HOLY WEEKNow we enter the holiest part of Lent. The Church has prepared us step by step for this sacred experience. Asteady crescendo in the liturgy has been taking place since Septuagesima Sunday. Each week the sound rosehigher, and louder. Although Mother Church often spoke about the cross and the resurrection, she did so inveiled signs and figures, as if she feared exposing a most precious object to profane eyes. Not until this mo-ment does she remove the curtain. Now we see the Holy of Holies; and more than that, we are asked to parti-cipate in the most sublime drama of religious history. The greatest and holiest of weeks is about to begin. Weshould not call it a week of mourning, for cross and resurrection are inseparable. Christ's redemptive workdid not end with death, it continues on in the victory of His resurrection. Therefore, we must not separate thepassion from the resurrection, but rather regard the cross as the way to Easter victory.The liturgy does not make this week one of sorrowful lamentation or tearful sympathizing with our sufferingLord. That was the medieval approach. No, through the whole week there runs a note of victory and joy, arealization that Christ's sacred passion was a prerequisite to Easter glory. We cannot understand the Church'sliturgy unless we keep this in mind. There is no day in the entire coming week when the theme of Easter andvictory does not resound loud and clear. Think only of Palm Sunday with its homage to the King; of H.Thursday with its solemn Mass and consecration of the H. Oils; of Good Friday with the solemn exaltation ofthe cross; of H. Saturday, the beginning of the Easter solemnities.Four days take on special importance, viz., Palm Sunday and the sacred Triduum. The remaining 3 days,Monday through Wednesday, do not differ radically from other days in Passiontide. Palm Sunday may becalled the golden gateway leading to the holy mysteries of Easter.1PALM SUNDAYStation at St. John Lateran - The King leads His people t...