Which part of Holy Week will change your outlook this year?
Will it be the Liturgy of the Palms on Palm Sunday, as we hold our palm fronds in the air, as the choir sings “Hosanna to the Son of David,” and as we hear of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem? Will it be the dramatic reading of Matthew’s account of the Passion?
The noon Eucharists on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday each offer a quieter moment for reflection.
How about the humility of footwashing on Maundy Thursday, the account of the Last Supper, and the Stripping of the Altar?
The overnight watch on Maundy Thursday?
Perhaps the quiet hearing of the Passion, Veneration of the Cross, and Communion from the Reserved Sacrament early on Good Friday? Or the more dramatic version at noon, which will include the choir singing Victoria’s 16th-century setting of St. John’s Passion? Will the stirring Reproaches, sung by the choir, move you to a new place?
Maybe the brief “Liturgy of the Day” on the morning of Holy Saturday will be your moment with God.
The Easter Vigil will recount the history of salvation in stories of Creation, the parting of the Red Sea, and the Valley of Dry Bones. We will celebrate Holy Baptism. And then, with the Hallelujah chorus, blazing lights, and outrageously beautiful flowers, we will celebrate the first Eucharist of Easter. Shivers yet? And a champagne party afterwards!
Or maybe you can already sense the energy of Easter morning, at the sunrise service, in the hymns at 7:30 a.m., or in the sheer joy of brass, percussion, full choir, and Eucharist at 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. The full sensory sweep will include a little incense at 11:00.
The sermons, the music, the community, the story, the sights, this place… will all work together to change us forever. We look forward to hearing about your experience and how this week molds you.
Stuart
Associate for Music and Liturgy