🙏🏼"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Matthew 16:18
On this rock…🙏🏼 We begin anew.
#CatholicX#RomanCatholic#PopeFrancis
Holy Week is the most solemn and central period in our Catholic liturgical calendar. It commemorates the final week of Our Lord Jesus Christ’s earthly life, from His triumphal entry into Jerusalem through His Passion, Death, and leading into His glorious Resurrection. The observance of Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday and concludes on Holy Saturday, forming the immediate preparation for Easter.
Palm Sunday recalls Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, where crowds welcomed Him with palm branches. During the liturgy, the faithful receive blessed palms, which serve as sacramentals for the year ahead, as a remembrance of the Kingship of Jesus Christ and our duty to proclaim it in our daily living.
The days of Holy Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, the latter sometimes called Spy Wednesday, focus on the events immediately preceding the Passion. These include the anointing at Bethany and the plotting of Judas’ betrayal. On one of these days, or sometimes on Holy Thursday morning, the bishop celebrates the Chrism Mass, during which the holy oils used in the celebration of the sacraments throughout the year are blessed.
Holy Thursday, also known as Maundy Thursday, commemorates the Last Supper. It marks the institution of the Holy Eucharist and the Sacred Priesthood. The principal liturgy is the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, which includes the ritual washing of feet. Following the offering of Holy Mass, the Blessed Sacrament is transferred to a place of repose, and the altars are stripped bare, signifying Christ’s abandonment and suffering.
Good Friday is dedicated to the solemn commemoration of Christ’s Passion and Crucifixion. No Mass is celebrated on this day. Instead, the liturgy consists of a service of the Word, the veneration of the Cross, and the distribution of Holy Communion from hosts consecrated the previous day. It is observed as a day of strict fasting and abstinence.
Holy Saturday is a day of quiet waiting and reflection, recalling Christ’s descent among the dead. The Church remains in a state of mourning, with no celebration of Mass until the Easter Vigil, which takes place after nightfall.
The heart of Holy Week is the Easter Triduum, a single continuous liturgical celebration extending from the evening of Holy Thursday through the evening of Easter Sunday. This encompasses the Paschal Mystery of Christ’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection. The Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night stands as the liturgical high point of the year. It includes the blessing of the new fire, the proclamation of the Exsultet, extensive readings from the history of salvation, the celebration of baptisms and the reception of converts, with their sacramental initiation.
Throughout Holy Week the faithful are invited to participate deeply in these sacred mysteries of our Catholic faith through attentive prayer, fasting, and full engagement with the Church’s liturgies.
Today marks the 10th death anniversary of Mother Angelica, the founder of the world’s largest religious television network, EWTN.
Here are some quick facts:
* She initiated the channel's operations from a garage studio in Alabama.
* According to @RaymondArroyo, she launched the channel with only $200 in the bank.
* The network reaches over 425 million people in around 160 countries.
* Even after founding the network, Mother Angelica continued to live in the cloistered monastery in Hanceville, Alabama, until her death in 2016.
If you were to ask me why the Catholic Church in the United States remains one of the most vibrant faith communities in the world, the first reason I would suggest is Mother Angelica. Her vision and passion for evangelization were so strong that even after her death, EWTN has been successful in carrying out the mission of its founder.
Pls RT
AMERICANS TRAPPED IN MIDDLE EAST:
Call 202-501-4444 — 24/7 to have US State Department assistance in evacuation —- or get to Oman where they have set up flight office to coordinate.
Cardinal Cupich’s ‘coaching tree’ keeps growing: Another former Chicago deputy, Archbishop-designate Ronald Hicks, heads to New York—making four major archbishops from his network in just 13 months. His influence on the U.S. hierarchy is profound and for some, troubling. https://t.co/tAJcg3LVQU
“And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,
as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another,
singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs
with gratitude in your hearts to God. “ Colossians 3:15 #Mass#SundayMotivation@fgonzalez1978
9 children from Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza—the territory’s only Catholic parish—received their First Holy Communion from Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa
Image: Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem
EXCLUSIVE: Experience Christmas in the Holy Land on “Mike Huckabee’s Christmas in Israel,” premiering Friday at 8 PM ET, only on NEWSMAX. More: https://t.co/PNBETzCYIN