Oh my, what a Holy Week it’s been. Did it not feel like the Notre Dame fire was just a bit too much to handle after this very Lenty Lent? Seeing the pictures of the people camped out by it, singing and praying, made me think about the apostles and how lost they must have felt when Jesus died. What a blessing that the damage wasn’t too bad, and that the sacred relics and the Holy Eucharist were saved.

If I could beg some prayers for my own little community: in the last few days we’ve suffered the death of one of my brother’s good friends from high school, who is also the son of one of my boy’s fourth grade teacher, who is also the uncle of one of my boy’s classmates, who is also the uncle of the children my best friend from childhood nannies for, who was also the best man at the wedding of the funeral director’s son. That’s the kind of community I’m blessed to live in. ❤ He was only 36, with a two-year-old son; he had a heart attack and died in his sleep. Oh my, our whole community is so so sad. Today’s school Mass was offered for him, and the number of his high school classmates who came home for today’s wake and tomorrow’s funeral (including my brother, who flew across the country) is truly moving.

Then, only a couple days after he died, we found out that the dad of a schoolmate of my older boys had also died, also unexpectedly, also of a heart attack. My family doesn’t know theirs quite as well, but the school community as a whole is heartbroken.

What a Holy Week.

I looked back on the post I’d done a few years ago on Sorrowful Mystery names and thought it would be appropriate to link to it again. Holy names are sometimes a good meditation for me, maybe they will be for you too.

I look forward to next week, when we’ll be celebrating! I hope you all have a holy rest of Holy Week, and a very Happy Easter!