Per Christum

I think this quote from The Teaching of Christ by Lawler, Lawler, and Weuri sums up holistic conversion nicely, and explains why mere argumentation is ineffective in engendering true conversion:

People normally need good reasons to clear their way toward faith. Certainly there is no conflict between intelligence and faith. Human reasoning alone, however, is not sufficient to establish personal faith. No one can be driven to personal faith by dialectics, for faith involves believing God, not complex argumentation. But intelligence can stimulate the pursuit of personal faith.

As many of you already know, we have a Paltalk room called “Catholics Building Bridges: Sane Christian Discussion.” For more information about the room, please click here. Some of our discussions are found on our Podcast Page, which I know, desperately need updated. As our room’s Frappr Map shows, we have a variety of people who join us for our regular voice/text discussions. Since many people who come to our room are not Catholic, it inevitably brings up the question of ecumenism. The Christian section on Paltalk is a very turbulent place, where sarcasm and accusations are more common than charity and understanding during Christian discussion. This is a shame. However, we try to foster a charitable environment that stands in contrast to other rooms. This is why we emphasize “sane” in our title.

It seems almost every time we open the room these days the topic of ecumenism comes up. How do we do it? With whom do we do it? What is the best way to go about it? How does the trial of Martin Luther relate to ecumenism (sorry…inside joke)?. Being Catholic, we accept the Catholic Church’s views on ecumenism, which many of us describe as a kind of “faithful ecumenism” or “continuum ecumenism,” or simply “sane ecumenism.” In this post I want to give a basic outline of what the Catholic Church teaches about ecumenism. Perhaps describing the various ways others do ecumenism is a helpful way to begin to explain our own way of doing it. Note that we do not view ecumenism in either of these ways as the full truth.

1. Lowest Common Denominator Ecumenism - This is the ecumenism of the mainline Protestant churches and of the World Council of Churches, and as a whole, it has been a failure. In striving for unity (a good thing), many of these churches have downplayed or abandoned doctrines and practices that defined their churches and made them meaningful. I once heard about the planning of a local ecumenical service where they took down every cross in the church where it was being held, for fear of offending a fellow Christian. The cost of unity in this example? Utter blandness. They had a church service with nothing offensive in it, but nothing meaningful in it either. Important doctrines have received the same treatment using this type of ecumenism. The Unitarians may get offended at mention of the Trinity, so we can’t mention that in our churches anymore. The “Our Father” offends the feminists, so we can’t use that either. The Episcopalians are uncomfortable with Luther’s strong emphasis on justification by faith alone, so we can’t preach on that. This goes on and on and on. This ecumenism, in my opinion, is unfaithful because it results in the loss of the most divisive, but often the most meaningful, beliefs and practices of a denomination. In a way, distinctiveness and division are often so closely related, that getting rid of divisive beliefs and practices leads to a loss of distinction. I should note that not all mainlines have taken this approach, and that the decline of emphasis on common beliefs/practices in the mainlines is not simply because of the ecumenical movement.

2.Exclusionary Ecumenism- There is a church nearby that considers itself the one true church, a mighty strange concept considering it was founded in the 1950s in rural Ohio, but nonetheless, that is the claim. This church refuses to engage other Christians, or even grant them salvation. This is the other extreme of ecumenism, which avoids the topic entirely. We often run into people who hold this view on Paltalk. Many consider ecumenism “of the devil,” although most have in mind the “lowest common denominator” ecumenism mentioned above. Nonetheless, they are quite uncomfortable with any kind of dialog with other Christians, unless it involves yelling sarcastic remarks at them. Some Catholics we often meet on Paltalk, on the cusp of being schismatic, also take this view. They get so sick of the Catholic-bashing they see on Paltalk, that they are quite willing to abandon the whole ecumenical process, despite their anti-ecumenical stances going against current Catholic Teaching on the matter. While I can sympathize with their views, I still believe them to be unfaithful, because ecumenical work is good in that it is trying to fulfill Christ’s prayer that we all may be one. Failing to even try to reach out to other Christians is, in my opinion, uncharitable, and as I already stated, contrary to current Catholic Teaching on ecumenism.

Now it is time to get to the Catholic view. Just so everybody knows, the Catholic Church still teaches that there is no salvation outside the Catholic Church, a view held by the earliest Church Fathers. However, on account of baptism and other sacraments of non-Catholics, we can speak of non-Catholic Christians as being somehow in a limited communion with the Church, thus able to be saved. Notice how classic Apostolic Truth is applied to a denominational context with this Teaching.

Catholic ecumenism is a mixture of the two extremes types of ecumenism mentioned above, but ultimately it is beyond either. The goal of Catholic ecumenism is to work with other Christians to the extent that it is possible without compromising Apostolic Truth. So the distinctive (and divisive) Catholic dogmas aren’t going away anytime soon, but nor is the Church going to cease her ecumenical work. So while the Catholic Church isn’t going to change substantially because of ecumenism, the Church does consider ecumenical implications when Teaching and formulating responses to new problems.

In order to retain Apostolic Truth while reaching out in charity, Catholic ecumenism happens on a continuum or sliding scale so-to-speak. We work with other Christians at varying ecumenical levels. Since the Catholic Church considers the Orthodox Churches to be “true Particular Churches” with valid sacraments and succession, the Catholic and Orthodox Churches are practically “sister Churches” in the eyes of the Catholic Church. Thus, our relationship with Orthodox Christians is one of (theoretical) ecumenical closeness. However, further down the continuum are Protestant churches. While the Catholic Church is not willing to blanketly consider Protestant sacraments valid, Catholics believe that Protestants, by virtue of their baptisms, may be called our “brothers and sisters” in Christ. In other words, yes, Protestants can be saved. Catholics believe that Protestants are in an imperfect communion with the Church because of their baptism. Thus, ecumenism, although more limited than what we can have with the Orthodox, follows naturally, because these “separated brethren” are truly our brothers, despite our separation. Further down on the Continuum are other Christian groups and non-Christian religions. We have the most limited ecumenical contact with these groups. Here is an outline of the implications of the levels of ecumenism:

Orthodox - share sacraments (Orthodox may commune in our Churches, and Catholics may commune in Orthodox Churches, although Orthodox Christians often do not allow this), share a common history, pray together as fellow Catholic Christians, have respectful dialogue, and stand together on moral and ethical issues held in common.

Protestant- pray together as fellow baptized believers in Christ, have respectful dialogue, stand together on moral and ethical issues

Non-Christian- pray together in a limited, generic way, as fellow believers in God, have respectful dialog, stand together on moral and ethical issues

I believe that this continuum approach is the most sane way to do ecumenical dialog. The hope is that we will become closer to other churches, while not compromising the Apostolic Truth. Indeed, dialogue often helps us, at the least, to see how words divide us, when actual belief does not. This is the case in our dialogue with non-Chalcedonian Orthodox Churches, where language describing the mystery, rather than any fundamental disagreement about the mystery, seems to be the major point of contention.

Evangelicals often share the Catholic vision for ecumenism, although with some differences. Many evangelicals want to reach out with other Christians with whom they agree on “the essentials,” yet they do not wish to compromise the truth to do so. They lament the compromise ecumenism of the mainline churches, to which many of them belong. So while evangelical ecumenism is motivated by a kind of essentials based invisible church, and ours is based on the idea of a real, visible Church reaching out to her separated brothers and sisters, nonetheless, they agree with us that ecumenism must not compromise basic Christian truth, but that ecumenism must happen.

Before I finish up, I should note that some consider Catholic ecumenism a sham. Those on the mainline left believe we are too stubborn, and they wish we would be more affirming of other denominations. Because the Catholic Church is not willing to compromise her understanding of the nature of the Church, many believe we are actually uninterested in ecumenism. I get asked a lot, “if Catholics really want to improve ecumenical relations, why don’t you have open communion?” Those on the Catholic right see Catholic ecumenism as a sham as well, and believe we shouldn’t even bother working with Protestants. While I can understand these objections, Catholic ecumenism is, in my opinion, the best balance of Truth and Charity. The Catholic Church (and Orthodox Churches) should not be expected to change Apostolic Truth simply because we live in a denominational Christendom. However, in the name of charity, the Church moves forward with faithful ecumenism.

Let me end with a practical example of the way we try to do ecumenism. We have a few reformed Protestant chatters who frequent our Paltalk room. One, Greg, just started a blog named Evangelical Fire. Please pay him a visit. While we do not agree on everything, we still have charitable and open discussions in a safe and friendly environment. We have learned about his faith and he has learned about ours, and we are all richer for it. We even pray together and lament the current state of morality in the Western world. Another reformed chatter, named HopeinChrist, is active in our room too. While we don’t always agree, and sometimes get into some very frank discussions, we always do so in charity and friendship. We try to understand one another and try to find areas where we agree, without smoothing over the areas where we disagree. In the end, I think we are all better off for having had an open, respectful, and frank dialogue.

Ecumenism, done faithfully, charitably, and frankly, yet without compromising the Apostolic Faith, is difficult. Sometimes we Paltalk room admins throw up our hands and repeat this as a mantra: Faithful Ecumenism is difficult, Faithful ecumenism is difficult. However, we Christians are often called to difficult things, and by the grace of God, we will continue our faithful ecumenism.

Photos taken by me.

Believe it or not, I attended my first Catholic wedding (Wedding-Mass) over the weekend. Actually, this is not entirely accurate, since I went to one when I was eight or so. However, since my memory of the first one is so fuzzy, for all intents and purposes, this was my first.

It is nice to finally get to see a wedding viewed as a sacrament, even though the language of the Methodist wedding ceremony I grew up with sure sounds sacramental. I remember a friend of mine in grad school came from a low-church tradition. She once remarked that she didn’t believe in seven sacraments, but believed marriage was one. While I was a little uncomfortable with this pick-and-choose your own sacramental system even then, it shows the importance even non-sacramental Christians attach to marriage. Marriage after all is something so important in the life of a Christian, that if there is a time for ritual, for something more grand and full than the usual sparseness, it is a wedding.

While I would have planned the wedding slightly differently, I thought this one was centered around Jesus Christ and his Church. I left with the clear impression that Jesus was the center of this marriage, which means that it certainly has the correct person at the center of it! I think choosing to have a wedding Mass is the best way to go, since Christ is truly and literally at the center of the wedding, since the wedding is done within the context of the sacrament of Christ’s body and blood. Talk about the best guest to have at your wedding! Perhaps many of the guests at this wedding couldn’t understand why anybody would actually like it when a wedding lasts over an hour, but I enjoyed the longer wedding mass. I hope my future wedding (no plans as of yet) is this Christ-centered. As a side note, the song leader at the wedding was even a budding Catholic recording artist named Sarah Bauer, whom I talked with some at the reception. She did a great job.

Incidentally, before the wedding Jennifer and I and some friends went to a big used bookstore in the Fort Wayne, Indiana area called Hyde Brothers. I bought a few books there (of course, how could I refuse?): The Baltimore Catechism numbers #3 and #4, The Teaching of Christ: A Catholic Catechism for Adults by Lawler, Wueri, and Lawler, The Pentecostal Movement in the Catholic Church by Edward O’Connor, and Enzymes: the Fountain of Life by Lopez, Williams, and Miehlke. I also got a pamphlet version of Paul VI’s Humanae Vitae.

What better symbol for Catholic marriage is there than the Holy Family? This is a photo I took of the Holy Family (for more of my photos, I do have a photo blog!).

I’ve had four days to try and reflect on this threshold my wife and I were carried across as we finished our Christian initiation at the Easter vigil and began what I pray will be an eternity of full communion with the Lord Jesus Christ and his Church.

The sentence I’ve been using to describe my experience of the vigil is “It’s like getting ran over by a spiritual dump-truck, but in a good way.” My wife, I think, does a better job when she says it was like exhaling after holding her breath since last August.

Beyond those descriptions, I kind of run out of words other than these two: peace and home.

I would, however, like to share what I believe was a gift God sent me during this time. Something that happened after each sacrament I received.

On the Wednesday before the vigil, I made my first confession. After I had received absolution and gone joyfully to one of the pews to pray, a snippet of scripture from chapter 20 of the Gospel of St. John containing a promise Christ made to his Apostles echoed in my ear:

Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven…

The night of vigil was wonderful. Everything was so pregnant with the symbolism of the Resurrection of Jesus. The ancient hymns, prayers and traditions really hammered home that we were hitching our car to the train that the Apostles, Fathers and other Saints were riding.

There were tears of joy when Father Sexton, on behalf of the Church, welcomed me and my wife into full-communion. There was a sense of relief and peace when he annointed my head with the Holy Chrism and the Holy Spirit sealed me under the name “Justin Martyr.” When I returned to my pew to prepare for the Liturgy of the Eucharist, two more bits of Scripture floated up from my memory (this time from chapter 14 of St. John and chapter 28 of St. Matthew ):

I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor…I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you…I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

I found my voice shaky in the responses and songs that lead up to Communion. The Consecration had always been the highest point of the Mass for me, but this one was even more meaningful because I knew I would be invited to partake of its fruit.

When I finally received Our Lord sacramentally, it was more like the still, small voice than the whirlwind, earthquake or fire. When I returned to my pew to kneel and pray a prayer of thanksgiving (which is what Eucharist means after all,) the following from the sixth chapter of the St. John came to mind:

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

That’s about it. I was given a beautiful, Christ-centered, scripture saturated reception into the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I’d have to say that, by far, this was our best Easter ever.

Christ is risen!

We would like to welcome the following people to the Catholic Church, who were received and/or confirmed this year at the Easter Vigil:

Jason and Brandi Sims
Danny Jr. and Laura Garland
Grace Agnes
Mike Terrell and Family
Layla

The following are still waiting, but will be in full communion soon:
Amy Jones
Chad Toney
Scott Lyons
Kacy Sandidge

Congratulations to all of you! If you would like to add your name to this list, please post here and let us know, and we will get your name up and add you to our prayers.

If any man be devout and love God,
let him enjoy this fair and radiant triumphal feast.

If any man be a wise servant,
let him enter rejoicing into the joy of his Lord.

If any have labored long in fasting,
let him now receive his recompense.

If any have wrought from the first hour,
let him today receive his just reward.

If any have come at the third hour,
let him with thankfulness keep the feast.

If any have arrived at the sixth hour,
let him have no misgivings,
because he shall in no wise be deprived.

If any have delayed until the ninth hour,
let him draw near, fearing nothing.

If any have tarried even until the eleventh hour,
let him also be not alarmed at his tardiness;
for the Lord, who is jealous of his honor,
will accept the last even as the first;
he gives rest unto him who comes at the eleventh hour,
even as unto him who has worked from the first hour.

And He shows mercy upon the last,
and cares for the first;
and to the one he gives, and upon the other he bestows gifts.
And he both accepts the deeds,
and welcomes the intention,
and honors the acts and praises the offering.

Wherefore, enter ye all into the joy of your Lord,
and receive your reward,
both the first and likewise the second.

You rich and poor together,
hold high festival.

You sober and you heedless,
honor the day.

Rejoice today,
both you who have fasted
and you who have disregarded the fast.

The table is fully laden;
feast sumptuously.

The calf is fatted;
let no one go hungry away.

Enjoy the feast of faith;
receive all the riches of loving-kindness.

Let no one bewail his poverty,
for the universal kingdom has been revealed.

Let no one weep for his iniquities,
for pardon has shone forth from the grave.

Let no one fear death,
for the Savior’s death has set us free:
he that was held prisoner of it has annihilated it.

By descending into hell, he made hell captive.
He embittered it when it tasted of his flesh.
And Isaiah, foretelling this, cried:
“Hell was embittered when it encountered thee in the lower regions.”

It was embittered, for it was abolished.
It was embittered, for it was mocked.
It was embittered, for it was slain.
It was embittered, for it was overthrown.
It was embittered, for it was fettered in chains.
It took a body, and met God face to face.
It took earth, and encountered heaven.
It took that which was seen, and fell upon the unseen.

O Death, where is your sting?
O Hell, where is your victory?

Christ is risen, and you are overthrown.
Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen.
Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice.
Christ is risen, and life reigns.
Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in the grave.
For Christ, being risen from the dead,
is become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
To him be glory and dominion unto ages of ages. Amen.

The Paschal Sermon of Saint John Chrysostom, recited in Eastern Churches across the world on Easter Sunday. This sermon is available at www.ancient-future.net/chrysoseaster.html

The magic of Holy Saturday.

The chaotic fountain remains directionless. Could this be the residue of the Son’s love which, poured out to the last when every vessel cracked and the old world perished, is now making a path for itself to the Father through the glooms of nought?

Or, in spite of it all, is this love trickling on in impotence, unconsciously, laboriously, towards a new creation that does not yet even exist, a creation which is still to be lifted up and given shape? Is it a protoplasm producing itself in the beginning, the first seed of the New Heaven and the New Earth?

The spring leaps up even more plenteously. To be sure, it flows out of a wound and is like the blossom and fruit of a wound; like a tree it sprouts up from this wound. But the wound no longer causes pain. The suffering has been left far behind as the past origin and previous source of today’s wellspring.

What is poured out here is no longer a present suffering, but a suffering that has been concluded–no longer now a sacrificing love, but a love sacrificed.

Only the wound is there: gaping, the great open gate, the chaos, the nothingness out of which the wellspring leaps forth. Never again will this gate be shut. Just as the first creation arose ever anew out of sheer nothingness, so, too, this second world - still unborn, still caught up in its first rising - will have its sole origin in this wound, which is never to close again…

High-vaulted triumphal Gate of Life! Armored in gold, armies of graces stream out of you with fiery lances. Deep-dug Fountain of Life! Wave upon wave gushes out of you inexhaustible, ever-flowing, billows of water and blood baptizing the heathen hearts, comforting the yearning souls, rushing over the deserts of guilt, enriching over-abundantly, overflowing every heart that receives it, far surpassing every desire.

-Hans Urs Von Balthasar

Hat tip/full text posted at Titusonenine (Kendall Harmon)

Photo from National Shrine and Basilica of Our Lady of Consolation; taken by Jonathan Bennett

Something strange is happening - there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear.

He has gone to search for our first parent, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve, he who is both God and the son of Eve. The Lord approached them bearing the cross, the weapon that had won him the victory. At the sight of him Adam, the first man he had created, struck his breast in terror and cried out to everyone: “My Lord be with you all”. Christ answered him: “And with your spirit”. He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying: “Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light”.

I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. Out of love for you and for your descendants I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated. For your sake I, your God, became your son; I, the Lord, took the form of a slave; I, whose home is above the heavens, descended to the earth and beneath the earth. For your sake, for the sake of man, I became like a man without help, free among the dead. For the sake of you, who left a garden, I was betrayed to the Jews in a garden, and I was crucified in a garden.

See on my face the spittle I received in order to restore to you the life I once breathed into you. See there the marks of the blows I received in order to refashion your warped nature in my image. On my back see the marks of the scourging I endured to remove the burden of sin that weighs upon your back. See my hands, nailed firmly to a tree, for you who once wickedly stretched out your hand to a tree.

I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side for you who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in hell. The sword that pierced me has sheathed the sword that was turned against you.

Rise, let us leave this place. The enemy led you out of the earthly paradise. I will not restore you to that paradise, but I will enthrone you in heaven. I forbade you the tree that was only a symbol of life, but see, I who am life itself am now one with you. I appointed cherubim to guard you as slaves are guarded, but now I make them worship you as God. The throne formed by cherubim awaits you, its bearers swift and eager. The bridal chamber is adorned, the banquet is ready, the eternal dwelling places are prepared, the treasure houses of all good things lie open. The kingdom of heaven has been prepared for you from all eternity.

From the Sermon of an anonymous Eastern Church Father. Traditionally read during the Liturgy of the Hours on Holy Saturday in the Western Church. Image taken by David Bennett.

Today begins the Divine Mercy Novena which is a powerful nine day set of prayers beginning on Good Friday and ending on Divine Mercy Sunday (the second Sunday of Easter). Jesus appeared to St. Faustina on several occasions as she relates in her diary. Regarding the novena, she wrote that Jesus revealed to her:

On each day of the novena you will bring to My Heart a different group of souls and you will immerse them in this ocean of My mercy… On each day you will beg My Father, on the strength of My passion, for the graces for these souls. By this novena I will grant every possible grace to souls.

To participate in this wonderful practice, you can visit this Divine Mercy Novena page (also used as a source for the above quote). For more information on the chaplet associated with St. Faustina and the novena, you can visit this page on the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

I participated in the chaplet and novena last year and can say that it is a wonderful spiritual practice. I am excited about doing it again this year!

We’re Baaaack. Blogger has restored the old Per Christum, saving us from rebuilding the whole thing. Thank you blogger!

As we enter into Holy Week it’s hard not to be impressed by the devotion of the Blessed Virgin Mary to her suffering Son throughout the last moments of his life. She was with him through the cruel tortures, through the way of the Cross, and through his final moments on the Cross. Mary suffered along with her Son as he suffered and died for sins of humanity. What a perfect model of Christian humility and sharing in the suffering of Christ. As our Lord, Jesus knows the pain of suffering and so can identify with us as our great high priest. Likewise, in Mary we have one who knew the greatest suffering and is a powerful intercessor and Mother for those who suffer.

O all ye
that pass
by the way
attend
and see
if there be any
sorrow
like to
my sorrow

Photo from the National Shrine and Basilica of Our Lady of Consolation. Taken by Jonathan Bennett.

On Easter Sunday, many people will be entering the Catholic Church, whether through baptism, reception, and/or confirmation. This is an exciting time in the life of these converts and the Church. Please keep all of these folks in your prayers.

Take a look over at the comments section on a recent Pontifications post. The number of Pontifications readers entering the Catholic Church is amazingly high. Our own Jason Sims will enter the Church next Sunday, as will one of our readers, Danny Garland Jr. Their families will be entering with them. Funny thing is, I thought Danny was already Catholic! Welcome home guys (and gals).

Today is Palm Sunday, the day when we commemorate the entrance of our Lord into Jerusalem as King. Palm Sunday is an important contrast to the events of the rest of Holy Week, especially Good Friday. It’s amazing how human nature can welcome a man with "blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord" and then only a few days  later demand his blood with loud shouts of “crucify him.”

We cannot merely pass this event off as something that happened nearly 2000 years ago and the liturgical reading of the Passion on Palm Sunday reminds us of that. The community reads about Jesus being welcomed as king with palm branches and then each individual, playing the role of the crowd during the trial of Jesus, demands: "crucify him." Our sinfulness caused the death of our Lord and the Palm Sunday liturgy helps us recall that vividly. Sadly all of us also welcome Jesus as Lord daily in our personal lives only to deny him at a later point through our sinfulness. All I can think of as I go through Palm Sunday and Holy Week is: Lord forgive us for what we have done to you!

Today is Palm Sunday, officially called “Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion.” From ChurchYear.Net:

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion (the full name), the first Sunday of Holy Week within the Lenten Season, commemorates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem preceding his passion. As he entered the people of Jerusalem recognized Jesus as their king, saying “Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

Today many churches will pass out palm branches and members of the congregation will wave them. In some parts of the world, where palm branches were unavailable they used branches from other trees. This is why in England Palm Sunday is often called “Willow Sunday” or another variant. Many folks will also hear the extensive “preaching of the passion,” a Scriptural tour-de-force, which consists of readings from Jesus’ final days. Overall, Holy Week is one of my favorite times of the Christian year. This includes Palm Sunday.

A blessed Palm Sunday to you and yours. May you enter into the mystery of Christ this Holy Week, as we commemorate his passion and death.