The Holy Week

The Holy Week, in the church, is the week between Palm Sunday and Easter, observed with special solemnity as a time of devotion to the passion of Jesus Christ. This week happens during the last week of Lent each year. Greek and Roman liturgical books call it the great week because great deeds were done by good during this week. Formally, only Good Friday and Holy Sunday were Holy days. Later Wednesday was added as the day Judas plotted to betray Jesus. By the beginning of the 3^rd century, other days in the week were added.

Pam-Passion Sunday is the first day of the Holy Week, where palm branches are blessed and carried in procession to commemorate the Lord’s entrance into Jerusalem ( Matthew 21:1-11). Passion Sunday because the passion narrative is proclaimed, where two separate gospels are read, the longest Sunday gospel of the year. The primary symbol for Palm Sunday is palms, a sign that the people regarded Jesus as their victorious king.

Holy Monday, we see Jesus enter the temple and drive out those selling there (Matthew 21:12-17).

Holy Tuesday was the day Jesus cursed the fig tree for not having fruit though it had leaves. On this day, Jesus gave the Olivet Discourse, an elaborate prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the age, the end times, His second coming, and the final judgment.

Holy Wednesday, also known as Spy Wednesday, is usually marked with a service of Tenebrae (Latin for darkness or shadows). This darkness symbolizes the abandonment of Jesus by his Disciples and anticipates the anguish and tragedy of Good Friday later on in the holy week. It is also the day Judas plotted to betray Jesus.

Maundy Thursday marks the last supper that Jesus shared with his disciples, his betrayal by his dispel Judas Iscariot, and his arrest at the garden of Gethsemane. Maundy Thursday services include the act of feet washing, which commemorates Jesus washing his disciple’s feet as an act of servanthood on the night of his arrest (John 13:1-20).

Good Friday commemorates Jesus’ trial before Pontius Pilate, his sentence of death, torture, crucifixion, and burial. It is called ‘good’ Friday connoting something ‘holy’ or ‘pious’ For many Christians, this is a day of fasting, medicating on the agony, death, and burial of Jesus and the significance of the cross of Christ. (Matthew 27:1-61)

Holy Saturday, this day is also known as Easter Vigil. It commemorates the final day of Christ’s death and is traditionally associated with His triumphant descent into hell. It is observed as a day to medicate and consider the world of darkness that would exist without the hope and redemption of Christ’s resurrection.

Easter Sunday, we reach the culmination of the holy week with Christ’s resurrection. This is the most important event of the Christian faith. The foundation of the Christian doctrine hinges on the truth of this account.

Christ is Risen, He is risen indeed. Happy Easter