A Reflection on Sheol for Holy Saturday
Sheol is a Hebrew word in Judaism which describes the place where those who have died are congregated; it can be translated into English as “pit” or “abyss”[1], and is described in the New Testament (in Greek) as Hades which is then translated into the English word “Hell”. In short, Sheol is equivalent to Hades which is equivalen...
Why is the Chrism Mass So Important?
This week, and during Holy Week every year, the Chrism Mass will be celebrated in cathedrals in dioceses all over the world. The Chrism Mass is a public celebration and display of the unity of the bishop to the priests of his diocese and the entire Church community as Members of the Body of Christ to Jesus Christ who is the Head of the Church. It i...
How to Enter into Holy Week
This is what it’s all been for – those forty days of prayer and penance. We’ve been watching with Christ in the desert these weeks to be able to enter into His Passion with Him. Holy Week offers us a set chronology from Palm Sunday to Easter, enabling us to walk step by step with Jesus through His Passion. The actions of Holy Week do not j...
Holy Saturday: “God is Dead”
Something is different about today. Silence. Stillness. Expectation. We are stuck in between Christ’s agony on the cross and his Resurrection in triumph. Worn out from the events of that Friday called Good, we feel it as we awkwardly await Easter. Holy Saturday is the day we remember God’s descent into death. Today, and only today...
Entering into the Drama of Holy Week…
Christ died on the cross not so that we don’t have to, but to give us an example to follow. Life is like a theatrical play. There are heroes, villains, extras, choruses, main themes, and subplots. What role are you playing? Everyone thinks he is playing the hero in his own mind. Little boys always cast themselves as the hero. But the differenc...