The Prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian →

Over 25 years ago, when Amy and I were attending Epiphany of Our Lord Byzantine Catholic Church in Annandale, Virginia, I first encountered the Prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian.

St. Ephrem, a fourth-century deacon, in fact wrote many prayers and hymns, which is why he was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1920. But over the centuries, this single prayer has become so integral to the Lenten observance of Eastern Christians, both Catholic and Orthodox, that it has gained the singular title of the Prayer of St. Ephrem.

Conspiracy theories →

Conspiracies exist; this I know, for the Bible tells me so.

Tomorrow, the Wednesday of Holy Week, has traditionally been known as Spy Wednesday. Unlike Maundy Thursday or Good Friday, the adjective here requires no explanation. Judas was the spy, and it was on this day that he steeled himself to hand Jesus over to the chief priests and elders.

In the end, the conspiracy that Judas set in motion both succeeded in its aim — Jesus was tried, sentenced to death and crucified — and failed, not only because Christ rose from the grave on Easter Sunday but because Judas cracked under pressure.

We are an Easter people →

Growing up in Michigan, just a mile or so inland from the shore of Lake Michigan, Easter, even when it came early, was always heralded by signs of spring. Here in Huntington, Indiana, on the Monday of Holy Week in April 2020, the crocuses have come and (mostly) gone, the grape hyacinths are up, and the daffodils are in full bloom.

But what I really look forward to seeing are the forsythia.

How the story ends →

With its mix of joy and sorrow, celebration of Christ’s kingship and anticipation of his death, Palm Sunday has always been a bittersweet start to Holy Week, but never more so than this year. The images of priests and bishops celebrating Mass in empty churches, reading St. Matthew’s Passion with only one person responding as the crowd, drove home the unusual nature of what we will experience over the coming week.

The responsorial psalm for today — Psalm 22 — foreshadows Christ’s passion, especially those final moments on the cross before he delivers up his spirit. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”