Holy Week is, essentially, what is says -- it's the holiest week of the year for the church.

From Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to the Last Supper to his death and resurrection, the week is filled with beautiful moments at church.

Father Matera walks us through the essentials of Holy Week.






Preliminary Remarks

• Holy Week is the most important time of the church's liturgical year
• Holy Week celebrates the central mystery of our faith: The Paschal Myster
• The Paschal Mystery is the mystery of Christ's death and resurrection

Palm Sunday: The Passion of the Lord

• Palm Sunday recalls the Lord's entrance into Jerusalem and anticipates our entrance into the eternal Jerusalem
• In 2014 (Cycle A), the church reads from the Passion Narrative according to Matthew

Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday

• These days recall the time of plotting against Jesus
• The readings at Daily Mass are especially rich
  • The Servant Songs of Isaiah
  • The stories of Jesus' betrayal

The Sacred Triduum

• The Sacred Triduum is the heart of Holy Week
• The Triduum is a single feast celebrated over three days: Holy Thursday, Good Friday & the Easter Vigil
• The conclusions of Holy Thursday and Good Friday are open-ended so as not to give the impression that the celebration has ended
• The community leaves after Holy Thursday and Good Friday with the intention of returning to complete the feast it's celebrating
• The Sacred Triduum is NOT a mere remembrance of the past
• The Sacred Triduum is a mystery into which we enter
• We experience the Paschal Mystery every Sunday, but we experience it more intensely during this Sacred Triduum

Holy Thursday: The Celebration of the Lord's Supper

• The Triduum begins by celebrating the Eucharist that Jesus gave when he celebrated the Passover with his disciples on the eve before his death
• The church remembers the institution of the Eucharist and the Priesthood
• The sacred oils brought from the cathedral are presented at Mass
• The readings focus our attention on three themes: the Jewish Passover, the Christian Passover and Jesus' self-sacrificial love for his disciples
• The Gospel is made concrete in the washing of feet that reminds us that the essence of the Christian life is service
• Holy Thursday concludes with a procession of the Eucharist to the altar of reservation, followed by adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

Good Friday: The Lord's Passion and Death

• Good Friday continues the celebration that began on Holy Thursday
• Ideally, the same people should be present in the same place
• The service has three parts
  • Liturgy of the Word
    • Servant Song of Isaiah 53
    • Hebrews
    • Passion according to John
    • Series of beautiful General Intercessions
  • Adoration of the Cross
  • Communion (not Mass) from hosts consecrated on Holy Thursday
• The service is not meant merely to remember Jesus' suffering but to begin the process of entering into the mystery of his death and resurrection

Great Easter Vigil: The Resurrection of the Lord

• The process of entering into the paschal mystery began on Holy Thursday and Good Friday comes to a climax at the Easter Vigil
• The Easter Vigil has the following elements:
  • The lighting of the new fire and the procession with the Paschal Candle, which represents the Risen Christ
  • The singing of the Exsultet in the light of the Paschal Candle
  • The reading of scripture in the light of the Paschal Candle, that is, the risen Lord, who gives new meaning to these texts
  • The Baptism, Confirmation and Communion of the catechumens
  • The renewal of baptismal promises and sprinkling with Holy Water
  • The celebration of the Eucharist

Participating in the Easter Vigil

• Attend all three services
• View these services as a single celebration
• Go beyond remembering the past to participating in the mystery of Christ's dying and rising, which reveals the full meaning of our Christian lives