I think back to Maundy Thursday 2015, April 2, when Alice and I were visiting daughter Jenny during her semester abroad in Valencia. We scheduled a road trip to Granada to see the Alhambra, and we were in Granada during Semana Santa, the Spanish observance of the Christian time called Holy Week. Alice and Jenny are the Spain experts in our family, so they knew what was happening, but we were all pretty much overwhelmed by the parade that night.

Semana Santa, Granada 2015. Photo CC BY-SA-NC by Gardner Campbell

Today Alice and I celebrated Palm Sunday by watching the service at St. Stephens Episcopal, our home church. As on every Sunday, it was a lovely service. And as usual, I found I couldn’t sing more than a verse or two of any hymn without a lump in my throat.

Holy Week is the last week of Lent. It begins and ends in triumph, with anger and love and terror and betrayal and solemn vows of remembrance in between.

For all who observe this time, a blessed Holy Week to you.