A Forward to Holy Week

holyweekAs you might imagine, Holy Week is a busy time in a large, dynamic parish. This year is no different. I had always wanted to write a more detailed study of the Passion narrative for publication. Maybe next year? In the meantime, I will repost some items from 2013 (also from the Gospel of Luke) that will provide some view of the three days from the “Last Supper” to the Resurrection. A note of caution and apology is in order. As I noted three years ago

“When I began to compile I made no attempt to be careful about sourcing, copying entire passages, footnoting, or the even the modicum of appropriate credit – and so there is likely a lot of content that is not my own. My apologies to all in advance.”

“Over the years I have compiled notes, documents, and items of interest about Scripture. Mostly for my own use and in teaching Bible studies in Catholic parishes.  The idea was possible to make something that is approachable, more than “Bible 101” yet not too overwhelming, yet with notes for people who want more – and hopefully even if a person feels “stretched” by the content, it is not too much.  I have come to realize I have developed a little library – and so I thought I would share some. “

 

The Long Way Home

Wiz-of-OzIn a recent issue of America Magazine, William J. O’Malley wrote about “taking the long way home.” It was a wonderful “musing” on the classic movie, “The Wizard of Oz.” We are reminded about the archetypal scene when Dorothy’s house lands on the Wicked Witch and then Glinda, the good witch, shows up and magically transfers the ruby slippers to Dorothy. As the ending of the movie makes clear, all Dorothy had to do was to click her heel and proclaim, “There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.” Why didn’t Glinda tell Dorothy that at the very beginning? Of course, if Glinda did there would be no story, no journey – and the journey is the very point of the story. At the beginning of the story Dorothy is not ready to move into the next stage of her life until she has discovered that she already has the virtues her three companions on the journey seem to lack: courage, intelligence, and love. The journey becomes the venue to reveal to herself that she is ready for what lays ahead. It is only possible because she took the long way home. Continue reading

Holy Week – Have You Tried It?

I have been a Catholic all my life, and yet somehow Holy Week was not part of the landscape of my Catholicism growing up. Years later as an adult I was living in Northern Virginia and worshipping at a church out in a rural town northwest of Washington DC.  The town was located in the rolling hills of the Catoctin – the first ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

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