Dear Friends,

    You will notice this weekend that the statues and crucifix are covered; this marks the beginning of “Passiontide.” This is the Church’s way of telling us that Lent is now entering its final and most intense phase. Our focus shifts more directly to the Passion of the Lord and to our immediate preparation for Easter.

    What does this mean for us as a church and as individuals?

    For the Church, it means a kind of deepening. The covering of the images creates a certain simplicity and even a kind of absence. What we are used to seeing is now hidden. That absence is meant to draw our attention more fully to what is about to take place—the suffering, death, and saving love of Christ.

    For us personally, it is an invitation to become more intentional. Lent is not over; in many ways, it is reaching its most important days. These final weeks are an opportunity to take a step back and ask: Where am I with the Lord? Have I really entered into this season, or do I need to begin again, even now?

    In the Gospel, we begin to hear more clearly the direction of these days. As Jesus says, “Now is the time of judgment on this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself” (John 12:31–32). The Cross is not an accident—it is the moment toward which everything is moving.

    The covering of the crucifix can feel especially striking. Soon it will be unveiled on Good Friday, and we will be invited to look again upon the Cross—not as something distant, but as the very sign of our salvation. These days are meant to help us prepare for that moment.

    Passiontide reminds us that Easter does not come without the Cross. We do not rush ahead to the joy of the Resurrection without first walking with the Lord through His    Passion.

Let us use these days well.

Fr. John