Passion Sunday


Friends in Christ,

Welcome to our weekly Sunday update. This Sunday, the fifth in the season of Lent, is known as Passion Sunday. It marks the beginning of Passiontide, the period of a dozen days at the end of Lent during which the Church has traditionally reflected on the events leading up to the crucifixion and death of Our Lord.

In the Gospel reading for Passion Sunday, Jesus confronts His accusers among the Jews in the Temple at Jerusalem. They brand Him an outsider – a Samaritan no less – and say He is possessed by a devil. They are unmoved by His revelation of the way that leads to eternal life (“If any man keep my word, he shall not see death for ever”) because they do not believe eternal life to be possible. “Art thou greater than our father Abraham who is dead?” they ask. But Jesus speaks of a living patriarch: “Abraham your father rejoiced that he might see my day: he saw it and was glad.”

Then He adds a final death-defying assertion of His identity: “Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham was made, I AM.” His listeners are outraged by the scarcely concealed allusion to the words spoken by God to Moses – “I AM WHO AM” (Exodus 3:14) – the Scriptural basis of the Tetragrammaton, the four-letter abbreviation of the unspeakable name of the Lord. They reach for rocks, intending to end the life of the blasphemer; but Jesus slips away and exits the Temple, living on to die another day.


Calendar of Special Observances

Celebrations are those listed in the Roman Missal of 1962.

DAY, DATE – FEAST (CLASS)

Sunday, April 6 – Passion Sunday (I)

Monday, April 7 – Feria of Lent (III)

Tuesday, April 8 – Feria of Lent (III)

Wednesday, April 9 – Feria of Lent (III)

Thursday, April 10 – Feria of Lent (III)

Friday, April 11 – Feria of Lent (III) – Commemoration of St. Leo I, Pope, Confessor, & Doctor of the Church – Commemoration of the Seven Dolours of Our Lady

Saturday, April 12 – Feria of Lent (III)


Passion Sunday (Fifth Sunday of Lent)

The links provided below can be used to download printable copies of the Proper Prayers for Passion Sunday with English or Spanish translation, followed by commentary by Dr. Michael P. Foley.

Latin Mass Schedule: Sundays

Charlotte Area Latin Masses

  • 11:30 a.m., Saint Thomas Aquinas

  • 12:30 p.m., Saint Ann

Other Diocese of Charlotte Latin Masses

  • 8:30 a.m., Saint John the Baptist (Tryon)

  • 9:00 a.m., Our Lady of the Angels (Marion)

  • 1:00 p.m., Church of the Epiphany (Blowing Rock)

  • 1:30 p.m., Our Lady of Grace (Greensboro)

Diocese of Charleston Latin Masses

  • 12:00 p.m., Prince of Peace (Taylors SC)

  • 1:00 p.m., Our Lady of the Lake (Chapin SC)

Note: Travelers are urged to consult parish websites or offices for up-to-date information regarding possible changes in the regular schedule of Sunday Mass times.


Latin Mass Schedule: Weekdays (April 7 - 12)

Charlotte Area Latin Masses

  • Saint Ann – Wednesday, 6:00 p.m.

  • Saint Thomas Aquinas – Thursday, 7:00 p.m.

  • Saint Ann – Friday, 7:00 a.m.

Other Diocese of Charlotte Latin Masses

  • Our Lady of the Mountains (Highlands) – Tuesday, 9:30 a.m.

  • Saint John the Baptist (Tryon) – Friday, 8:30 a.m.

  • Church of the Epiphany (Blowing Rock) – Friday, 9:30 a.m.

Diocese of Charleston Latin Masses

  • Prince of Peace (Taylors SC) – Monday-Friday, 12:00 p.m.

  • Prince of Peace (Taylors SC) – Saturday 8:00 a.m.

Note: Travelers are advised to contact parish offices to confirm weekday and Saturday Mass times, since local schedules are sometimes subject to change without notice, especially on or around holidays, holy days of obligation and other special feast days.

Note: For Palm Sunday, April 13, Prince of Peace Church (Taylors SC) will offer the Latin Mass 30 minutes later than normal, at 12:30 p.m. The blessing of palms and procession will begin in the Parish House.


Announcements

First Sunday Food and Fellowship – First Sunday Food and Fellowship is this Sunday April 6 at St. Thomas Aquinas after the 11:30 a.m. Latin Mass (1:30-3:30 p.m.). All are invited! And if you know anyone who might be interested in sharing the food and fellowship, please invite them to come! 

Speak Up For The Latin Mass: Discipleship Parish Survey – Every week we pray for the preservation of the Latin Mass. Now, we are being asked directly to voice our spiritual needs.

As promised, Bishop Martin has sent out surveys to help shape the future of parish life in the Diocese of Charlotte to answer the question "How well are our clergy & ministries meeting your spiritual needs?" This is a critical opportunity to ensure that your spiritual needs—which include access to the Latin Mass—are acknowledged, met, and planned for. We have been blessed to have the Latin Mass in this diocese for years now. If the Latin Mass is important to you and your family, your response is essential.

The survey takes just a few minutes to complete, but the impact could last for years.

Please take a few minutes to complete the survey for your registered parish or mission. The window for participation ends Sunday April 6—please do not wait.

[Saint Ann] [Saint Thomas Aquinas] [Our Lady of Grace] [Saint John the Baptist] [Church of the Epiphany] [Our Lady of the Angels] [Our Lady of the Mountains]

If your parish is not listed you can find it at this link.

Prayers for Deacon David Carter – Please pray for newly ordained Deacon David Carter, a Saint Ann parishioner who is a seminarian with the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) and was ordained to the diaconate this morning Saturday April 5 in Nebraska.

Fasting and Abstinence Disciplines During Lent – For those looking to practice the traditional Lenten disciplines in place prior to 1962, we share a helpful 2010 document from Mater Ecclesiae Latin Mass Chapel in Berlin, New Jersey, which explains the differences between the traditional Lenten rules for fasting and abstinence and the current rules. [Discipline of 1962 for Fast during Lent]

Consecration of those Governing to the Blessed Virgin Mary – Fr. Chad Ripperger has composed a prayer for our nation and government, Consecration of those Governing to the Blessed Virgin Mary, which may be found at the end of this update or downloaded here.


Holy Face Devotions

Prayers of Reparation to the Holy Face of Jesus are offered each week at the following churches on the indicated days:

  • St. James (Concord) – Monday, 10-10:30 a.m. (in the cry room)

  • St. Mark – Tuesday, 5:30 p.m.

  • St. Thomas Aquinas – Tuesday, 6:00 a.m.

  • St. Ann – Tuesday, 7:30 a.m. (following 7:00 a.m. Novus Ordo Mass)

  • St. Michael the Archangel (Gastonia) – Tuesday, 8:30 a.m. (following 8:00 a.m. Novus Ordo Mass)

  • St. Vincent de Paul – Tuesday, 8:40 a.m.

  • Holy Spirit (Denver) – Tuesday, 10-11:00 a.m. (following the 9:15 a.m. Novus Ordo Mass)

  • Saint Elizabeth of the Hill Country (Boone) – Third Tuesday (starting April 15), 5:15 p.m. in the Youth Room **NEW DATE**

  • St. John the Baptist (Tryon) - First Saturday, 9:30 a.m. (after 8:30 a.m Latin Mass)

Note: Days and times may be subject to change due to holidays.

“Jesus, Your ineffable image is the star which guides my steps. Ah, You know, Your sweet Face is for me Heaven on earth” (from Canticle to the Holy Face by Saint Thérèse de Lisieux, the 19th century Discalced Carmelite nun who took the name in religion, Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face).


Latin Mass and Liturgical News


Saints and Special Observances

Saint Peter, the fisherman born Simon Bar-Jona whom Jesus rechristened Cephas to be the rock on which his Church was to be built (Matthew 16:17-18), figured prominently in the events of Holy Thursday night and the early hours of Good Friday, as he had throughout Christ’s ministry.

According to the Gospel of Saint Matthew, Peter and his brother, Andrew, were the first fishermen called by Jesus to become “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:18-19). He was, along with James and John, included in the select trio of Apostles present at the Transfiguration of Our Lord (Matthew 17:1-2, Mark 9:1). It was on him that the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven were bestowed (Matthew 16:18-19). But it was also Peter who suffered a singular rebuke when he dared to come between Christ and His Cross and was told, “Go behind me, Satan: thou art a scandal unto me, because thou savourest not the things that are of God, but the things that are of men” (Matthew 16:23). The inner conflict manifested in that moment, arising from Peter’s attachment to this world, became sadly evident in the things he said and did on Holy Thursday and Good Friday which he would later have to repent before assuming leadership of the Church.

On the night He was betrayed, after Our Lord had eaten the Paschal feast with His Apostles, He knelt down and washed their feet. Only Peter dared to object, insisting, “Thou shalt never wash my feet” (John 13:8). For the Master to wash the feet of His followers was unseemly from Peter’s perspective, as it would have been in the eyes of the world. It was only when Jesus made it clear that Peter could no longer be His follower, if he did not allow Him to wash his feet, that the Apostle relented. Ricocheting to the opposite extreme with characteristic impetuosity, the mercurial Peter declared, “Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head” (John 13:9).

Afterwards, Jesus told His Apostles that He was about to be betrayed and spoke of His coming death in terms of departure. It was characteristic of Peter to ask where He was going. Jesus replied, somewhat cryptically, “Whither I go thou canst not follow now: but thou shalt follow hereafter” (John 13:36). Disputing his inability to follow immediately, Peter insisted he would lay down his life for Jesus. Foreseeing the triple denial that lay ahead, Jesus responded with bitter irony: “Wilt thou lay down thy life for me? Amen, amen, I say to thee, the cock shall not crow till thou deny me thrice” (John 13:38). Stung by this prediction, Peter doubled down on his claim of unshakable fealty: “Yea, though I should die with thee, I will not deny thee” (Matthew 26:35).

When Jesus led His Apostles out to Gethsemane, He took aside the three who had been privileged to witness the Transfiguration and said to them, “My soul is sorrowful even unto death. Stay you here and watch with me” (Matthew 26:38). Then He went off a little way and, prostrating Himself, prayed: “My Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will but as thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39). Returning to the three Apostles, he found them asleep and asked Peter, “What? Could you not watch one hour with me? Watch ye and pray that ye enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:40-41). Jesus went off to pray alone again, only to return and find the Apostles sleeping as before. The same sequence was repeated once more. Three times did Peter – along with James and John – fail to watch and pray while the Lord struggled to accept the fate that awaited Him.

Then those who sought the life of Jesus, led by Judas Iscariot, came to arrest Him; and it was Peter who sought by violence to forestall the fate the Lord Himself had already embraced. Although the authors of the synoptic Gospels refrain from naming him, saying only that one among the Lord’s followers drew his sword to strike a blow, John does not shirk saying what he himself witnessed.

Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. And the name of the servant was Malchus. And Jesus therefore said to Peter: Put up thy sword into the scabbard. The chalice which my father hath given me, shall I not drink it? (John 18:10-11)

John says that as the Prisoner was led away to be interrogated by Annas, He was followed by Simon Peter and another disciple who was known to the high priest and went in with Jesus. The other disciple was certainly John who never names himself or uses the word apostle in his gospel. He was familiar enough with the household of the high priest to know the name of the servant whom Peter had struck and wounded.

When Peter stood outside, afraid to go in, John spoke to the woman who kept the door and had her bring him in. She asked him if he was one of the prisoner’s disciples, and he said he was not. Then, after Jesus had been sent bound to Caiphas, as Peter was standing by a fire where servants and ministers of the high priest were warming themselves, he was asked again if he was a disciple of Jesus; and again he denied it and said he was not. According to John, one of the servants – who happened to be a kinsman of the wounded Malchus – pressed him harder, asking if he had not seen him in the garden with the man who had been seized. “Again therefore Peter denied: and immediately the cock crew” (John 18:27).

Then, as Jesus was led away to Pilate, and the night of the agonizing day we now call Holy Thursday was giving way to the terrible day we know as Good Friday, Peter slipped away, having thrice denied Our Lord and three times renounced his own identity.


Closing Commentary

In closing, we offer the following excerpts from the commentary by Dom Prospér Guéranger on Passion Sunday followed by a link to the full text.


Passion Sunday

During the preceding four weeks, we have noticed how the malice of Jesus’ enemies has been gradually increasing. His very presence irritates them; and it is evident that any little circumstance will suffice to bring the deep and long nurtured hatred to a head. The kind and gentle manners of Jesus are drawing to him all hearts that are simple and upright; at the same time, the humble life he leads, and the stern purity of his doctrines, are perpetual sources of vexation and anger, both to the proud Jew that looks forward to the Messias being a mighty conqueror, and to the Pharisee, who corrupts the Law of God, that he may make it the instrument of his own base passions. Still, Jesus goes on working miracles; his discourses are more than ever energetic; his prophecies foretell the fall of Jerusalem, and such a destruction of its famous Temple that not a stone is to be left on stone. The doctors of the Law should, at least, reflect upon what they hear; they should examine these wonderful works which render such strong testimony in favor of the Son of David, and they should consult those divine prophecies which, up to the present time, have been so literally fulfilled in his person. Alas! they themselves are about to carry out to the very last iota. There is not a single outrage or suffering foretold by David and Isaias, as having to be put upon the Messias, which these blind men are not scheming to verify.

In them, therefore, was fulfilled that terrible saying: He that shall speak against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in the world to come. The Synagogue is nigh to a curse. Obstinate in her error, she refuses to see or to hear; she has deliberately perverted her judgment: she has extinguished within herself the light of the Holy Spirit; she will go deeper and deeper into evil, and at length fall into the abyss. This same lamentable conduct is but too often witnessed nowadays in those sinners who, by habitual resistance to the light, end by finding their happiness in sin. Neither should it surprise us that we find in people of our own generation a resemblance to the murderers of our Jesus: the history of his Passion will reveal to us many sad secrets of the human heart and its perverse inclinations; for what happened in Jerusalem happens also in every sinner’s heart. His heart, according to the saying of St. Paul, is a Calvary where Jesus is crucified. There is the same ingratitude, the same blindness, the same wild madness, with this difference—that the sinner who is enlightened by faith knows Him whom he crucifies; whereas the Jews, as the same Apostle tells us, knew not the Lord of Glory. While, therefore, we listen to the Gospel, which relates the history of the Passion, let us turn the indignation we feel for the Jews against ourselves and our own sins: let us weep over the sufferings of our Victim, for our sins caused him to suffer and die.

Everything around us urges us to mourn. The images of the Saints, the very crucifix on our Altar, are veiled from our sight. The Church is oppressed with grief. During the first four weeks of Lent, she compassionated her Jesus fasting in the desert; his coming Sufferings and Crucifixion and Death are what now fill her with anguish. We read in today’s Gospel that the Jews threaten to stone the Son of God as a blasphemer: but his hour is not yet come. He is obliged to flee and hide himself. It is to express this deep humiliation that the Church veils the Cross. A God hiding himself, that he may evade the anger of men—what a mystery! Is it weakness? Is it that he fears death? No—we shall soon see him going out to meet his enemies: but at present, he hides himself from them, because all that had been prophesied regarding him has not been fulfilled.

Besides, his death is not to be by stoning; he is to die upon a Cross, the tree of malediction which, from that time forward, is to be the Tree of Life. Let us humble ourselves, as we see the Creator of heaven and earth thus obliged to hide himself from men who are bent on his destruction! Let us go back in thought to the sad day of the first sin, when Adam and Eve hid themselves because a guilty conscience told them they were naked. Jesus is come to assure us of our being pardoned! and lo! he hides himself, not because he is naked—He that is to the Saints the garb of holiness and immortality—but because he made himself weak, that he might make us strong. Our First Parents sought to hide themselves from the sight of God; Jesus hides himself from the eye of men; but it will not be thus forever. The day will come when sinners, from whose anger he now flees, will pray to the mountains that they fall on them to shield them from his gaze; but their prayer will not be granted, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, with much power and majesty.

This Sunday is called Passion Sunday, because the Church begins on this day to make the Sufferings of our Redeemer her chief thought. It is called also Judica, from the first word of the Introit of the Mass; and again, Neomania, that is, the Sunday of the new (or, the Easter) moon, because it always falls after the new moon which regulates the Feast of Easter Day. [Passion Sunday]