Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archbishop of Milwaukee
 

We are entering into the most solemn time in the liturgical year of the Church – Holy Week. No doubt, this week will tax our priests, deacons and staff, but each celebration will be a reminder of Christ’s love for us. I encourage all of you to attend Holy Week services in your parishes. The “Hosannas” of Palm Sunday will give way to the strains of “Crucify him! Crucify him!”  

I am looking forward to the Chrism Mass, which will take place tonight at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist at 7 p.m. This celebration always incorporates every aspect of the Church. At the Chrism Mass, bishops, priests, deacons, religious and laity come together to pledge their commitment to Christ and His Church. The three oils (Chrism, Oil of Catechumen, and Oil of the Sick) will be taken and administered to parishes throughout the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. These sacramentals will connect us to our work in the Church to commit, serve, heal and sanctify. Although this year's Mass is still restricted and by invitation only, a full cathedral will be symbolic of our commitment to witness Christ and His Church. I invite you to join us in spirit by tuning in to the livestream.

Holy Thursday, the celebration of the Last Supper, is always highlighted by the symbolic gesture of the “washing of the feet.” In his Gospel, St. John gives to us the clearest depiction of the Eucharistic presence of Jesus as food and wine – His flesh and His blood. Yet He chooses to remind us of the need to serve others through the washing of the feet. If we embrace Jesus in the Eucharist, then we must move to serve others in the same sacrificial manner that Jesus offered His life in service to us.

At the end of the service of Holy Thursday, the Eucharist is placed in repose and there is an eerie silence that envelops the Church. One cannot help but think of the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed that this cup may pass, but accepted His Father’s will.

Good Friday is the only day that Mass is not offered. The service has three parts: the proclamation of the Gospel; the adoration of the Cross; and the reception of Communion (which was consecrated on Holy Thursday). The faithful will fill the Church and be reminded of the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross, a sign of the unconditional love that God has for us. Though innocent, He offered His life so that we might have the life intended by God for us but lost by our first parents.

We should not fool ourselves. It was not the Jews or the Romans who crucified Jesus; it was in fact our sins. The Cross restores our relationship with God. As I watch individuals acknowledge the Cross of Christ, I wonder at the stories of Jesus in their lives. The acceptance of the personal Crosses which they must carry and their understanding that Jesus bears their own sorrow and pain. Communion is distributed, strengthening us in our relationship, knowing that He is with us. Everyone departs in silence as they probably did from Calvary after the shock of His death.

Saturday Easter Vigil begins at sundown. The Easter candle pierces the darkness of the night as the light of Jesus pierced the darkness of this world. God’s Word is proclaimed as salvation history is recounted in the proclamation of readings. The Gloria is sung for the first time since the beginning of Lent, celebrating the joy of the resurrection. Water is blessed and together we renew our baptismal vows. Those present relish in the welcoming of the newly baptized or those admitted to full Communion in the Church. We feel renewed in the life offered to us through the person of Christ who died and rose for us.

Easter Sunday Mass, attended by the faithful and perhaps surrounded by “Christers” (those who typically only attend Christmas and Easter Mass) discover the joy of the risen Christ and listen as the Angel asks: “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He has risen as he said.”

If we truly want a blessed Easter, it is up to us. To live forever with Jesus, we must receive Him into our life, confess our sins, proclaim Him in worship on Sunday and LOVE ONE ANOTHER.       
 

Note: This blog originally appeared as the April 12, 2022 "Love One Another" email sent to Catholics throughout the Archdiocese of Milwaukee by Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki. If you are interested in signing up for these email messages, please click here.