A Journey Through Holy Week
Deacon David reflects on the key moments of Holy Week and Easter, offering encourage to enter more fully into the liturgies of this coming week.
Easter is the holiest season in the Catholic Church, so it is important to take time to reflect on its meaning so that we can fully enter into the liturgies. The week from Palm Sunday, through to Easter Sunday is a rollercoaster of emotions for believers, going from the procession of Our Lord into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, to the ultimate gift of Jesus himself in the Last Supper, through the intense agony and despair of the Garden of Gethsemane, followed by the crucifixion and death of Our Lord on Good Friday, before finally celebrating the great joy and hope that comes with the resurrection on Easter Sunday.
So, let us look at these days and appreciate their significance and meaning.
Palm Sunday – we mark the solemn commemoration of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, the people cut palm branches and lay their cloaks on the road. Jesus in his humility rode on a donkey (a beast of burden); this would have been a time of very mixed emotions for Jesus, knowing that this would be the last time that he would enter the city. He had told His disciples on many occasions that the Son of Man would have to die, this marked the start of that time of fulfilment.
The crowds were unaware of what was going to happen and greeted Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah, the one who would make Israel into the promised land.
We hear this in the reading of the Passion of Our Lord from St Luke’s account.
The Easter Triduum (which means three days). Each of these days tells a different part of the story of Jesus’ saving action. The church has one service per day, but they all form part of a single extended liturgy, and are not separate events.
Maundy Thursday – comes from the word Mandatum – to command; as Jesus did to His disciples at the last supper. At this mass we remember in a special way the institution of the Eucharist, where Jesus offered his disciples bread and wine as His body and blood. He used the same words that we hear spoken at each mass during the consecration – “do this in memory of me”. The other significant part of the service is the enactment by the priest of Jesus, when he took off his outer garments and put a towel around his waist and washed the feet of the disciples.
This was a visible sign of the humility of Jesus by emptying himself of all power and assuming the conditions of a slave. In our turn, we are called to be Christ-like to others and serve them in any way that we can.
At the end of the mass, we are invited to “watch with Our Lord” – as the disciples went with Jesus to the Garden of Gethsemane but fell asleep, Jesus asks us individually – “could you not stay with me for one hour?” what is our response?
Good Friday - at three o’clock, the traditional hour of Christ’s death – we celebrate the Lord’s passion. The altar is bare, and the celebrants enter and prostrate themselves, praying in silence together. This prostration recognises the magnitude of what Christ did for us on the cross. We bow down and acknowledge just what we are, fallen sinners who only by God’s help can be lifted to our feet.
We listen to St John’s gospel account of the passion, hearing how Jesus freely and willingly died for our redemption – we then have the opportunity to make a solemn veneration of the Cross, when all are called to kiss the wood of the cross on which hung our Saviour. This is a very profound and personal act for each one of us – it shows our personal commitment and gratitude to Christ for taking our place. There is a beautiful phrase which sums up the meaning of Good Friday - “he paid a debt he didn’t owe, because we owed a debt we couldn’t pay”.
Easter Vigil – when the journey of faith candidates come into full communion.
This first mass of Easter begins with the lighting of the new Paschal Candle and this light is shared to all who wait in a darkened church. The mass starts with the Exultet – a prayer of praise for Christ saving us; followed by readings and Gospel.
The new candidates come forward for baptism and confirmation into the Catholic church and will receive our Lord for the first time in the holy Eucharist. These people have spent months preparing through instruction and are welcomed with open arms by all the community. We share in the baptismal waters by the sprinkling of Holy water upon all the faithful as a sign of new life and resurrection.
So, how can we make Easter special – I would urge you to come to as many of the services as possible, choose a character out of the Gospels and put yourself in their place, following the events of Holy week. Make time to follow Christ in the stations of the cross and make a good confession before Easter. The time we put into this sacred season will be richly rewarded as we are reborn as children of light.
