Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Today I drove to Saginaw with Marian Pryor for the annual Chrism Mass. The Chrism Mass is when representatives of all the parishes travel to the Cathedral to receive the sacred oils which will be used for the sacraments throughout the year. The Chrism Mass is traditionally celebrated on Holy Thursday, but due to our large, spread out diocese, we celebrate it on Tuesday of Holy Week. This year it was my task to make sure the jars were clean and secured in their basket - ready to receive the oils. Then I brought those jars back and transferred the newly blessed oils to the jars that are housed in the ambry. We don't take those down to the Cathedral for fear of breakage. It was my responsibility to make sure that both sets of jars were clean and dry for today. I can be a klutz at times so I was a little nervous, but I am happy to say that the newly blessed oils are safely in their jars in the ambry awaiting their use at Easter Vigil. I was also one of the cantors for today's Mass. I am extremely grateful that the vocal issues I had over most of the winter, were not with me today at the Cathedral and I was able to sing without my voice cracking.

Tonight is our last meeting with our Catechumen for RCIA, Amber Gall. The year has flown by so fast.

Word of the day:
Tuesday of Holy Week
Today the Church celebrates : St. John Climacus, anchorite (6th-7th centuries)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 13:21-33.36-38.

Reclining at table with his disciples, Jesus was deeply troubled and testified, «Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.» The disciples looked at one another, at a loss as to whom he meant. One of his disciples, the one whom Jesus loved, was reclining at Jesus' side. So Simon Peter nodded to him to find out whom he meant. He leaned back against Jesus' chest and said to him, "Master, who is it?" Jesus answered, "It is the one to whom I hand the morsel after I have dipped it." So he dipped the morsel and (took it and) handed it to Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot. After he took the morsel, Satan entered him. So Jesus said to him, "What you are going to do, do quickly." (Now) none of those reclining at table realized why he said this to him. Some thought that since Judas kept the money bag, Jesus had told him, "Buy what we need for the feast," or to give something to the poor. So he took the morsel and left at once. And it was night. When Judas had left them, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. (If God is glorified in him,) God will also glorify him in himself, and he will glorify him at once. My children, I will be with you only a little while longer. You will look for me, and as I told the Jews, 'Where I go you cannot come,' so now I say it to you. Simon Peter said to him, "Master, where are you going?" Jesus answered (him), "Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, though you will follow later." Peter said to him, "Master, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you." Jesus answered, "Will you lay down your life for me? Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will not crow before you deny me three times."