It is Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week.
Was there a GOOD point made in the sermon you heard at your Sunday Mass of obligation?
Tell about attendance especially for the Traditional Latin Mass. I hear that it is growing. Of COURSE.
Did you have a procession with palms or olive branches?
Any local changes or (hopefully good) news?
Here’s a taste of my longer thoughts over at the other place HERE
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First, to bear Christ to where He wants you to take Him, you must be a good donkey colt yourself, obedient, docile, patient. Mary said, “Let it be done to me” and Christ humbled Himself to death. We have the examples of saints. Be a good donkey and carry Christ to where He must go. Don’t be a froward ass.
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Packed house today. Over 200 . Beautiful service and choir. Father came in procession to the back of the church and did the prayers and blessings of the Palms.
We had a lovely blessing of Palms here in Corsica known locally as crucetta lovingly lovingly made by local artisans in various shapes and forms and sold on the side of roads leading up to “dumenica di Palme”. My parish is Pauline rite but staffed by the Communauté de St Martin so we have good liturgy.
I went to a small country Novus Ordo parish because I heard they were doing some good, traditional things. Understatement. Ad orientem, all chant, asperges, all Latin except the readings and intercessions (Father sang the last part of the Passion in Latin.) Even at Communion one hears “Corpus Christi.” The place is packed with young families. Beautiful procession with the chanted Latin dialog through the closed church door at the end.
And today I heard for the first time as a Catholic why Barabbas is named Barabbas. It took a lot of strength to avoid the face slap, immediately recognizing “Bar” and “Abba.” I tend to make a lot of wrong choices in terms of time investment and this will help with that considerably.
We were fortunate to have the Archbishop officiate and preach. He preached a full homily and i’m glad of it as he is a masterful homilist both as to composition and delivery. He recommended that we give extra attention to three concepts this week: humility, obedience, and glory. He digressed on the reading from Philippians how the Lord having perfectly demonstrated humility and obedience is now in glory. he challenged us to be more intentional about the frequently repeated words “Thy will be done”. he closed by reminding us that at every Mass we pray “all glory and honor is Yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever”.
Post-communion we sang a lovely piece that i had not encountered before this year: Ecce quomodo moritur justus by one Jacobus Gallus. from my spot in the loft, we sounded even better than the linked recording, largely thanks to greater attention to dynamics. At the offertory we sang a recent setting of part of the Improperia.
Latin Novus Ordo Mass at the Dominican parish here in Houston, very well attended with perhaps 350 people. After the full length Passion from St. Mark, the celebrant’s homily was laconic and to the point: “This Holy Week, walk with Christ to participate in His Resurrection.” Very powerful.
It was a short one about the young naked guy running away. That it’s believed to be St. Mark and the Church Fathers suggest that it represents people running away from God in shame of their sins. That we should not be ashamed of asking for forgiveness.
I have to say I’ve never noticed the naked young guy running away in the gospel on Palm Sunday, and now that our priest has pointed it out, my neurodivergent brain will forever associate Palm Sunday with a naked young guy.
A full Church, and full pre-1955 liturgy, so no preaching today due to the liturgy’s length, and the fact that the Spanish Mass is after the Latin.
As part of our move from Maine to the Lehigh Valley of PA we found ourselves again at Holy Ghost FSSP church in Bethlehem PA for the 11 AM Solemn High Mass. After some confusion trying to follow it in my 1962 app, I realized it was the pre 1955 liturgy. The violet vestments should have been a tip-off ?. The beautiful old German church was packed.
The brief homily noted that we often look down on the Jerusalem mob that is shouting hosanna to the Messiah on Sunday then crucify him on Friday. But don’t we often do just that in our lives, honor God at church then turn around and crucify him through our sins .
I particularly like the reading of the longer passion in the pre 1955 that includes the Last Supper.