By: Laura Catherine Worhacz

Hosanna, hosanna in the highest!

Every Holy Week, it has been a tradition for my family to watch The Passion of the Christ. One of my favorite portrayals in the film is the flashbacks.

​When Jesus is in His Passion, He thinks of running into His mother's arms. When He thinks of His love for us, He thinks of Holy Thursday and leaving us His life in the Eucharist. Saint Mary remembers being saved from being stoned and recalls the hand of God reaching down to her to lift her to the Cross.

How blessed we are to enter Holy Week and celebrate another Palm Sunday tomorrow. What about us? Where do our flashbacks take us?

In the silence, we can go there... Sometimes the places we are taken to are quite painful; sometimes, we recall graces embedded in our hearts that take us to the mystical. All of which create us in the divine plan and help us see God's love in all things.

To identify with all the experiences of life is healing for our souls. We find peace in the acceptance of our lives. We need grace to see the work of God in our lives. The Sacrament of Reconciliation sets fire to our longing to give in return for God's love for us.

What about flashing back to our first encounter with the Eucharist, to the moment we were given the grace to know Jesus in the mystery of the Sacred Host? How did our hearts burn with a desire to be with Jesus? How we longed to be in the presence of the living God.

Holy week is a time to be made holy; there is time for us to grow while still on this earth. On Holy Thursday, we are to remember how Jesus washed the disciple's feet and offered the first Eucharist: "Do this in Memory of ME." On Good Friday, we venerate the Cross and think of the divine person, Jesus Christ, dying for each of us so personally. On Holy Saturday, we wait in preparation for the Easter Vigil when the Resurrection from the dead is revealed to us.

The Sacred Triduum, the mystery of salvation, invites us to live in the Passion, Death, and Rising of Christ. Saint Joseph lived this mystery in intimacy with God. All that was revealed to him Saint Joseph kept sacred. Indeed, he reminisced often, flashbacked to the dreams he had, thought of the terror he fled from and protected his faith in Christ.

May this Holy week bring our lives to the Praise and Glory of Our Father who art in Heaven. Lord help us to be guardians of the Eucharist.

By: Ivonne J. Hernandez

Expectation, our capacity to receive, grows in the silence. Many of us have experienced the sublimeness of being lost in the eyes of our beloved. In that moment of silence, we hear the sound of two hearts speaking.
​
It is the same in our relationship with God. He is our beloved; we are His beloved. All He wants is for us to get lost in His gaze. It is at those moments, though, when the enemy of our souls will ramp up the storm.

The moment we try to BE silent, a million distractions usually jump at us. It is then the unclean spirits will whisper lies and tell us we must hide from our God. It is at that moment that we need to make a choice.

If we truly want to BE with God, then we let Jesus take care of the distractions. If we let Him, He will silence the unclean spirit and will quiet down the storm.
​

By: Rick Hernandez

​Every day, sitting at my desk, I welcome the afternoon sun that tells me that the day is progressing. My desk is placed in such a way that the afternoon sunlight comes through, at just the right angle, so that sometimes I am bathed in light.
 
There is a particular awareness that comes from being shined upon. It sharpens the way things look. At that very moment, the gentle strength of the light rays is but a gift for me. I am reminded to give thanks for the light!
 
One day a ray of light shone from the edge of my desk in such a way that, in my memory, I was transported back to an experience of my years as an altar server. 
 
I was really young but remembered being trained to serve under my parish pastor. My main job was to assist with the preparation of the altar and then ring the bells during Consecration. Father was a good man, a gentle soul, and a good priest. He was always kind to us getting trained as altar servers.
 
I have to say that anybody who saw me back then knew that I just could not stay put for too long. Curiosity for the world and its wonders was ever-present in me, and I would get distracted easily. Many simple things used to catch my eye; it was part of my personality.
 
Obviously, this trait of mine was not an asset when I was serving at Mass; Father had to gently motion to me every time I was about to miss my cue. What a loving, gentle, and fatherly priest he was to me… But my lack of focus was a problem, and he had to address it.
 
“Whatever you do, do from the heart, as for the Lord and not for others…” (Colossians 3:23)
 
One day Father sat me down before Mass and said:
​

​That day at Mass, I prayed for the gift of presence. I tried my hardest to be there fully. How could I not after Father so lovingly explained what my presence there was for? I was gifted that day with the ability to concentrate, to be able to see everything in sharp detail, to perfectly listen to every word.
 
When the time of Consecration came, I was on my knees looking up at the altar and listening to the words: “Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my Body, which will be given up for you”… and at that moment, light from the upper windows shone through, caught the edge of the altar and bathed our Lord Eucharistic in light!
 
“See, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:19).
 
In an instant, recognition. I realized at that moment why my job was important, and I rang that bell confidently and full of zeal. In my heart, I knew that I was announcing that He was there, fully present. This was it, the light telling every eye, the bell telling every ear, His love telling every heart.
 
That bell ringing called us to be there present with Him IN the moment, to adore Him, to bring our sufferings and unite them to Him who died and rose for us…. to be there for Him who, for us, conquered death… to be there for Him who, for us, became bread and wine. What an honor it was to announce all this, to have been for that fleeting moment, the ringing bell of recognition.
 
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
 
At every Mass, the word “Behold” is said, and Christ Eucharistic is raised. In the great humility of Christ, the Son of God is once again as forever, the Lamb of God, our Lord, our Savior, our Redeemer. He is food for the journey, sustenance for life, true life. And when we partake of Communion, that most intimate act of union is a perfect showing of Love, Faith, and Hope.
 
We must hear it still, that call to all of us, “Can’t you see? This is important. Pay attention!” Behold! Let us recognize Him. He recognizes us.
 
Let us pray: Lord, may we be ever attentive to the promptings of your love and mercy. Help us to recognize your guiding hand in all things. Please, let your light shine on us as it ever shines on You. Amen.

Image by By Imgorthand at Canva