A Catholic's Guide to Holy Week
Table of Contents
When is Holy Week?
Palm Sunday
The Chrism Mass
Holy Monday
Holy Tuesday
Holy Wednesday
Holy Thursday
Good Friday
Holy Saturday
Easter Vigil
Easter Sunday
Holy Week is the most important week in Catholicism. This week of great reverence and reflection spans the final eight days of Jesus’ life—from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. It is astounding how much wisdom, insight and inspiration are available to us during this one week. Here is just a sample of what happens during Holy Week:
Palm Sunday, Jesus triumphantly enters Jerusalem
Monday of Holy Week, Jesus clears out the temple with a whip
Tuesday of Holy Week, Jesus is anointed with oil at Bethany and preaches on the Mount of Olives
Spy Wednesday, Jesus is betrayed by Judas
Holy Thursday, Jesus celebrates the Last Supper, prays in the Garden of Gethsemane, and is arrested
Good Friday, Jesus is sentenced to death, scourged, beaten, crucified, and dies on the Cross
Holy Saturday, Jesus is buried in the tomb and descends into hell
Easter Sunday, Jesus rises from the dead
We are all trying to make sense of life. One way for us to understand our lives is to look at them through the great experiences that happen during Holy Week. Just try this exercise–at the end of every day, ask yourself, “What sort of day did I have today? Did I have an Ash Wednesday day, or did I have an Easter Sunday day? Did I have a Good Friday day, or did I have a Holy Saturday day?"
What defines those sorts of days? Good Friday is an easy one—it's a day of suffering and sacrifice. There are some days you get to the end of, and you feel like that's the kind of day you've had. What's Holy Saturday? It's a day of darkness, doubt, anxiety, confusion, and a day where faith is tested. What’s Easter Sunday? It’s a day of new life. Maybe there's a birth of a child in the family, and we see it as a miracle, a gift from God.
We're trying to make sense of our lives, and God is constantly trying to help us make sense of them. These great moments in the life of the Church and the life of Jesus provide powerful lenses through which we can see our lives in a new way, expanding our understanding of ourselves and others.
Keep reading for more information about each day of Holy Week and simple, yet powerful ways to engage with each moment along the way.
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