Eve of Palm Sunday

Saturday afternoon
procession

Holy Week is upon us. The preliminary feasts of Lazarus' raising and Our Lady of Sorrows mark the end of Lent and tonight we begin Palm Sunday with Vigil. On the eve of Palm Sunday we have a solemn procession inside the Holy Sepulchre Basilica  at 2.30pm ... the usual 40 minute procession now lasts 95 minutes. I decided to join ... though I was exhausted from Mass inside the Empty Tomb at 7.30am and then preaching a retreat from 9.30pm to 12.30pm. It brought back many memories when I was younger and could go up and down the numerous steps from one altar to another, singing the hymns. The basilica was packed with pilgrims and tourists and police and our traditional kawas (dragomans) had to keep them away otherwise they would block and disrupt our procession. It was a madhouse. But that was how it was 28 years ago too.

Vigil procession

I was lucky that in the busy schedule the filipino community of Jaffa came and cooked pancit so I had something to eat for lunch. At 5pm I had 3 simultaneous meetings to attend. Then at 11.45pm I accompanied our indian sisters to the Holy Sepulchre for the Vigil. It was less crowded than the previous 4 Vigils ... mainly because most people want to attend the Palm Sunday Mass on Sunday at 9am. I instead concelebrated the Mass at Mt. Calvary immediately after the Vigil at 2.30am. That was a great relief because the Gospel reading at the normal Palm Sunday Mass is very long and I would not have been able to stand it. At Calvary Mass is restricted to half an hour so the Gospel was specially abbreviated to suit the Status Quo requirements. By then time I got home it was past 3.30am. Useless to sleep as instead I had a very early breakfast and worked through to 6am.

But all in all it was a good experience ... reliving the old times when I was younger and more energetic ... participating in all the processions, liturgies and vigils of Lent. Now I wheeze and cough when the incense is too close by; seminarians bring me a chair whenever the liturgy is too long and I need to sit.