 2 • April 5, 2020 Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord St. Mary Catholic Church, Manchester, MI

NEED HELP? “AA” group meets Tuesdays at 7:00pm at Manchester United Methodist

Church, 501 Ann Arbor St.

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and healing) Call the confidential phone line: 517-993-0291, or email

nlc@resurrectionlansing.org

NEED HELP? “COURAGE” is a Catholic (endorsed by Diocese) spiritual support group for those struggling with same sex attraction. “ENCOURAGE” is a separate support group for families & friends. Call 810-231-9199 ext. 202 or email frjohnrocus@holyspiritrcs.org

0 St. Mary Roman Catholic Church

Steardship WEEKLY COLLECTION: Sunday, March 22, 2020

Sunday Env (26) .............. $ 2,245.00 Welcome&Loose ................... $ 10.00 Easter decorations .............. $ 50.00 E-Giving General ............... $ 676.99

Combined toward budget: $ 2,981.99 Budget goal: ..................... $5,300.00 Amt BELOW goal: ...... – $ 2,318.01

OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS: Catholic Relief Serv ............... $ 95.00 Black & Indian ...................... $ 50.00 Poor Box ........................... $ 103.00

Votive Candles ................. $ 62.00

• All affected by COVID-19(suffering from, died of, or caring for)

• Barb Doyle and family

• Dawn Gemler

• Eddie Walz • Leon Ball • Tom Burch • Brian Ball • Tom Kladzyk • Paula Saft

• Aimee Simpson

• Mary Ruth Neely

• Ray Seghers • Virginia

Strong • Connie and

Frank Stancato

• Wilma Lentz • Bruce

Sommers • Duane Beuerle

Please Pray for…

!Birthday Blessings April 5… ...... Justin Walz

…Patrick Walz April 6… ...... Julie DeLucia April 7… ...... Timothy Cencer

…Caroline Lange April 10… .... Edward Sterling April 11… .... Nancy Johnson

…Adler Line

(Need Prayer? Contact the St. Mary Prayer Tree. Call the

Parish Office at 428-8811.)

Today’s liturgy provides two gospel readings that juxtapose contrasting events. In the first, Jesus enters Jerusalem, seated on the colt of a donkey, in a procession of disciples singing and waving palm branches and shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David.” The word “Hosanna,” used here as a jubilant chant, is actually a prayer beseeching God to “Grant [us] salvation.” The second reading, the story of Jesus’ passion according to Matthew, narrates how God answered that prayer.

To place Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem in its immediate historical context, it occurs at the beginning of Passover week. Jews from all over the Roman empire were pouring into the city on pilgrimage. They often arrived in groups, celebrating their entry after a long trip by chanting one or more of the “songs of Ascent,” a group of psalms for pilgrims going up to Jerusalem. Just getting there was cause for celebration. What seems to have set Jesus’ entry apart from that of other groups was his riding a mount — most people walked — plus the excitement of his disciples laying cloaks on the road, waving branches, and shouting Jesus’ royal title “Son of David.” It was a giddy time, but one that placed the Roman authorities on high alert for trouble.

Writing to the Philippian church thirty years later, St. Paul urges his audience to have the attitude of “Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.” Another possible translation of that verse reads, “he did not regard his equality with God something to be exploited.” A mere showman, a superstar if you will, would exploit this event for publicity— and, judging from the response of the Pharisees who told Jesus to control

his disciples, he got plenty of that. But Matthew sees the situation differently. He quotes the prophet Zechariah: “Look, your king comes to you. Triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on an ass, on a colt the foal of an ass.” He enters Jerusalem not as a showman but as the royal son of David. His riding on a donkey recalls King David returning in triumph to Jerusalem after Absalom’s coup attempt, mounted on the steed Israelite kings traditionally used, a white mule.

In his volume Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week, Benedict XVI notes that, by his entry into Jerusalem, “Jesus is indeed making a royal claim. He wants his path and his action to be understood in terms of Old Testament promises that are fulfilled in his person. …His claim is based on obedience to the mission received from his Father.” St. Paul emphasizes Jesus’ obedience “to the point of death” — and he exclaims, “even death on a cross!” That anyone would willingly “empty himself” to undergo a most agonizing and humiliating death by being nailed to that instrument of torture Paul considers astounding.

To human eyes, Jesus’ “royal claim” ended in the tomb, leading some to ask, “What indeed have you sacrificed?” But in God’s eyes, Jesus’ claim is validated by his resurrection. His death opens the heavenly Jerusalem to all who wish to follow him into that city. Therefore, “God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name above every other name, that at the name of Jesus” — which means “Yahweh is salvation” — “every knee should bend” in homage. Jesus Christ is no mere superstar, enjoying his three years of fame, having sacrificed nothing. Then and now, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, Jesus Christ is King. Jesus Christ is Lord.

— Dcn. Dennis’ article continued on p. 2

THANK YOU to all who donated food items for the Easter Food Bags. They will be given to the 10 families this coming Wed, April 8. Again, thank you for your generosity.

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Parish News

While we are not able to attend HOLY MASS, receive Holy COMMUNION, or receive sacramental CONFESSION, let us be strong in our Faith, “drawing close to God so that He may draw close to us” (Jas 4:8).

St. Mary Catholic Church, Manchester, MI Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord April 5, 2020 • p. 3

A letter to the people of St. Mary from our bishop: To my sisters and brothers, the People of God, our wonderful Consecrated Men and Women, and our Deacons and Priests,

These are tough times. As we all know, tough times can either tempt us towards sadness and surrender or impel us towards greater fortitude and faith. Let me put that in a broader context.

God does no evil; he is goodness itself and thus can be only a source of goodness. So, the question many may have is why does God allow evil to take place? Why this pandemic? Why all this isolation? Why this death? The only reason that God allows evil is because he knows he can draw good from it.

I only have to look at the Crucifix before me on my desk to be convinced of that. The Father in Heaven allowed this painful and shameful death of his Son on the Cross because he was going to draw the great good of the Resurrection from that death, not just for his Son but for all of us, "And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it," (cf. John 1:5).

And he knew that, as Jesus said, once the Son was lifted up, all would be drawn to him. The very life of the Holy Spirit given to us is the fruit of that death and resurrection. So, God is allowing these evils in our time in order to draw good from them. And the greatest good is our salvation.

If these times lead us to repent of sin, to turn to prayer, to invoke the Holy Spirit, to show charity toward one another, to be good examples to our family members and neighbors, to allow the faith in us to grow, to open our hearts to the hope which God desires to give us, then great good will be drawn from these times.

It is then pretty clear that we must desire the same goodness that God desires for us in order for that goodness to take root in and be fruitful in our lives. We know what God wants to come of all of this.

Are we ready to work with God, to desire what he desires, to open our hearts and lives to the grace he is continuously pouring out upon us, and to be the daughters and sons he has called us to be? If so, then there will be great fruit from this time. Instead of a time of darkness, it will be seen as the time in the tomb of Jesus on Holy Saturday, awaiting the bright light of Easter Resurrection. God bless all of you.

Assuring you of my prayers, I am sincerely yours in Christ,

+ Earl Bishop of Lansing

“Why are you afraid?” Our Holy Father Francis gave an extraordinary Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world) address and blessing on March 27, occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic. His address is rooted in the gospel story (Mark 4:35-41) of the disciples and Jesus in a boat when a storm begins to rage. They awaken Jesus, saying, “Master, do you not care that we are perishing?” Listen or read it full at:

www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-03/urbi-et-orbi-pope-coronavirus-prayer-blessing.html

Here are a few excerpts to ponder in your heart:

Jesus asked, “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?” The storm exposes our vulnerability and uncovers those false and superfluous certainties around which we have constructed our daily schedules, our projects, our habits and priorities. It shows us how we have allowed to become dull and feeble the very things that nourish, sustain and strengthen our lives and our communities…We deprive ourselves of the antibodies we need to confront adversity…

“Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?” The Lord asks us and, in the midst of our tempest, invites us to reawaken…and revive our Easter faith. We have an anchor: by his cross we have been saved. We have a rudder: by his cross we have been redeemed. We have a hope: by his cross we have been healed and embraced so that nothing and no one can separate us from his redeeming love…

“Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?” Lord, you are calling to us, calling us to faith…It is a time to get our lives back on track with regard to you, Lord, and to others…Yet our faith is weak and we are fearful. But you, Lord, will not leave us at the mercy of the storm. Tell us again: “Do not be afraid” (Mt 28:5). And we, together with Peter, “cast all our anxieties onto you, for you care about us” (cf. 1 Pet 5:7)…

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

Because by your holy cross you have

redeemed the world.

“M

y Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament of the

altar. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at

this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart ... I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.”

Spiritual Communion

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