Homily

Every year in December a few people, because I am a priest, will remark to me, "This must be your busiest time of the year." And they say that likely because they think Christmas is the biggest Holy Day of the year, therefore it must demand the most attention. And for them it may, in fact, be the busiest Holy Day of the year. But of course, that's not the case for me. This week is the busiest week of the year and next Sunday is the feast of feasts, the King and Lord of all Sabbaths.

I was thinking back to my earliest days here when we held all of our services at Marist High School Chapel. The chapel may be tiny but back then it was large enough for us. Holy Week was a challenge because they held classes on Good Friday and they held services in the chapel so we had to move to a different place on campus. Back then, in the earlier years, I was very focused on the mechanics and logistics of how to get these coming Holy Days accomplished. And truth is that it was relatively easier than it is now. Only so much could be done because it was not our place, and only so much needed to be done because it was not our place—I wasn't cleaning windows or putting toilet paper in the restrooms.

Now things are different. We have our own buildings and of course there's plenty to keep busy with: cleaning, wiping, dusting, mopping, vacuuming, buffing, window washing, bathroom cleaning, and trash hauling. And then there are the items that need attention with polishing and shining. I can tell you the best polishes to use for gold and for brass, and which bathroom cleaner spray works great on chrome finishes. There's dry cleaning and laundry and ironing and replacing red rushnyky with bright rushnyky. Altar clothes and servers' stichars to exchange, flowers to be ordered and set in vases, candles for processions made ready, pussy willows and palms to set out. There's the constant transport of service booklets for all the different services back and forth to the house, candles to be changed, oil candles to be filled and every once in a while a toilet to be unplugged. Confessions and phone calls are also heard and answered. It takes, perhaps, a bit more time to set up all the plants and flowers than one might imagine and care must be taken that they are in positions that are altar-boy-proof. Only experience can guide you in the awareness of a vase's potential for being knocked over. The Communion bread must be baked, readers need to be assigned for the Scripture, and at some services, I have to be priest and cantor both.

And there's more. But you can see already that there are many items to keep me busy this week. I am not going through this list of duties so that you will be impressed with the amount of work I do, nor so that you will feel sorry for me. But if you want to, I can't stop you. Who am I to judge?

The reason I bring them up is because they all focus me on the great events, the great truths, the Great Savior Who came for us, lived for us, suffered for us, died for us and rose again for our sake. I have learned, maybe a little bit over the years to allow all these tasks to focus my attention on the passion, death and resurrection of Christ. They are done, or at least I truly try to do them, in order to serve the Lord and this parish and all of you. In my earlier years, I may not have seen them in that light. They were simply tasks to accomplish. However, now after many years, I see how they are capable of leading me to think more closely on the events of my salvation. They take me out of the normal routines of my life and give me the room to see better the heart of our faith. All this work dedicated to these celebrations and services is not just about getting jobs done, but in a very unique way it is a labor for Christ, a labor for you, and for me. All these tasks put me in a different frame of mind, and I wanted to tell you how much they have helped me grow in my faith, year after year, because they are all centered around the heart of our salvation.

Of course, it's not just the labor, it's also the services. We sing in the Matins on Good Friday:

"Today, the Lord Who raised the dry land from the waters
is raised upon the cross.
A crown of thorns is placed upon the head of the King of Angels.
He clothed the sky with clouds;
now today He is clothed with a purple robe.
In the Jordan He freed Adam;
now today He is slapped in the face.
The Bridegroom of the Church is fastened with nails;
the Son of the Virgin is pierced with a spear.
We worship Your passion, O Christ;
let us now behold Your glorious resurrection."

And from the Royal Hours this text:

"At your venerable Cross, O Lord, when the soldiers mocked you, hosts of angels were in awe. You adorned the earth with flowers but now you wear the crown of slander. You clothed the sky with clouds, but now You wear the robe of mockery. Through this mystery your compassion is made known to us. O most merciful Christ, glory be to You!"

How very moving all these services are for me; and I hope for you! I think they are extraordinary helps to building up our faith and our love for Christ our Lord. It's all the work; it's all the services and worship that have carried me along through these years. This week, of all weeks, these prayers of all prayers are the center of my spiritual growth, and the primary fuel that keeps me running the race of faith for the rest of the year. This is the Great Week of power and of grace.

Every year, I try to encourage you to set apart this week, especially Friday and Saturday, as a time to alter and change your normal routines so that you can focus more intently on Jesus. And I ask you to also come to the services to participate in the events of our salvation in a mystical way. I don't know if my words ever have been successful in getting you to do so, or perhaps to do so with more dedication. I really don't know. But this year, I thought I would use a different approach and tell you how vital this week, and this work, and these celebrations are to me, how life-giving they are to me and maybe that would be as good a way to encourage you to more deeply immerse your own lives and your family's life into the Holy Passion of our Lord. The more and better we do this, the more and better we may find glory in His Third-Day Resurrection.

A blessed and fruitful Holy Week to you all!