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The Passion of the Passion
By Fr. Dennis | March 16, 2008
My retreat is over and now I’m in Memphis for Holy Week. As a transitional deacon with just a couple of months until ordination, I was asked to help out at the Cathedral for Palm Sunday mass this morning, and I had the distinct honor of reading the part of Jesus during the Gospel.
For those who aren’t aware, on Palm Sunday our Gospel text is a reading of the passion, crucifixion and burial of Jesus. This is the only Sunday of the year where we have such a long Gospel reading, and we read it aloud in parts: there’s a narrator, a person who reads the quotations of Peter, Pontius Pilate, and other miscellaneous characters, a person who reads all quotations of Jesus, and the congregation who reads aloud all the crowd stuff, like “Crucify Him!” and “We have no king but Caesar!” and the like.
I was asked to read the part of Jesus. And the way they had things arranged, the narrator was at the ambo (pulpit), the miscellaneous voice was at the cantor microphone, and Jesus (read by me) was at the altar, reading from a large Book of the Gospels.
It was a little unnerving to be reading the words of Jesus aloud to the whole Christian people from the altar. The reading begins the day before he suffered, when Jesus and his disciples gathered for the Passover. And when I stood there, at the altar, saying the words of Jesus — “Take and eat; this is my body” and “Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins” — let me tell you, I was really caught up in an emotional moment and I had to concentrate to say all the words without wavering.
So what was your Palm Sunday like?
Topics: Liturgy |
March 16th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
I read the part of the “Narrator” from the ambo .. and got to conclude the reading by saying “the gospel of the Lord…”
March 17th, 2008 at 11:39 am
For Mass at the nursing home in Jasper, I had the privilege of reading the Narrator. Fr. Thad, our 93 year-old chaplain, read ‘Jesus.’ For the evening Spanish Mass at St. Joe’s, I got to sit back and listen to other members of our group read the Passion in Spanish. Fr. Mark presided and read ‘Jesus.’
March 19th, 2008 at 7:12 am
I was able to sit in on the children’s worship service (they have a separate service as part of their Sunday School experience) on Palm Sunday. The large room where the 200 kids meet was kept dark and some solemn (not scary) music was playing in the background. Jacque, our children’s worship leader, stood and read the parts of the passion with the children chiming in at the appropriate moments. Much like your service.
It was wonderful and moving to see all these kids (including kindergarteners) listening and understanding the story. I think it might have been the most behavior-problem free day ever.
They were very excited at the end because of the promise of the exciting ‘rest of the story’ for next week.
The honest worship of children is beautiful.
March 19th, 2008 at 8:26 am
Dennis - I was at the 10:00AM Mass at IC and thought you did a great job. I could only imagine what you were feeling with Father Val, Father Keith and Bishop Steib all there - you were reading the words of our Savior. Again, you did a great job and the Mass was beautiful.
By the way, do you know what parish you will be assigned to after you ordination?
March 19th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Hearing that you read the part of Jesus during the reading of the Passion makes it very real how close you are to your ordination…since Monsignor Muller read the part of Jesus during our Mass at Our Lady of Sorrows.
March 20th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
I was at the Abbey church. It was tremendously beautiful. I hope to be there for Easter!
March 21st, 2008 at 6:51 am
Mark, I don’t know where I’ll be yet. I don’t think they’ll tell me until late May.