This past Sunday, we as a worldwide Catholic community celebrated Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday is the start of “Holy Week” and centers around multiple Scriptures and traditions. As the name implies, “palms” play an important part in both the Mass readings and in the liturgy that unfolds in the Mass. We celebrate Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem and the adoring believers placing palms in his path. We also hear the Gospel describing the Passion of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
The spectrum of emotions you can feel on Palm Sunday is overwhelming. The Scripture leads us through awe, the fulfillment of prophecy, celebration and even to sadness. I think what’s important is that in these trying times we continue to be together in these emotions. No, I don’t mean in physical person, but together in prayer and worship.
Here at St. Isidore, we focus on our Pillars: CONNECT–REACH–BUILD. We Connect with God through worship and feel his presence among us. We Reach others in as many ways as possible to let them know that our doors are open and we want to meet them and help them grow in faith. Finally, we Build community by continuing to be a strong and passionate place of faith.
During these extraordinary times, we need to continue to REACH. One of the ways we continue to Reach out to all of our brothers and sisters is by streaming the Mass. I pray everyone has had an opportunity to see one, some, or even all of the Masses that have been streaming over the past Sundays. Matt Kush, St. Isidore’s Music and Creative Director, has done an amazing job of making the Mass look and sound wonderful so that it can come into each one of your homes. We can be together in prayer and worship!
This Sunday, something happened that really reaffirmed to me that what we as a community are doing is important and is what the Holy Spirit is calling us to do. A group of us received a text from Father Ron letting us know that our Gospel reading of the Passion of our Lord from Palm Sunday Mass was just discussed and played in part on WWJ 950. I immediately went onto the web and was able to find the clip. I shared it with my family and sat down and prayed about it. All I could hear in my prayers was “blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, Hosanna.”
Do not forget he is with us and we are all together in Spirit. Continue to Reach out to one another and God bless.
