Just the name –– Easter –– brings thoughts of new life, springtime, of freshness, of the Resurrection. This is not only a day –– not only a few weeks on the Church calendar –– but, for Christians, a way of life.
Catholics and other Christians have grown up believing in the Resurrection, but the Apostles themselves were among the first who were skeptical that Jesus arose from the dead.
Less than a year after restoration work began, the Edicule — the traditional site of Jesus’ burial and resurrection — was inaugurated in an ecumenical ceremony led by representatives of the Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Armenian churches, including Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople.
The liturgies of the Triduum — the evening of Holy Thursday to the evening of Easter Sunday — are unique in the liturgical year. Nowhere else will a priest wash feet, lead extended prayers of the faithful or begin Mass with a fire.
By reflecting on the Passion of Christ, the author of the Way of the Cross meditations for Pope Francis’ Good Friday service said he will focus on the suffering unfolding in the world today and how “the martyrs of the 21st century are undoubtedly the apostles of today.”
Crosses come in many different shapes and sizes. At Pax Christi in Eden Prairie, there are at least 40 different crosses, many of them gathered into an exhibit intended to help parishioners pray during Lent.
