The Week of Seeing, Touching, Tasting, Hearing

Long ago, St. Tom (AKA Thomas Aquinas, c. 1225-1274) reminded us in his meditative poem on the events of Holy Week,  how much our faith is strengthened by things we see, things we touch, things we taste  and above all, things we hear.   And Holy Week is the great week of seeing and touching and tasting and, above all, hearing.

Sunday, Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, as we recall Christ’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem,

 We see & touch the palm branches;  

 We touch as we feel the jostle of the crowds (no formal procession here—an eager throng recalling the Children of the Hebrews “Stirred to their depths” as Matthew tells us.)

We hear (and robustly sing!) their song “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” and we remember that we will sing this song--this greeting the King at the gates of Jerusalem-- at the conclusion of the Holy, Holy, Holy every time we gather for the Eucharist.

WE see & hear  the Prophecy of Psalm 22 with Thomas singing the part of Christ on the Cross and Daniel F and Marc singing the part of the jeering crowd on Golgatha.

Thursday, at the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, as we recall Christ’s Last Supper with his disciples   

We touch as feet are washed;

We hear the clangor of bells (and keys) as sing the Gloria once more;

We see the cup raised and the bread offered as did the disciples reclining in the Upper Room;

We feel &  taste the Bread and Wine with the disciples before they go out into the Garden.

We see & touch & hear as the Body of Christ is processed to the Altar of Repose.

Friday of the Passion of the Lord, as we recall Christ’s Death on the Cross

We hear the reading of the events leading up to the darkened cosmos of the crucifixion;

We see the movement of Christ on the Cross through the streets of Jerusalem;

We touch the Wood of the Cross as we venerate God’s Gift of Salvation.

Saturday, at the Vigil in the Holy Night of Easter, as we recall the entire history of our salvation

We see the light of Christ given from the new fire and spread throughout the world of Christ Our Hope;

We touch (and smell) candles made with the wax of bees as we pass the Light of Christ;

We hear the ancient stories as we gather around the “campfire” of the altar to hear once again of God’s love for us;

We heal (and perhaps feel) the dance of Miriam with tambourine and trumpet and rejoicing women’s voices;

We touch & hear bells as we ring to welcome back the Song of the Angels-- Gloria

We touch newly blessed water to remind us of our Baptism in the Lord;

We taste again the Bread and the Wine.

Sunday, the Evening Mass of Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord as we recall the confusion and weariness and supreme joy and haste of the disciples as they learn of the Resurrection.

We see & hear the mourning women approaching the tomb;

We see & hear the trumpet of heaven and the Good News of the Angel;

We hear the joyous clangor of bells, bells, bells as we sing Alleluia!

We see & hear the profound mourning of Weeping Mary changed into the dance of Alleluia;

We feel again the waters of baptism as they are sprinkled over us;

We hear the sweet, sweet story of the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus;

We see the sweet, sweet story of the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus in our Triptych;

We feel the excitement of the disciples as we join the trumpet, drums and the assembly in Hail thee festival day;

We see & touch & taste and hear as we see the gathered faithful process to the altar, as we hear the words “the Body of Christ” and then as we touch and taste the Risen Lord.

Or as St. Thomas Aquinas wrote 750 years ago:

Visus (vision--"see") tactus (tactile--"touch")  gustus (gusto--"taste")

auditor (audit, auditory, auditorium--"hear").

See & hear you Sunday at 5:45.   

JBS