Author: cnorman

Fifth Sunday of Lent
TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION
	Ask senior parishioners about this fifth Sunday, and they will share memories of this Sunday years ago, when it was known as “Passion Sunday.” In those days, the statues and crucifixes were draped in purple cloth, and a deeply somber atmosphere infused worship. The structure is different today for good reason. The stunning changes in the appearance of the church building drew attention away from the twofold work of Lent: reconciliation and preparing for initiation. Today, this Sunday is given to reflection on the necessity to commit, like Jesus, to the Father’s will. Wherever elect are present today, the “A” reading reveals Jesus’ compassion in the face of human suffering, and his desire to call us from the tombs of sin, isolation, and even death itself.
	As Lent draws to a close over the next ten days, and before the beginning of the Easter Triduum on Holy Thursday, we enter an ideal time for celebrating the sacrament of reconciliation. Today’s old title of “Passion Sunday” has migrated to next Sunday, also called “Palm Sunday.” In many places, people prepare their own bundles of branches for next week’s liturgy: pussy willow, forsythia, dogwood. If your parish schedules a procession, you may want to prepare these branches at home and bring them along.
—Rev. James Field