THEOLOGICAL CLUE

The Fifth Sunday in Lent floods the mind with memories of when it was the beginning of the two-week celebration of the Passion of our Lord. Passiontide was the third period in the progression from Septuagesima Sunday to Easter, the Resurrection of our Lord. (The three "gesima" Sundays were the first period, the first four and a half weeks of Lent comprised the second part; Passiontide was the third section of Lent; Holy Week was the fourth part; and the Triduum, which originally was Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday, was the last of the five parts of Lent. The last three phases of Lent, accordingly, fell within the Passion of our Lord.) Passion Sunday had the judgment theme of Psalm 43 built into it in the introit for the day, but the old propers made no menti…