Integrity

Way Of The Cross

Holy Week (or Great Week, in the language of the Eastern Catholic Churches) has long been a very important time of the year for me.  I would encourage anyone reading Integrity -- Catholic or not -- to actively enter into the moments of this week. 

One way to do that is to participate in a public procession of the Way of the Cross on Good Friday.  If you are not familiar with this devotion, visit this post at Clairity's Place for some great background and resource links.  Along with many Catholic parishes across the country, the Communion and Liberation movement will be celebrating the Way of the Cross in cities throughout the United States. (Click here for a list of cities and information on locations and times.  Chicago's procession will start at 9:30am from Millenium Park.  More details can be found below.)  I think the public celebration of the Way of the Cross is a great gesture to the fact that Christ came to redeem the whole world. 

If you are unfamiliar with the Eastern traditions of Good Friday, consider stopping by an Eastern Catholic church (such as Annunciation Byzantine Catholic Church here in the Chicagoland area) this Friday evening to join them in their tradition of praying and keeping watch at the tomb of Jesus.  Typically, Byzantine Catholic churches will be open throughout the night so that the faithful may pray and stand watch.

Download chicago_way_of_cross_2005.pdf

Holy Tuesday And The Chrism Mass

Today is Holy Tuesday. 

In preparing ourselves for the Triduum and Easter Sunday, I think it is interesting to compare the readings for the Latin and Eastern Rites of the Church.  In the Latin rite, the Gospel passage is Jesus' prediction of Judas' betrayal and Peter's denials (Jn 12: 21-33, 36-38), whereas the Byzantine rite, I understand, uses the parable of the wise and foolish virgins (Mt 24:26-26:2).  What is interesting is that both passages compare and contrast -- between the betrayal of Judas and the denials of Peter, and the wise virgins who await the coming of the master with extra lamps oil and the foolish ones who did not prepare.  Although the passages seem very different, they share some similarities and strike at two core themes of the season:  preparing our souls to meet the Lord, being attentive to His will and, ultimately, His mercy.  I encourage you to examine both passages for yourselves, but I will expand on the mercy point.  What I find striking about Jesus' prediction of the actions of Peter and Judas is not so much the foreknowledge of these events, but that, in knowing them, He remained with them and still loved them.  Much the same could be said about all of us and the ultimate events of this week.