April 5, 2022 Class Update: At the Triduum's Threshold
Greetings everyone!
It was great to be back in class after what I hope was a restful, enjoyable Spring Break, even if the Chicagoland weather wasn't always springlike.
Recap of Last Class
For the first part of class, Father Rex joined us to share about his journey to the priesthood, first in the Redemptorist Order, and then joining the Archdiocese of Chicago. He talked about discernment as a process of recognizing what we're called to do in life, and prayer helps us become aware of what God is saying deep within us.
Then, we took time to explore symbols of the Triduum, the three days that are at the heart of the liturgical year, with liturgies that are focused on remembering the central events of our faith, Death and Resurrection of Christ, the Paschal Mystery. Some of these symbols include matzoh, like Jewish people eat at the Passover meal, which Jesus used at the Last Supper when he instituted a new covenant. Other symbols included grape juice, the Cross, and the gradual illumination of the lights in the room, which is like what happens at the Holy Saturday Easter Vigil.
Activity for this Week
Toward the end of class, everyone wrote a thank-you note to someone who has offered some service. The activity is to give that note to the person for whom you wrote it. There is nothing to submit.
Optional extra credit opportunities are listed below my signature.
Looking Ahead
We don't officially have class on the schedule for April 12. However, you are all invited to attend an optional class that evening from 6:45-7:30. We'll spend the entire time inside the Church sanctuary and pray the Stations of the Cross, pondering Christ's Passion in the midst of Holy Week. Please plan to meet inside near the Van Buren Street entrance, which is close to the first station. I've extended this invitation to the 6th/7th grade class to join us. If you're unable to arrive by 6:45, please come when you can and find us inside church and jump in wherever we're at in the prayer time.
Our next class officially on the schedule is April 19, which is after Resurrection Sunday during Easter Week. The plan is to spend time exploring symbols of Easter Season. We also have plans for a high school teen to join us as a guest speaker.
Also, if you have any money to donate for this year's Lenten project for Housing Forward, you are welcome to bring it to class, in the envelope, on April 12, 19, or 26.
As usual, please feel free to contact me with questions, etc.
I pray that you are blessed in all you do to observe these final days of Lent giving way to Holy Week, Triduum, and Easter Season.
Through it all, we are called to profess faith in Christ, our Savior, and are bound in that faith as one Church:
All my relations.
God's blessings,
Paul
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| I lit one prayer candle for each student in our class and her/his family at the Basilica of St. Mary in Alexandria, the first Roman Catholic Parish in Virginia, founded in 1795. |
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| Christ offered His Body and Blood for our Salvation in a New Covenant in which we are free from sin and have newness of Life. |
P.S. Before we started class, I played the song "Pange Lingua" performed in Latin, which praises Christ for giving us His Body and Blood in the Eucharist. Here's an English translation of the lyrics, side-by-side with the Latin words.
Our opening prayer was this music video of the song "Jerusalem My Destiny" by Rory Cooney. This version has all five verses, which incorporate elements of the Sunday Scripture readings during Lent for Year A, different than the Year C readings we're following this year.
A couple of years ago, I recorded two videos to explain the symbolism of the Triduum, for Maundy Thursday and the Holy Saturday Easter Vigil.
We also watched a short clip from the 2007 PBS NOVA documentary Forgotten Genius, a biography about Dr. Percy Julian.
Here are some optional enhanced Extra Credit opportunities. They take extra time to do, and they are great ways to enter into a deeper spirit of prayer.
Watch the movie Amazing Grace, rated PG, and about 2 hours long.
Go to the store to select items to donate for the monthly diapers and baby wipes drive at Church. Donations can be dropped off at Church on Saturday evening or Sunday morning of this weekend, April 2-3.
Watch the live or archived video of Lenten Vespers at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., each Sunday of Lent, aired live at 3 PM CT, until about 3:30 PM. It is available on the Shrine's YouTube channel. If you watch it archived, the video starts about 10-15 minutes in. You can see glimpses of me wearing a red shirt in the archived video for the 4th Sunday of Lent.
You can view a program to follow along at this link. You may also contact me and I can provide a program for you if you're watching it after the Sunday when it airs live.
Attend Evening Prayer at Ascension on Wednesday evenings during Lent from 7:00-7:30 PM.
Attend any of the other Lenten prayer offerings at the parishes of Oak Park.
One offering I want to highlight is the Stations of the Cross prayer this coming Friday, April 8, at St. Edmund's, which will feature live Stations, done by the Confirmation students of St. Edmund/St. Catherine-St. Lucy Parishes.
Next week, there will be several special Triduum liturgies. Maundy Thursday Mass is at 7:30 PM on April 14, and is about 1 1/2 hours long. There are several liturgies on Cross Friday, April 15, (Good Friday) throughout the day. The evening liturgy at 7:30 is about 1 1/2 hours long. The Holy Saturday Easter Vigil Mass is at 8 PM on April 16, and is about 2 1/2-3 hours long, with the riches of the Church's liturgical traditions on full display.
If you do any of these extra credit opportunities, please submit a short summary of at least one sentence describing what you did in this form. If you attended any of these events and I saw you there, you do not need to submit anything in that form.
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