From the Pastor's Desk




For all of us Christians, Holy Week is the holiest week in the Liturgical Year. It begins on Palm Sunday and culminates on Easter Sunday, the Day of the Resurrection.

As we start today, Palm Sunday, we commemorate the triumphant entry of Jesus into the city of Jerusalem where the crowd waved palm branches to greet him. As we wave our palm branches in the Church, we commemorate that event when the priest processes in and blesses the palm branches. Remember, these palm branches will be burned next year and will be used for the imposition of ashes. In other words, the use of palm branches on Palm Sunday marks the beginning of the Holy Week and the same palm branches will be used, in the form of ashes, to mark the beginning of Holy Week on Ash Wednesday...

Holy Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are days where we often focus on the events leading up to the Last Supper, Washing of the Disciples' Feet and his Betrayal, Passion, Death and Resurrection.

On Holy Thursday, no Masses are to be celebrated in the morning in the parishes except the Chrism Mass. In the evening of Holy Thursday, the Easter Triduum, Paschal Triduum, Holy Triduum or the Three Days begins. Triduum comes from the Latin words, "tri" which means three and "dies" which means day, the Three Holy Days: Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday, focusing on the Passion, Death and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus. Easter Triduum is a three-day of prayer, reflection and solemn celebrations focusing on the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus, commemorating the three last days of the earthly life of Jesus.

In the evening of Holy Thursday, we commemorate and celebrate the Mass of the Lord's Supper, where Jesus shared a meal with his disciples and instituted the Holy Eucharist. It is in the same celebration where the priest washes the "apostles" feet represented by different parishioners. Here we repose the Blessed Sacrament in the Altar of Repose. After the Mass of the Lord's Supper and Reposition of the Blessed Sacrament, the Church is left bare until the following day, Good Friday.
On Good Friday, the whole Church commemorates the Crucifixion and Death of Jesus on the Cross with liturgical services of Passion Narratives, Veneration of the Cross and Holy Communion. On the same day, the Church prays the traditional devotion of the Stations of the Cross which we also have here at Sacred Heart Church and St. James'. Today is a day of fasting, abstinence and prayer, remembering the Suffering and Death of Jesus on the Cross.

On Holy Saturday, we commemorate Jesus' body in the tomb, with the expectation that he will rise on the third day. This is the day of quiet reflection in the evening of the same day, we come together to celebrate Easter Vigil with the Blessing of the new fire and the Easter Candle, the Easter Proclamation, the Reception of the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist) if any, and the Renewal of the Promises we made at our own Baptism.

Easter Sunday is the Day of the Resurrection of Jesus, our Savior. Today Easter Sunday evening marks the end of the Easter Triduum.

Let us come together on these holy days of solemn and beautiful celebrations with love and devotion to our Lord Jesus who saved us by his Death and Resurrection so that we shall have life eternal. May our active participation during this Holy Week be our loving response to the immense love of God to each one of us.

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Last Update: April 14, 2025