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.
Holy Week and the Sacred Triduum
Father Matera
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