A HOLY WEEK MESSAGE FROM MOTHER KATHY
Dear Beloved in Christ,
The most sacred week of the Christian calendar is upon us. This week of rich liturgical traditions began last Sunday with Palm Sunday and reaches its climax on Easter with the proclamation of Resurrection (and Alleluia!) and the power of Christ to overcome death. Usually, we think of passing from life to death; in The Lighting of the Paschal Candle, we are reminded that Jesus did the opposite: he passed from death to life (BCP, p. 285).
It is well, particularly this year, for us to remember that is the power of Jesus. He overcame death. His power was and is rooted in the commandment he gave to the disciples at the Last Supper, the commandment that was heard on Maundy (Mandatum) Thursday: Love one another as I have loved you. Peace is my last gift to you, my own peace I now leave with you; peace which the world cannot give, I give to you.
As we know, that power was not rooted in armies, military might, or in unholy alliances between political and religious authorities. The Church belongs to Christ and Christ alone. May the risen Christ bring an end to war and violence, and may Christ be a source of hope for the people of Ukraine and for all those throughout the world who suffer.
One of my greatest joys is to walk this path with you and our Lord, who is always with us. Who were we as people when we couldn’t show up in person during the last two years? We were and are Christians. We try to live as God loves us – in faith, abundance, and generosity – sometimes we succeed; often, we fail spectacularly. But Easter comes again. Jesus rises from the dead. And God loves us; God always loves us.
This week, we gather for Holy Week and Easter services in our churches for the first time since 2019. Please join us for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. These liturgies will be available on Facebook Live and the bulletins are on our website, but I encourage you to join us in person if you can and feel comfortable doing so.
Faithfully,
