Holy Week Message from Bishop Oscar A. Solis

Intermountain Catholic

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This weekend we enter the most sacred event in our Church liturgical year.  We unite our hearts with Christ and reflect on the Paschal Mystery of our faith. Palm Sunday, or Passion Sunday, marks the beginning of the holiest days when we commemorate the sublime act of Christ’s sacrifice for the redemption of our sins and we celebrate God’s gift of salvation. Every year we retrace his journey from the triumphant entry into Jerusalem to his suffering, death on the cross and glorious resurrection at Easter.

Holy Week reminds us not only of many events and circumstances in our lives but gives us an opportunity to reflect and to renew our faith with God and relationship with one another. I invite the people of God in our diocese to join all the faithful throughout the world to experience the unfolding of these sacred events by participating in the various beautiful liturgical celebrations in our parishes and missions.  

Christ invites us to open our hearts to God’s invitation to conversion and reconciliation by lifting our own crosses, repenting of our sins and following Christ that we may receive his unending blessings. We all have been through a lot of trials and uncertainties. Let us give greater meaning to the sufferings and challenges we experience, especially during the pandemic and lift them up in prayer, asking our Lord to be with us and to give us hope.

I thank all my brother priests, deacons, women and men religious for your faithfulness to the mission of Christ and appreciate your commitment to the service of our Church during these difficult times. Likewise, I am grateful to all the parishioners for your understanding and continued generous support of our diocese. Your faith and love for God have provided us hope and inspiration to await the dawning of new light and new life Easter brings.

COVID-19 is still around us and the infection remains a danger to our lives, health, safety and the well-being of our community. I reiterate to everyone the importance of the Diocesan guidelines and their implementation. Please apply abundant caution, use prudence, common sense and pastoral discretion to make our Church and parish facilities  safe places to worship together as one faith family, that we might encounter the presence of God and experience the love of Christ in each other. Your cooperation, reservoir of patience and understanding are essential. With unwavering trust in God and our unity and solidarity in charity, may the Lord bless us with a Holy Week and a Happy Easter!