the celebration
"I am to celebrate the Passover with My disciples in your house." —Matthew 26:18
Jesus states His intention to celebrate the Passover and the whole Paschal mystery in our houses, families, communities, and lives. We must prepare for the celebration of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil, and the fifty-day Easter season. We prepare by:
- doing what Jesus orders (Mt 26:19),
- letting Jesus open our ears morning after morning (Is 50:4),
- not rebelling against the Lord (Is 50:5),
- suffering for love of Him (see Is 50:6),
- letting zeal for God's house consume us (Ps 69:10),
- praising "the name of God in song" (Ps 69:31).
Today is the last full day of Lent. We pray that our almsgiving, prayer, and fasting have prepared us for the Triduum and the Easter season. Let's bring Lent to a close by repenting of all sins, forgiving all who have hurt us, and giving our lives totally to the Lord. "Let us celebrate the feast not with the old yeast, that of corruption and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Cor 5:8).
Prayer: Father, may my observance of Lent 2010 be what the Holy Spirit wants in these crucial times.
Promise: "See, you lowly ones, and be glad; you who seek God, may your hearts be merry! For the Lord hears the poor, and His own who are in bonds He spurns not." —Ps 69:33-34
Praise: Praise Jesus, Rock of our salvation. "To Him be glory forever" (Rm 11:36).
Rescript: †Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, August 26, 2009
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