Dear Ones in Standing Just,

Receive my prayers for you and your family as you have a very meaningful Holy Week. May God grant you peace and blessings this Holy season.

I have taken a very reflective Lenten Journey with all that has happened in our family since the First Friday of Lent with the unexpected death of my dear sister, Alicia. Remembering my recent horror of the violent death of my brother, Bryan last Holy Thursday makes these three Holy Days and events of this week of Passion all the more deep and real to me. I have long been struck down by the image of the emptying of the Tabernacle during Holy Thursday--they have taken My Lord and I know not where they have placed him... the scattering of the disciples/Apostles, the great beginning of the Church, holy orders, the Eucharist--the Mass, the re-presentation of Calvary, of the Bread of Heaven, the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Beloved Lord Jesus continually given to us on all the alters of the Church and in Heaven.

If I have any influence on you at all may I urge you to not miss the Holy Thursday mass. And if you can make all three--Good Friday the Adoration of the Cross and the Exhaultant of the georgeous Easter Vigil--fire, water, light, dark, renewing of the baptismal vows, the renoucing of Satan...this is our Catholic faith---we believe....

After Holy Week I do hope to see more and more of you who my heart has been missing. The meals, the prayers and mass cards, the condolences and love have been very dear to our hearts during this time. I have sat often on my couch in front of the fire in this extended cool of Spring and gone over each mass and held strong the hope I find in each promise of the goodness of God in the land of the living and in the arms of God. Thank you and please continue to extend your HOPE bead to our entire Vinzant family. The comfort and peace I find from the beads of our Faith.

Each year I try to take a few special friends to a very special event--Holy Thursday and Good Friday in Lewisville at our Lady of Lebanon-I believe the numbers are great enough at our home parish, that no one will miss us for a couple of evenings eh. And I will be back to St. Ann's for the Easter Vigil. Do try to come and call if you have any questions. Our beloved Father Pacwa from EWTN is due to be there for Holy Week. You will love meeting him and they have Confessions till after 2 AM with him. If you would like to go to Father Pacwa for Confession on these two evenings after the mass and adoration of the Cross each night, you will find it a great blessing.

God bless,

Daniel
see notes below

Brothers,
A reminder and a some notes:

Reminder, Holy Thursday at Our Lady of Lebanon in Lewisville at 7pm.

http://www.ourladylebanon.com

You can find the address and a map at their website. I hope to see
many of you there.

Three main notes for those of you who have never attended a Maronite
service:
1. Communion is by Tincture. That means the Priest dips the Host in
the wine and puts the Host in your mouth. So don't hold your hands up
because you will look silly. :)
2. The sign of peace starts at the Altar and then is spread to the
congregation. Basically the Priest gives the sign of peace to the
Altar servers and then the Altar servers go to the first person in each
row and it spreads from there. Just don't sit in the first row and all
you have to do is watch and do what everyone else does.
3. The standing, sitting, kneeling is a little different. Again just
watch and follow. You will want to note in the Maronite rite, the proper form is to STAND and not knell for the Consecration so follow the book and STAND when it says too--or look to the Lebanese who know the way and not the Western rite visitors who will try to bend everyone to their will as being the only true and right way--oh those Anglos, what will we do with you.

I hope each of you has a blessed Holy week.

YBIC,

Daniel and boys

Holy Week 2009