Good Friday reminds us of our connection to the Holy Land

If it seems that Lent started earlier this year and that therefore Easter will be earlier this year also, you are very correct. By the time you read this, we will be a little more than two weeks into the season of Lent. In this issue, I would like to offer a piece of useful information about how the date of Easter is calculated, but I would like to say something about what we do each Good Friday during the Liturgy of the Passion of the Lord.
 
In the earlier centuries of the Church, the date for the annual celebration of Easter was not set and thus, there would be differing times for its celebration. This did cause a good deal of confusion for Christians in the various countries and locations in the universal Church. However, the uniform way for the determining each year of the Church’s greatest Solemnity of the Lord, Easter, was established. Once you know this very good and simple method you won’t forget it. It goes like this: Easter is always the first Sunday after the first full moon of the spring equinox. So, this year, the first day of spring is March 20 and the first full moon of spring is on March 31, and thus, Easter Sunday this year is April 1.
 
Every Good Friday, the only day in a calendar year when the Church forbids the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, during the Liturgy of the Passion of the Lord, the Pontifical Good Friday Collection is taken up in our diocese and in all dioceses around the world. You have and continue to be most generous to this very worthy collection and I would like to give you some information about it.
 
Good Friday itself reminds us of our special connection to the land and places made so sacred by Our Lord Jesus. This collection goes back to Apostolic times since St. Paul reminded his missionary Churches not to forget the needs of the Church in Jerusalem.
 
From all of the news reports we receive, we know that to be a faithful Christian in the Holy Land is very challenging and presents to them unique hardships. The wars, unrest and instability in the Holy Land have been especially hard on our brother and sister Christians and our prayers and financial assistance continue to give them great consolation and hope.
 
The Holy Father’s collection supports many parishes, orphanages and schools to remain open to serve the huge needs of the Christians there who struggle to remain in their homes and communities. It supports more than 100 men preparing for the priesthood, it provides essential support for homes for the elderly and infirm, it provides over a thousand jobs to those who would otherwise need to leave with their families in order to survive. Most especially, our donations to this collection help preserve 54 shrines connected directly to the life of Jesus and the holy prophets of the Old Testament.
 
In the name of Our Holy Father and in my own name, I wish to thank all of you again for your great generosity to the Good Friday collection. Your charity does make a real difference in the lives of our persecuted brothers and sisters.
 
Let us pray for each other throughout this great season of grace that we may be more conformed to Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday than we were on Ash Wednesday.