March 28-29, 2026
Dear parishioners,
As we commemorate Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem this weekend to bring about the new Passover of his death and Resurrection, the Church’s liturgies bring us to the central events of Jesus’ mission for our salvation. As such, I would like to focus on an overarching theme that runs through all of this week’s sacred events. That theme is something that is recorded in all four Gospels: Jesus’ proclaiming the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. The synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) show Jesus making this announcement a few days before he suffers his Passion on Good Friday: “All that you see here- the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.” (Lk. 21:6) John gives us more details, as he records Jesus making similar claims at different points in his Gospel: “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up. […] But he was speaking about the temple of his body.” (Jn. 2:19,21)
Jesus solemnly foretells this destruction of the Temple, not with the intention of condemnation, but rather of fulfilling what he came to do, and what was prophesied of him. Pope Benedict XVI succinctly sheds light on this reality as he reflects on the cleansing of the Temple, when Jesus drove out the moneychangers there. He explains: “Jesus fights there, on the one hand, as we saw, against self-serving abuse of the sacred space, but his prophetic gesture and the interpretation he gave to it go much deeper: the old cult of the stone Temple has come to an end. The hour of the new worship in ‘spirit and truth’ has come. The Temple of stone must be destroyed, so that the new one, the New Covenant with its new style of worship, can come. Yet at the same time, this means that Jesus himself must endure crucifixion, so that, after his Resurrection, he may become the new Temple.”
Pope Benedict’s words above get right to the heart of Holy Week! The old Temple of stone, considered the most sacred place on earth for the Jewish people, is now being replaced. The Temple was sacred not only because God commanded its construction, but it served as the locus where God came down to man, and where man offered sacrifice to God on the most sacred days of the year. Now, Jesus comes as the new and far superior Temple, who is truly where God and man find a whole new communion, and who offers himself as a sacrifice to the Father on the Cross. Now, worship is no longer tied to a geographical location. Jesus creates a new people through his Cross and Resurrection. Worshiping in “spirit and truth” means, of course, the sacraments of the Church, all of which flow from Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross.
During Holy Week, we celebrate the profound depth of Christ’s love for us, having the power to lay down his life and take it up again for our salvation (cf. Jn. 10:17). We also celebrate the gift of the sacraments, by which Jesus continues to come to us, so that this salvation can actually and practically be accomplished in us!
As a reminder, there will be no Mass this Tuesday because I will be at the Chrism Mass in Toledo.
Wednesday, please consider attending the Tenebrae Service at Rosary Cathedral at 7:30p.m.
Thursday, our Mass of the Lord’s Supper will be at 7:00 in Paulding.
Our Good Friday Service will be at 1:00 in Payne.
Our Easter Vigil will be at 8:30p.m. in Paulding.
Easter Sunday Masses: 8:30 in Payne and 10:30 in Paulding.
A blessed Holy Week to all!
Fr. Ammanniti
