Bishop Robert Deeley marks the start of Holy Week with the celebration of Palm Sunday Mass.
Bishop Robert Deeley marked the start of Holy Week by celebrating Palm Sunday Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland. Despite the icy weather conditions and power outages, the faithful came together for this most important day for Catholics.
“This is the great doorway leading into Holy Week in which we commemorate Our Lord’s journey to Jerusalem,” the bishop said in his homily. “That journey to Jerusalem, however, is not just a reminder of the triumphant entry into the city. It is also a memorial of Jesus’ great moment of love.”
Palm Sunday Mass begins with the distribution and blessing of palms, which recall the branches that were placed at Jesus’ feet as he entered Jerusalem. However, the mood of the Mass soon turns more somber as the story of Christ’s Passion is shared.
“Out liturgy turns our attention to the central event of Holy Week, one which has been at the center of our reflection and penance all during Lent. We focus our attention on the Passion and death of the Lord. For us, as Christians, this is the ultimate event of Jesus’ life. The cross is the central event of his life,” the bishop said. “He dies for us. ‘He humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.’ His death has a purpose, and we must not forget that. By his self-giving act of dying on the cross, he redeems us.”
The bishop said even though Jesus accepted the will of his Father, that doesn’t mean he did not suffer and feel abandoned, as evidenced by his final words spoken from the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” The bishop said they are words to which many in our world today can relate.
“Those who themselves are poor, or on the margins of society, or persecuted, or alienated, can easily make these words their own. It brings them closer to Jesus. He understands them. The abandonment and suffering of humanity are taken up in Jesus’ suffering on the cross. He died for our sins,” the bishop said.
The bishop said that Jesus’ words are also a challenge, reminding us that our sins and actions can make others suffer and that our selfishness can leave others without.
The celebration of Holy Week continues Tuesday, March 26, with the Chrism Mass, which will be celebrated at the cathedral. The Mass brings together priests from around the diocese to renew their priestly promises. During the Mass, the bishop will also bless and consecrate the oils that will be used in the sacraments throughout the coming year.
On Wednesday, the bishop will travel to Caribou to celebrate the Mass of the Holy Oils, during which the oils blessed and consecrated during the Chrism Mass will be distributed to Aroostook County parishes and priests from northern Maine will gather.
On Holy Thursday, Catholic churches throughout the world commemorate the Last Supper that Jesus shared with his disciples, during which he gave us the gift of the Eucharist. On Good Friday, the only day of the year on which a Mass is not celebrated, the faithful will gather to commemorate Jesus’ Passion and death, leading up to the Easter Vigil on Saturday night, when we celebrate the Light returning to the world and the gift of salvation won for us through Jesus’ death and resurrection.
