Of Palm Sunday and Anniversaries

I hope all my readers had as joyously reverent a Palm Sunday as we experienced today. Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, as it is called, is always a Pontifical mass at the Cathedral, and there is much pomp and ceremony including the procession of palm branches, even more Gregorian chant than usual (yayy!!), the blessing of the palms, and several additional scripture readings.  It is both solemn and wonderful.

I was reminded, as we pulled into the church driveway this morning, of the fact that today (more or less) was the 5th anniversary of our very first visit to Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. We had already visited 2 other Catholic parishes before we landed at SSJ on Palm Sunday, 2010. I remember as clearly as if it were today saying to Paul as we walked back to the car after mass, “Well, I don’t need to visit any more churches. I’m home.”

And now, five years later, I’m beginning to feel – not settled, for that would imply a sort of complacency, but more complete – more fulfilled in my faith – all the time. I’ve moved a little further up and a little further in to the truth as we cycle through the liturgical year and with each Holy Week that comes around. Paul and I were discussing how much has transpired in these last five years, and found that, including this year, we will have sponsored 14 new people entering into the church since we were received in 2011. This is by no means a boast; it is absolutely and entirely an astounding work of God – all God!! What an extraordinary privilege it has been, to be able to pass on the gift of truth to others in this way.

As we were leaving after mass, Mother reminded me that today was another anniversary – that Palm Sunday six years ago, in 2009, was Dad’s last Sunday on this earth. As always, I am so thankful for his life and legacy of faithfulness, and always prayerful that I may pass it on to my children and my children’s children.

It was very special to have Fred and Pat (Paul’s parents) with us today at church and to be able to spend the day with them at our house as this is their final Sunday before heading home to MN for the summer months. I’ve never had the chance to do a nice sit-down Easter dinner with the family, so I jumped the gun a little (by a week) and had our Easter Dinner today. The menu included: Garlic Rosemary Pork Loin (slow cooked to perfection, with fresh rosemary from the back yard), Cheesy Crock Pot Potatoes, Garlic-butter Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli Salad, Spring Greens with Strawberries, Feta, Sunflower Nuts, and Poppy-seed Dressing, Grandma’s Pickled Beets, and some festively decorated cookies for dessert.  We got to sit and visit, Geneva played some Dvořák and a couple of her own arrangements (Centuries and Lavender’s Blue from Cinderella) , and the three girls sang a beautiful trio rendition of Taylor Swift’s Safe and Sound. The whole afternoon was lovely and relaxed and perfect in every way.

It is always hard to say farewell, but perhaps a little harder this time. Grandpa has had some major health challenges thrown his way this year, and we send him on his way with many prayers and with confidence that our loving Heavenly Father keeps him constantly in His care.

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I’ll end with posting the video from today’s mass so you can get a little taste of it if you are interested – with the caveat that there were some sound difficulties that made it hard to hear even during the mass, and I haven’t listened all the way through yet, so this recording might be a bust.