With a fond memory of my early childhood and formative years, as a family, we had gone for ashes when as a curious child of nine, I asked my uncle; “where from the ashes and how it was made?”
Surprisingly, he said; “it was manufactured and brought from Rome!” So, as a child, I had believed this until I entered the Minor Seminary only to know it wasn’t from Rome, but was produced from the burnt Palm and/or Olive branches that were blessed and used the previous year for Palm Sunday.
I want to believe that, there are quite a number of Catholics like that who are confused and so seeking explanation for the new happenings during this Holy Week.
That’s the focus of this small write-up!
A Recap on the Two Pillars of Christianity:
According to Catholic scholars, our Catholic faith rest on two main foundations: Christmas and Easter.
As you and I know, at Christmas, we celebrate the Word/God becoming flesh (taking human nature) and dwelling among us as the HOPE OF OUR SALVATION, whiles Easter is about the FULFILMENT OF THAT HOPE through the Paschal Mystery: the Suffering, Death and Resurrection, where Christ dies for our sins to overcome sin and death on the Cross.
Due to the great importance of these two foundations of our faith and to help us prepare adequately, the Church sets aside four weeks for Christmas and six weeks (40days: a period of preparation, cross-over) for Easter.
We are talking about Advent for Christmas and Lent for Easter (through Prayer, Fasting and Acts of Charity and even mortification)
ON HOLY WEEK AS THE WEEK OF ALL WEEKS:
As you and I may know, Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion (which is also called Passion Sunday) opens the Holy Week for us, where we commemorate the triumphant entry of the Lord into Jerusalem amidst shouts of joy and hope, whiles the women chanted; “Hosana hosanna, here comes our King!” A king they expected to liberate them at once from the tyranny and atrocity of the Roman government.
But Jesus changes the narrative later, in that, even though He is King, but His kingship is one of a servant-kingship, meek and humble and not a violent King! It is this that would disappoint them to shout; “crucify Him” during His trial since they taught Christ was a failed Messiah and so has failed them.
Two Akan proverbs say it better: “Ano a edi m’ako no, 3noara na edi nkyene” (the mouth that praises a person, is the same that condemns) and “y3rekamfo wo duaforo no, na y3rekamfo w’akyakya” (whiles the crowd praises your promotion, they end up also expecting your downfall).
The week is called Holy Week of all weeks because it is in that week, Christ works out our redemption.
ON HOLY THURSDAY:
Ordinarily, on the Thursday or any appropriate day in the Holy Week apart from a Sunday is Chrism Mass: A Mass where the Diocesan Bishop of that specific Church territory in communion(or union) with H is Priests (both Diocesan, Religious working in that Diocese and “Fidei Donum”: Priests who are missionaries to the Diocese and even visiting Priests) receive and bless the three Oils for pastoral work in the Diocese.
Most often, one sees SC, OC and OI/OS on the jars! I wonder if 50% person of our Catholic faithful understand it! All you know, some think is just a design, not to talk about their function, history and biblical significance.
SC stands for Sacred Chrism: an oil that configures the image of Christ on a faithful at baptism and at Priestly Ordination or Episcopal Consecration.
OC stands for Oil of Catechumens: used for baptism and Confirmation whiles OI/OS stands for Oil of Infirmary or Oil of the Sick (OI) during a terminal illness, motor accident or before a medical surgery.
Interestingly, at Chrism Mass, the Clergy renew their Priestly promise (vow for Religious who are Clerics) and each Priest receives all the three Oils for use.
In Europe and elsewhere, the Oils received for the Parish are placed on a tray, adorned with flowers and processed during the Mass of the Last Supper on Holy Thursday and announced to the People of God by way of making them aware.
So also on Easter Vigil, elsewhere, the old Oil stock is disposed into the fire before the procession with the Paschal Candle.
ON THE MASS OF THE LAST SUPPER:
On the eve before the arrest of Jesus, thinking about the thought which is His own body (the mystical body of Christ) of which He is the spiritual head, He left behind three important treasures:
He instituted the Holy Eucharist as a memorial of His Passion.
The celebration of the Eucharist points to His Passion on Good Friday and so some theologians have argued as to whether the Mass/Eucharistic celebration is a Sacrifice (of the Lord) or a Banquet (a Feast). The Church says, it’s both a Banquet where we sit at table with the Lord and also a Sacrifice because the Eucharistic Banquet also points to the Lord’s Passion where He offered himself for us as spiritual meal (the bread or his body) and spiritual drink (his blood) to nourish our souls and serve as food for the journey to heaven: a spiritual accompaniment (if we may wish to say it so; that’s why we also call the Holy Communion “Viaticum”).
Anytime we meet as a Church, Christ obliges us to celebrate the Mass as a MEMORIAL: bringing the past event into present moment: Christ presiding in the person of the Priest Presider as He did many years ago.
Some great theologians say, it is the Eucharist that makes the Church and the Church makes the Eucharist. It means the Mass is the center and climax of the Christian life, of our life in the Parish, Diocese etc…
Christ also instituted the Sacred Orders (Holy Priesthood):
The question is, “what are the biblical Proofs?”
In the strictest sense, it is implicit and not explicit. Christ mandating his disciples to do this in memory of him suggest he ordained them, for no Church leader would give one a faculty (power to exercise an act) when the person is not competent (doesn’t have what it takes and have not gone through formation and Ordination).
Interestingly, Fulton Sheen says, “there can be no Priesthood without sacrifice and the Mass cannot be celebrated when there are no Priests.”
Christ also left us a Commandment of Love and Service by washing the feet of his disciples.
Some scholars have argued as to whether or not it should be only selected males whose feet must be washed and not females?
Pope Francis has clarified that when he washed the feet of women, prisoners and even non-Christians to show us that, we are all brothers and sisters and we need to serve all indiscriminately and the rite of washing of feet is neither a Sacrament or sacramental but a Christian demonstration of love and Service.
Before I end this section, let’s not forget the Holy Triduum begins with the Mass of the Last Supper or Lord’s Supper and ends with the Mass of the Easter Vigil.
And at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, there is no Profession of faith. The three treasures the Lord left for the Church on that day, as treasure when lived, is itself a Profession of faith “par excellence”.
By Rev. Fr. Albert Kyei Danso
