Holy Week
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April 2, 2023 to April 8, 2023
Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday and ends on Holy Saturday Night before the Easter Vigil.
Palm Sunday is the final Sunday of Lent, the beginning of Holy Week, and commemorates the triumphant arrival of Christ in Jerusalem, days before he was crucified.
The Easter Triduum is the period of three days that begins with the liturgy on the evening of Maundy Thursday, reaches its high point in the Easter Vigil, and closes with evening prayer on Easter Sunday.
Red or purple are appropriate colors for Palm Sunday. During Holy Week, purple is used until the church is stripped bare on Maundy Thursday; the church remains stripped bare on Good Friday and Holy Saturday, though in some places black might be used on those days.Palm Sunday (Passion Sunday) commemorates the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1–9), when palm branches were placed in his path, before his arrest on Holy Thursday and his crucifixion on Good Friday. It thus marks the beginning of Holy Week, the final week of Lent. It falls on the Sunday before Easter.
Palm branches are blessed with an aspergillum outside the church building in an event called the "blessing of palms". A solemn procession also takes place, and often includes the entire congregation.
Maundy Thursday - The word "maundy" comes from the Latin word mandatum (commandment) which is the first word that Jesus spoke to His apostles after He washed their feet (John 13:34):
"I give you a new commandment: Love one another as I have loved you."• The farewell discourse and priestly prayer of Jesus
The feast of Maundy (or Holy) Thursday commemorates the institution of the Eucharist (Holy Communion) at the Last Supper.
The biblical events of the first Holy Thursday were:• The eating of the Easter lamb or the paschal meal
• The washing of the disciple's feet
• The institution of the Most Holy Eucharist
• The first Mass at which Jesus Christ is the eternal high priest
• The first Communion of the apostles
• The first conferring of Holy Orders
• The foretelling of Judas' betrayal and Peter's denials
• The agony and capture of Jesus in the Garden of Olives
Good Friday - The omission of the prayer of consecration deepens our sense of loss because Mass throughout the year reminds us of the Lord's triumph over death, the source of our joy and blessing. The desolate quality of the rites of this day reminds us of Christ's humiliation and suffering during his Passion. We can see that the parts of the Good Friday service correspond to the divisions of Mass:
- Liturgy of the Word - reading of the Passion.
- Intercessory prayers for the Church and the entire world, Christian and non-Christian.
- Veneration of the Cross
- Communion, or the 'Mass of the Pre-Sanctified.
Holy Saturday – also referred to as Black Saturday
This day commemorates Jesus lying in the tomb until his resurrection on Easter Sunday. It is a day of great mourning. Black is a symbol of death and mourning.
Holy Saturday Night begins the Easter Vigil. The Easter Vigil is the first official celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus. It is held in the hours of darkness between sunset on Holy Saturday and sunrise on Easter Day – most commonly in the evening of Holy Saturday or midnight. It consists of four parts:
- The Service of Light
- The Liturgy of the Word
- Christian Initiation and the Renewal of Baptismal Vows
- Holy Eucharist
Easter Sunday - The Resurrection - Christ is Risen from the Dead!
Allelulia!