From Showers to Flowers

25 Mar 2020 • Articles

April starts solemnly :Lent is leading to Holy Week. The first days of April follow Passion Sunday, and in past centuries the word 'Passion' meant suffering, particularly the suffering of Jesus. Palm Sunday is the first Sunday in April, with the distribution of Palm Crosses and the reading of the Passion Gospel, telling of the death of Jesus. Palm Sunday begins Holy Week, the final week of Lent, with Maundy Thursday marking our commemoration of the Last Supper followed by Good Friday and our remembrance of the Via Dolorosa and the Seven Words from the Cross.

The day before Easter Day is called Holy Saturday, a quiet day after the dramatic events of Holy Week, as we wait almost with baited breath to experience how all was made right again in the resurrection on Easter Day. Without Easter Day the Christian faith would be just a tragedy, but we need to consider the events of Holy Week to fully experience and understand the joy of Easter Day. Easter brings all the flowers back into the churches.

Through all the centuries the Church has taught that Easter Day is the most important day of the year: every Christian should be in church worshipping and thanking God with their fellow Christians on Easter Day. The full generosity of God in giving us Holy Communion, the sacrament of the life of Jesus, becomes clear on Easter Day, so everyone who has been confirmed should be present to receive the consecrated bread and wine.

Easter eggs remind the children of God's goodness and life, and they can be enjoyed by adults, too!

With every blessing,

Ann