Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Things to do this Holy Week

  • Wish your priest a Happy Anniversary on the commemoration of Christ's institution of the priesthood (Holy Thursday.) Thank God for the gift of the priesthood:
From John Paul the Great's Letter to Priests, Holy Thursday, 2004:
We were born from the Eucharist. If we can truly say that the whole Church lives from the Eucharist (“Ecclesia de Eucharistia vivit”), as I reaffirmed in my recent Encyclical, we can say the same thing about the ministerial priesthood: it is born, lives, works and bears fruit “de Eucharistia”(cf. Council of Trent, Sess. XXII, canon 2: DS 1752). “There can be no Eucharist without the priesthood, just as there can be no priesthood without the Eucharist."
  • Pray.
  • Make a Lenten Caterpillar/Easter Butterfly (This idea is from my dear friend, Holly, godmother to all of my children.)
Cut out 1/4 of a cardboard egg carton and paint it in a caterpillary manner. Glue on googly eyes (or paint the eyes on.) Use pipe cleaners for antennae and legs. On Holy Saturday, wrap the caterpillars in paper (their cocoons.) After the kids are in bed that night, tear open the cocoons and replace the caterpillars with butterflies.

[Your butterflies will depend on your artistic skills -- or lack thereof. Ours have ranged from drawings, to origami to a picture downloaded from the internet (that was a hectic year) to fun foam and sequins. Add to the symbolism of rebirth with a note proclaiming, “Jesus gives us New Life! Alleluia!”]
  • Pray.
  • Make sure you have waterproof mascara in the house. Make sure it's the one you wear on Good Friday. You know what "Were You There" always does to you.
  • Pray.
  • Boil the eggs now, so that on Saturday you do not fall into sins of anger when it's time to dye them.
  • Pray.
  • Check on all the usual suspects: clothing, shoes, tights, little gloves and hats, things for Ramona to do during the Easter Vigil, Easter baskets, Eastro-turf, candy, candy, candy and candy.
  • Pray.
  • There. You're done.

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