Christ Being Nailed to the Cross
Painting from an Ethiopian Gospel Book.
It’s the Fifth Sunday of Lent previously called "Passion Sunday", this Sunday marks the beginning of Passiontide, a deeper time of Lent. PASSIONTIDE is the last two weeks of Lent, when the readings and prayers of the liturgy focus on the Passion of Our Lord. The word "passion", in the Christian sense, does not mean an intense emotion; it refers to the historical events of Jesus' suffering and death. Passiontide is evidently even more ancient than Lent. In Traditional Catholic and Prayer Book Anglican circles, Passion Sunday continues to refer to the fifth Sunday in Lent; Passion Sunday is sometimes called 1st Sunday of Passion Time, with the 2nd Sunday being Palm Sunday.