As we journey through Holy Week we come to the most important time of the year in the Church. We celebrate Christ’s paschal mystery - the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Each of these holy days are rich in meaning, symbolism and of great significance in the life of the Church. We begin with Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem as King which is in strong contrast to what occurs during the Easter Triduum later in the week. Holy Thursday signifies Christ institution of the Eucharist and the new priesthood as Christ becomes the new ‘Passover Lamb.’ We have the beautiful image of Christ washing his disciples feet as he ‘sets us an example that we should do as he has done for us (Jn 13:15).’ In the liturgy all the decorations of the Church are removed or shrouded and all candles are extinguished to represent darkness. The priest strips and washes the feet of 12 people and instead of the final blessing we have adoration of the Eucharist.
On Good Friday we remember Christ’s Crucifixion. The ultimate act of love in which God humbles himself to become man. The tabernacle is empty and the church is again undecorated. We have the silent and solemn procession for the liturgy and we venerate the cross by kneeling before it and kissing it. The Eucharist received is consecrated from the day before.
The week culminates with the Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord (Easter) in which we celebrated Christ’s rising from the dead. The Mass begins gathering in the dark symbolizing the darkness of the tomb and our sin. We follow the candle like the Israelites who followed the pillar of fire and we here nine readings and eight Psalms, which tell the story of Salvation that Jesus won for us. During the Gloria, the Church lights come on and we decorate the Church to symbolize Christ’s Resurrection. We also baptize and welcome new people into our church and renew our baptismal promises. The richness of the Liturgies over the coming days enables one to enter the Paschal Mystery of our Lord. I encourage you to check your local Parish Bulletin for Easter Timetable (see below for local Parish Masses). May the joy of the Risen Lord be with you and your families these Easter holidays.
The following two-minute clip gives a brief insight into the meaning of each of the days of Holy Week.
