Lord Jesus Christ, I come before You—broken yet hopeful, wounded yet seeking, fallen yet rising once more.
Through the waters of Baptism, I am Your servant. Through the gift of Your grace, I am Your child. Through the mystery of Your love, I am Yours.
When anxiety floods my heart, when doubt clouds my mind, when despair threatens my soul, I turn to Your Cross.
The Enemy whispers of failure. The Enemy stirs my self-loathing. The Enemy plants seeds of despair. But at the foot of Your Cross, these burdens grow lighter.
Saint Catherine of Sienna wrote, “Every great burden becomes light beneath this most holy yoke of the sweet will of God.” Pour forth Your Holy Spirit upon me:
That I might love myself as Your creation
That I might seek Your will with confidence
That I might offer myself wholly to You
My sins have wounded me deeply. My sins have damaged my earthly relationships. My sins have separated me from You, Most Holy Trinity.
Yet I lift my eyes to Golgotha. I behold You crucified. I witness Love poured out completely.
May Mary Intercede for Us
“It is through the atmosphere of Mary that we truly are able to receive the light of the Son.”
At Calvary’s darkest hour, You spoke words of eternal comfort: “Woman, behold, your son.” “Behold, your mother.”
In Your suffering, You gave us Your mother. In Your pain, You secured our adoption. In Your death, You ensured we would never journey alone.
When failures overwhelm me, I look to Your Cross. When trials surround me, I remember Your suffering. When doubts assail me, I unite myself to Your passion.
This pilgrim journey toward holiness is not walked alone. We stumble together. We rise together. We move toward You together—finding unexpected joy and surpassing peace even in our suffering.
Have you ever wondered about the week leading up to Easter? It’s called Holy Week, and it’s packed with traditions, history, and deep spiritual meaning. Even if you’ve been celebrating Easter your whole life, there might be some fascinating aspects of Holy Week you’ve never noticed before. Let’s take a closer look at this important time in the Church calendar and uncover some of its hidden gems.
What Exactly Is Holy Week?
Holy Week is the week right before Easter Sunday. It starts on Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord. Think of it as a special time to walk with Jesus through the last days of his life, from his triumphant entry into Jerusalem to his crucifixion and burial. The traditions of Holy Week developed in Jerusalem in the 4th century, when Christians wanted to re-enact the final scenes of Jesus’ life in a liturgical way. Because Holy Week is so important, the celebrations that happen during this time take precedence over any other celebrations.
Palm Sunday: A Day of Triumph and Foreboding
Have you ever experienced a day that starts with joy and ends with sorrow? Palm Sunday is like that. On this day, we remember Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem and his Passion. The crowds waved palm branches to welcome him, which is why we use palm fronds in the liturgy on this day. But the joyful atmosphere quickly changes as we hear the Gospel reading about Jesus’ suffering and crucifixion. It’s a stark reminder that the road to glory passes through the Cross.
Maundy Thursday: A Night of Firsts and Farewells
Maundy Thursday, also known as Holy Thursday, is a night of significant events. It’s the day we commemorate the Last Supper Jesus had with his Apostles before his death on the Cross. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke all contain narratives of this event. The Gospel of John gives a different account where Jesus washes the feet of his Apostles. During the Mass on Holy Thursday, the priest washes the feet of parishioners as a sign of service.
Institution of the Eucharist and the Priesthood
One of the most important themes of the Holy Thursday Mass is service and the role of the priests. It was at the Last Supper “when the Lord Jesus gave to the Church the gift of the Eucharist, and with it instituted our priesthood”. The priest or deacon washing the feet of the laity recalls Christ’s act of service to Peter and the other Apostles.
The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.” Those in RCIA might find a special appreciation for Holy Thursday as they have been slowly trekking through the teachings of the Church. The peak is the Eucharist― the gift of Jesus’ body, blood, soul, and divinity.
The Chrism Mass
On the morning of Holy Thursday (in some dioceses it may be another morning during Holy Week), the bishop and the priests of his diocese celebrate a “Chrism Mass,” in which the oils used in the sacraments are consecrated.
Stripping of the Altar
After the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, the altar is stripped, the Eucharist is processed to a place of repose, and a period of silent Eucharistic adoration is held.
Good Friday: A Day of Sacrifice and Silence
Good Friday is a day of solemn remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross. Mass is not celebrated on this day. Instead, a Communion service is held. This consists of a liturgy of the word, the veneration of the cross, and the distribution of holy Communion. During the Crucifixion, “from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour” — that is, from about noon to about 3 p.m. — at which point Jesus died.
Ven. Fulton Sheen reminds us, “Unless there is a Good Friday in your life, there can be no Easter Sunday.”
Holy Saturday: Waiting in Hope
Holy Saturday is a day of waiting and anticipation. During the daytime hours, Mass is not celebrated, and holy Communion is given only to the dying. However, after nightfall, a vigil Mass commemorating the Resurrection of Jesus on Easter is celebrated. It is also customary for catechumens to be baptized and, in many places, for already baptized candidates to be received into the Church. They are also confirmed and receive their first holy Communion, completing the sacraments of Christian initiation.
St. Catherine of Siena encourages us: “He will provide the way and the means, such as you could never have imagined. Leave it all to Him, let go of yourself. Lose yourself on the Cross, and you will find yourself entirely.”
Easter Sunday: The Dawn of New Life
Easter Sunday is the day we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus. In the Gospels, the disciples first learned of the Resurrection after the women went to the tomb and met angels, who revealed that it was empty. The Gospel reading is from John 20:1-9, which records the discovery of the empty tomb by Mary Magdalen and how Peter and the beloved disciple ran to the site and found her report was true.
Embrace the Journey
Holy Week is a journey through the final days of Jesus’ life, from his triumphant entry into Jerusalem to his glorious Resurrection on Easter Sunday. It’s a time to reflect on the meaning of Christ’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection for our lives. As St. Bruno said, “While the world changes, the Cross stands firm.”
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on April 19, 2019.
A Prayer Before the Cross
Lord Jesus Christ, I petition you as your most unworthy servant and adopted child through the waters of Baptism to hear my petitions. Please soothe the anxiety in my heart, mind, and soul over the pressures, toils, and attacks of despair the Enemy sends my way. Self-doubt and self-loathing pervades me mind throughout today.
Saint Catherine of Sienna wrote, “Every great burden becomes light beneath this most holy yoke of the sweet will of God.” May I receive the graces from the Holy Spirit to love myself and confidently seek your Will, not for my sake but as in loving myself I make a worthy offering to you Most Holy God.
My sins wound me. Damage my relationship with myself, my neighbors, and ultimately You Most Holy Trinity. I ask the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints in Heaven to help re-orient my gaze to the Cross of Jesus—crucified on Golgotha.
May Mary Intercede for Us
I recall the words from a homily by my parish priest who declared, “It is through the atmosphere of Mary that we truly are able to receive the light of the Son.” According to John 19:26-27, “When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son.’ 27 Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.”
At the foot of the Cross, Jesus entrusted his beloved disciple [and all humanity] to his mother. More important, Jesus gifts us the blessing of the Blessed Virgin Mary as well.
Failures, trials, and doubts will surround us throughout life. Uniting ourselves to Christ’s suffering in Calvary brings joys and peace in the struggle. Remembering that we are all in this pilgrim journey, towards holiness, together helps sustain me in my downtrodden times.
