HOLY WEEK 2019:
WHY IS THIS WEEK DIFFERENT FROM ALL OTHER WEEKS?
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily is: Holy Week 2019: Why Is This
Week Different from All Other Weeks?
We don’t have to be Einstein to know about the Relativity
of Time. He put his theory into various
verbal boxes. He told students at
Princeton that an hour with your girlfriend can feel like 10 minutes - while 5
minutes visiting with your grandma in the nursing home - can feel like 5
hours.
The one I like best is: “How long a minute takes depends
on what side of the bathroom door you’re on.” Or “How long a sermon takes
depends on who’s preaching.” This goes
for waiting for red lights to turn green - depending on how much of a rush you’re
in - as well as in a dozen other human experiences.
HOLY WEEK
In Jewish homes where the Passover Meal in celebrated,
the youngest member of the family asks the oldest leader of the family, “Why is
this night different than all other
nights?” And the youngest kid is told -
with everyone listening, “This is the night we escaped - passed over - from the slavery of Egypt - as we headed for
the Promised Land.”
It took 40 years - but they finally made it. It must have
felt much longer, because there was a lot of complaining in the desert. “Moses! Why did we listen to you and your
plans?”
Christians - Catholics are coming to the end of the 40
Days of Lent.
We are asked
today, Palm Sunday, “Why is this week different from all other weeks?
This week we touch
upon and experience some of the key final moments of Christ’s life as well as
our lives.
This week we hear about Judas making his final decision to
betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. It’s called “Spy Wednesday”. We’ve all experienced being betrayed or sold
out because of money. And those moments in our life took longer than other
moments.
This week we have Holy Thursday - when Jesus has his last meal with his disciples. It’s the Passover Meal. We hear about his washing of their feet. We hear his last words - powerful words of love - especially in the gospel of John. We hear about his begging his disciples to pray with him in the garden for at least an hour. We all have or want to be with our loved ones when they are dying - and we get angry when some members don’t show. We remember last meals with our loved ones. I was thinking yesterday about the last meal I had with my brother in February of 1986 at Tio Pepe’s in Baltimore. He had brain cancer but his taste buds had come back just in time for that meal. Delicious memory. He died that March at the age of 51.
This week we have Good Friday. The arrest. The torture.
The bullying in jail. The crowd who praised him on Palm Sunday were screaming
for his crucifixion on this Friday. Life. It has it’s joyful and sorrowful
mysteries. Life. It has its stations of the cross. Life. It has its deaths.
Next Sunday we arrive at Easter: the glorious mystery -
the great faith moment.
CONCLUSION
This week - Holy Week 2019 - can be different - if we take the time to make
it different.
Your move.
Check the bulletin or go on line and plan to be at least
one hour with the Lord. Okay - the Holy
Saturday night service is 2 hours and 17 minutes - and the Easter Mass is
usually 59 minutes and 27 seconds depending upon who’s up front and how long it
feels and what’s going on in your life.
