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.
