This week, we celebrate the great events of Our Lord’s passion, death and resurrection, beginning with His entry to Jerusalem and ending with the joyful proclamation that “He is risen.”

The elaborate rites that we celebrate in Holy Week do indeed recall the historical events as they happened, but it is important to understand that we are not simply remembering something that happened a long time ago. In the sacred Liturgy, the sacrifice of Christ our High Priest is offered to the Father as an act of worship which is effective in making present for us, here and now, the graces which He won for us.

The liturgical celebration can never be reduced to a form of entertainment, or a social gathering. We come together in union with the whole Church, to offer our sacrifices to the Father in union with Christ, begging for the graces that we need.

To participate fully in the sacred Liturgy, we need to enter with mind and heart into the great offering that is made by Our Lord and devoutly to adore and thank the Father, to repent of our sins and plead for His grace.