The first of seven conferences of our Thomistic Institute, Holy Week retreat. During this retreat,

we're going to meditate on the mysteries of Christ's life. St. Thomas teaches, in his treatise

on Christ in the Summa Theologiae, that all of the deeds and sufferings of Christ save.

We're accustomed to think of salvation, specifically in terms of the cross, but it's true,

more broadly, of everything that the Lord does and suffers.

So when he is conceived, he's saving, when he is born, he's saving.

When he is presented in the temple, he is saving, when he is lost to his parents, he's

saving, when he teaches, when he performs miracles, when he gives extended discourses, he is lost to his parents, he's saving, when he teaches, when he performs miracles,

when he gives extended discourses, he is saving. But there is a sense in which that salvation

is focalized, or it's concentrated during these most sacred days. So today, tomorrow, Saturday,

and Sunday, we will accompany Christ through his passion, death, and resurrection

as we meditate upon the salvation that he wins for us, the salvation that he applies to each of our souls

mystically through the sacraments, through prayer, and through his infinite merits.

So today, we'll consider the New Commandment and the Eucharist tomorrow.

We'll consider the Via Cruces and then the Passion of the Lord. On Saturday, we'll consider

the death of the Lord and his descent into hell. And then finally, on Sunday, we'll consider

the resurrection. So for this time of prayer and preparation, we prepared a kind of retreat manual.

So if you subscribe for the quarantine lectures, that will be sent to you in your introductory email.

And that will have texts from Scripture, from St. Thomas Aquinas, from the liturgies of each day,

and recommended pious practices and devotions, which are for you to use,

to better dispose yourself to receive all of the graces of this most sacred time.

So, with that, let's launch into our first lecture, and we can begin with a prayer.

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