Holy Week

All of us need help feeling as we should feel before the cross of Christ. So how can we enter into the sorrow and awe of Good Friday?

“You shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink” (Exodus 17:6). “I’ll just leave you to it.” Suddenly, like a toddler, I am running back to the Father, begging for him not to walk away. Rossetti longs for the great prophecy of Ezekiel to be fulfilled anew in her: “I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. This sin of benumbed attention runs perilously close to the loneliness of very hell. I remember the disappointment in the look of a parent that cut me more deeply than any words. Luke reports, “It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed” (Luke 23:44–45). Am I unable to reach even the level of a mere sheep?” Though lacking in courage and common sense, a sheep at least knows the shepherd’s voice and responds. But the criminal’s words connect us to Psalm 88, the most hopeless of biblical laments. I feel the truth of the description even as one who now has, in Christ, a new heart. We read the passion story in worship, and I just want to get home and watch TV. The poem, written in 1866, offers the relief of honest realism and an effective remedy for when I no longer connect to the sorrow of this day. “Last week my son came home and told me you’d been talking about the crucifixion of Jesus.” I nodded.

As Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854: “The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty ...

[says](http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/532.htm) the Catechism. He did lay his head in one place, though — the lap of his mother. More than that — where we see the cause of our obedience; she sees the fruit of her obedience. That means where we see the cause of our future salvation on Good Friday, she sees the reason for her original grace. He also adds that the oddness of expecting someone’s flesh to nourish another is not odd to a mother who carried a child in the womb and then nursed him at her breast. [hear](https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/040623-Supper.cfm), “This is my body that is for you. John [tells](https://biblehub.com/john/6-51.htm) us what that meant: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” It’s a strange interplay between her Yes and her son’s. from the flesh, from the veins of Mary.” [lived with](https://biblehub.com/john/19-27.htm) St. John Henry Newman put it, “He took his flesh and his blood … John doesn’t describe the Last Supper but his [sixth chapter](https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/6) comments on it.

Ask God to inspire your Holy Week observance, that you may celebrate it both externally and internally. Need an idea for Lenten almsgiving?

that they may celebrate the paschal festivities The Church recognizes this difficulty and provides a Prayer Over the People in the Roman Missal that can be our prayer this week, as we strive to celebrate Jesus’ Paschal mystery with both body and soul. Ask God to inspire your Holy Week observance, that you may celebrate it both externally and internally.

Maundy Thursday opens with the biographical religious drama “Magdalena” at 6:30 am. It will be followed by “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints 2023 ...

James Emery White is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, NC, and a former professor of theologyand culture at Gordon- ...

To enjoy a free subscription to the Church & Culture blog, visit [churchandculture.org](http://www.churchandculture.org/), where you can view past blogs in our archive, read the latest church and culture news from around the world, and listen to the Church & Culture Podcast. To enjoy a free subscription to the Church & Culture blog, visit [churchandculture.org](https://www.churchandculture.org/) where you can view past blogs in our archive, read the latest church and culture news from around the world, and listen to the Church & Culture Podcast. His latest book, Hybrid Church: Rethinking the Church for a Post-Christian Digital Age, is now Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday, marks the time of Jesus in the tomb. I know, the word “good” is a misnomer. After Jesus entered to acclaim, He moved to clear the Temple. There is an ancient text called The Pilgrimage of Egeria, that describes a fourth century visit to Jerusalem. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. Not willing to succumb to a celebrity culture, He made it clear what the demands of following Him would entail. In our culture, the significance of sacred days and times has long been forgotten. As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. We live our lives on the surface of frenetic activity, seldom adding depth to any given moment.

Yes, resurrection lies ahead, but, as one of my longtime friends said: “You can't get to the empty tomb until you go through Gethsemane.” Psalm Sunday should ...

It is “our reaction to the deep stirrings of guilt in ourselves and our society. That mistaken constitutional hermeneutic continues to cost the lives of Americans, making firearms the leading cause of child deaths, a statistic far beyond that of any other developed country in the world. Said, “They shall take them up.” Well, I’ve got to do it, or somebody’s got to do it, or else it makes Jesus out a liar, because if I tell you shall go out that door, it means that you’ve got to go out there, one way or the other. He is the author or editor of 25 books. Those 71 individuals are “representative” of many Americans, determined to keep throwing open the firearm floodgates, making it easier to access “legally secured” assistance in conducting mass shootings. On Palm Sunday 2023, the shouts of Hosanna turned to wails of unrestrained sorrow, at least in Nashville. In the last of the three presentations, I reflected on the Appalachian serpent handlers, a tiny religious communion I’ve written about across the years. Merton observed that sometimes our more sophisticated snakes and idols, our gods of technology, science, culture, religion represent our attempts to give meaning to our immediate failures and struggles, to prove our worth and validate our way of life. These Pentecostal-Holiness folks are sincere, dedicated, Christ-loving individuals, but they are wrong in their biblical exegesis, and upward of a hundred of them have paid with their lives for their mistaken theology. Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!’” On March 29, Golgotha came too early, preempting or at least sobering the way we read and try to understand Jesus’ “triumphal entry” into Jerusalem. Palm Sunday is supposed to give us hope that will strengthen us to walk with Jesus through Gethsemane, Golgotha, Good Friday and the borrowed tomb.

According to religious beliefs, Jesus delivered the Olivet Discourse on this day, in which he predicted the destruction of the temple and his second coming.

The Bible interpretation states that on the morning of Holy Tuesday, Jesus and his disciples returned to Jerusalem. It is believed that after Palm Sunday, Jesus travelled to Bethany, and on Holy Tuesday, he returned to Jerusalem, to go onwards to the Mount of Olives. It is also said that he taught his disciples about the importance of being prepared for the end times on this day. The Holy Tuesday is believed to be when Pharisees conspired against Jesus as he drove out traders from the temple of the Lord. Holy Tuesday is also known as Fig Tuesday or Great and Holy Tuesday. Holy Tuesday commemorates the day Jesus returned to Jerusalem from Bethany, passing a barren fig tree on the way, which he used as an example to teach his disciples.

The week comprises of four special ceremonies that commemorate the events of Christ's Passion from his entrance into Jerusalem, when palm branches were ...

According to the Bible, Good Friday is the day on which Jesus was crucified on the cross. Palm Sunday is important to Christians because it is the beginning of Holy Week. The day is important, therefore, because the celebration of the crowd encouraged the Romans to kill Jesus on Good Friday. According to the Bible, it marks the third day after Jesus was crucified when he rose from the dead. Many Christians celebrate with a special blessing and a procession of palm crosses. On Maundy Thursday, the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church washes the feet of 12 people to re-enact Jesus washing his disciples' feet at the Last Supper. [celebrate](https://www.mid-day.com/lifestyle/food/article/3-fun-and-unique-jackfruit-recipes-you-must-try-23278713) the coming of spring. It covers the span from when he arrived in Jerusalem to the time he was crucified. It is a time when Catholics gather to remember and participate in the Passion of Jesus Christ. The name Holy Week was used in the 4th century by St. Later, Wednesday was added as the day on which Judas plotted to betray Jesus, and by the beginning of the 3rd century, the other days of the week had been added. The Passion was the final period of Christ's life in Jerusalem.

Prophets and apostles speak in April 2023 general conference of the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ and present-day applications and blessings.

“I invite you to look at the Book of Mormon in a new light and consider the profound witness it bears of the reality of the Risen Christ as well as the richness and depth of the doctrine of Christ. “His visit as a resurrected Savior, introduced by God the Father, is a most glorious and triumphant Easter message. “In reality, the Book of Mormon shares the greatest Easter story ever told. “We are preparing to commemorate the most important and transcendent event ever recorded on earth, which is the Atonement and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was the most important week in human history.” His Resurrection bears witness that through Him, immortality and eternal life are realities.” In the sacred Intercessory Prayer, Christ petitioned: “Holy Father, keep through thine own name [mine apostles] whom thou has given me, that they may be one, as we are” ( “His Resurrection bears witness that, bound to Him by covenant, we too may overcome all things and become one. “It is the most important religious observance for followers of Jesus Christ. “Will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you? The main reason we celebrate Christmas is because of Easter.” Rasband](https://www.thechurchnews.com/2015/10/15/23222708/elder-ronald-a-rasband-apostle-2015) and [Elder Gary E.

On a sunny Sunday morning, April 2, Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron kicked off Holy Week celebrations in the Archdiocese of Detroit by celebration a Palm ...

"Each of us, as we hear the account of the Lord's passion, has our attention captured by one or another details in this sacred mystery," Archbishop Vigneron said in his homily. In particular, he said, the Passion is a reminder of why Jesus went through the agony he experienced on the cross: to save his people out of love. DETROIT — On a sunny Sunday morning, April 2, Archbishop Allen H.

COMMENTARY: In the run-up to Easter, we ought to live Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday with a particularly Eucharistic focus.

It’s likewise a chance to focus on the dimension of the Eucharist as a “memorial feast” and “perpetual institution,” making live in time what Jesus himself did on that most sacred night. Jesus wants to cleanse our feet through the same apostles, bishops and priests through whom he later gives us his Body and Blood. John, the veneration of the cross, and even the prayers of the Stations of the Cross, the preaching of “The Seven Last Words” and the beginning of the Novena to Divine Mercy. This year, therefore, we ought to live Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter vigil with a particularly Eucharistic focus. Similarly, on Good Friday, when Jesus gave his body and poured out his blood for us on Calvary, our concentration is normally on his enormous sufferings and death and in begging forgiveness for our sins that caused his crucifixion. Therefore, it’s fitting that the three-year-plus Eucharistic Revival began on Corpus Christi last June 19 and will shift from the diocesan to the parish phases on Corpus Christi this year, June 11.

This period, spanning from the evening of Holy Thursday to the evening of Easter Sunday, is considered the most sacred time of the year in the Catholic Church.

It was during this last supper that Christ, after being betrayed, offered his body and blood to God the Father in the form of bread and wine. Are you ready for the resurrection? During our worship on Holy Thursday this act expresses all that preceded this moment for Jesus and all that follows his utter self-emptying on the cross of Good Friday and the vindication of that offering in his Easter resurrection. He gave these to the apostles and instructed them and their successors in the priesthood to continue this offering at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. The Mass of the Lord’s Supper, traditionally held after sundown, commemorates the institution of the sacrament of the Eucharist and recalls the last supper of Jesus Christ. This period is an opportunity for Christians to reflect on the central events of their faith and to acknowledge the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Foot-washing is an important Holy Week theme. Today the Gospel focuses on how Mary of Bethany anointed Jesus' feet with precious nard.

In Bethany (the former) or maybe not (the latter)? John (12:1-11) clearly speaks of a dinner at the home of Lazarus in Bethany in which his sisters Martha and Mary take part, Mary perfuming Christ’s feet. The tone of the scene gives the impression of sorrow, not of generous joy in anoint the beloved rabbi who has blessed our family. Pope Francis has now decreed the memorial as one of Martha, Mary and Lazarus. Matthew (26:6-13), on the other hand, speaks of a dinner at the home of Simon the Leper in Bethany at which a nameless woman anoints Jesus’ head with nard oil, an action that elicits indignation from an unnamed “disciple.” James Tissot, our late-19th-century French artist who detailed the Life of Christ in generally accurate Mideastern settings and costume, painted “Le Parfum de Madeleine” (The Perfume of the Magdalene) sometime between 1886-1894. I make these observations because it complicates finding an artistic depiction of today’s Gospel that does not misrepresent it by including elements not in the Johannine text. Mark (14:3-9) repeats most of the details of Matthew, except that multiple “disciples” complain to themselves. In the Gospels — including Luke’s (10:38-42) — Mary of Bethany is presented as Lazarus’ good, contemplative sister, not a public sinner. On Thursday, Jesus himself will wash the feet of his Apostles in a gesture of humility at the Last Supper. So he complains that the nard could have been sold “for the poor.” John strips Judas of this self-justifying doggerel, noting he held the apostolic purse and readily helped himself to it. On these early days of Holy Week, the Church selects Gospels that point to the events immediately leading to Jesus’ Passion and Death.

The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh has announced a list of planned events for the Holy Week leading up to the Easter holiday.

It begins with the lighting of a fire outside the church, and the carrying of light into the darkened nave. Bishop Zubik will participate in this 32nd annual ritual with members of the Christian Leaders Fellowship. *Ecumenical Tenebrae prayer service at 7:00 p.m., with Bishop Zubik, presider, and local leaders of other faith denominations. *Good Friday Liturgy at 1:30 p.m., with Bishop Zubik, presider and homilist. The bishop consecrates all holy oils that parishes and the diocese will use throughout the year. *Chrism Mass at 10 a.m., with Bishop Zubik principal celebrant and homilist.

Holy Week comprises the few days between Palm Sunday, which recalls Jesus triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, and the following Saturday, when Jesus is ...

Did you see our invitation to donate to the victims of the earthquake in Syria? The entire month of March is lived in the spirit of Lent. Holy Week represents the end of Lent and its culmination.

Starting with Palm Sunday, when Jesus enters Jerusalem for the last time, crowds gather to see his entrance while waving palm branches and shouting “Hosanna!” ...

Christians believe that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is known as the ultimate sacrifice that saves us from sin and death. Paul considered it ‘of first importance’ that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and was raised to life on the third day, following what God had promised in the Scriptures ( [1 Corinthians 15:3](https://www.christianity.com/bible/niv/1-corinthians/15-3)).” However, the bad that happened on Good Friday is what made the good news of Easter possible. On Good Friday, Jesus is crucified (Matthew 27:1-61). On Tuesday, Jesus is questioned by religious leaders (Matthew 21:23-32). On Wednesday, Judas decides to betray Jesus (Matthew 26:1-16).

I was still sleepy because she would go to the first morning Mass, at 7 o'clock. What I liked the most was that we received the blessed palms. I liked to play ...

What really caught my attention, even as a little boy, was that my grandmother would bring three or four of the beggars who asked for alms outside the church, and they would sit at the table with us, smelly and all. People went out to dance and to drink, since celebrations and the sale of liquor resumed. This was the day to visit the various Altars of Repose for the Blessed Sacrament. But I had to cancel it because my mother warned me that if I went on the trip, I would have to renounce the Catholic faith. Keep in mind that you had to keep the blessed palms all year long until Ash Wednesday of the following year, because we were told that getting rid of them was considered a sin. We were early for church again because it was the day for confession. The chrism Mass was celebrated early in the morning with the bishop and all the priests of the town. There was sadness in the house because music was not played, only the occasional soap opera on the radio. I had to endure in silence, but I would fall asleep again until they read the part about the Lord's death, when I was awakened by the sound of the hidden altar boys seemingly stomping their feet. When I was older, I organized an outing with my friends because we didn't have classes. What I liked the most was that we received the blessed palms. Holy Week has always brought me many memories because I was born into a Catholic family in which the liturgy was always taken into consideration.

ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 3, 2023 / 17:00 pm (CNA). As Holy Week processions began in Spain, three wooden carvings of the Virgin Mary were damaged by fire in ...

Their actions prevented “the entire church” from catching fire. Part of the mantle was damaged. As Holy Week processions began in Spain, three wooden carvings of the Virgin Mary were damaged by fire in three separate incidents. [please consider donating](https://www.ignatius.com/Donation-P3579.aspx) to support our efforts. Fortunately, no one was injured by the fire. Statues of the Blessed Mother in Spain are typically clothed in an ornate mantle.

The iconic Basilica of Bom Jesus at Old Goa will be closed for tourists and other visitors from the morning of Thursday (April 6) till 11am on Sunday.

On Good Friday (Passion of the Lord), the Liturgical services will begin at Service at 3.00pm. On Easter Sunday, the Masses will be celebrated at 7am (Konkani), 8am (Konkani), 9.15am (English), and 12pm (English). On Maundy Thursday (the Lord's Supper), the Liturgical services will begin at 5.30pm.

(KNSI) - It's the most sacred time of the year for Christians as Holy Week is underway. The days leading up to...

No one was in the gym at Browerville High School when it came down, but it was decided at an emergency school board meeting Sunday the rest of the roof needed to be torn down in ...13h ago ](https://knsiradio.com/2023/04/03/browerville-high-school-gym-suffers-partial-roof-collapse/) [See More](/more-blog/?sort=views_5h&categories=2421-9%2C2421-28%2C2421-27&offset=4&items_per_page=4&items_per_more_page=10&el_class=&length_of_article_summary=250&display_author_name=yes&display_view=no&display_date=yes&layout=0&column_width=0&promo_position=default&target=&back_url=%2F2023%2F04%2F03%2Fchristian-holy-week-is-underway%2F&back_page_name=Christian%2BHoly%2BWeek%2Bis%2BUnderway) The DNR says it doesn't know exactly why the nest fell, but "The most likely scenario is that the heavy snow we re...13h ago ](https://knsiradio.com/2023/04/03/chick-on-dnrs-eagle-cam-dies-after-nest-falls-from-tree/) [Browerville High School Gym Suffers Partial Roof Collapse(KNSI) - The roof at a high school gym partially collapsed on Saturday. The week continues with Holy Thursday, where Jesus washes the feet of his disciples. Jesus says, I’ve come to enter into the most trying of human experiences and not just to try to take them away, but actually to make tragedy the very cause of our triumphs.” Cloud Diocese](https://stcdio.org/) Director of Vocations Father Scott Pogatchnik was a guest on KNSI and talked about what the week means for the faithful. “The most defining aspect of this whole week is that Jesus Christ gives meaning and purpose even to suffering.

Abbot Marcus Voss, O.S.B., leader of the monastery of 33 Benedictine monks at St. Bernard Abbey, blesses palms before a Palm Sunday procession in Cullman, April ...

Especially during these days the Catholic monks of St. Bernard Abbey in Cullman welcome guests to their worship, ancient rites in praise of God who suffered for ...

Some writers explain that the veiling is to remind all of Jesus’ humiliation and to imprint the image of the crucified Christ more deeply on minds and hearts. From that fire the Paschal (Easter) Candle, which symbolizes Christ, is lit and taken into the church, where the candles of all worshippers receive the flame from the “Light of Christ” (Paschal Candle), destroying darkness and flooding the church with light. Just as the Lenten fast concludes with the Easter feast, so too, fasting from the cross culminates in honoring the cross on which the sacrifice of Calvary was offered for the sins of the world on that first Good Friday. Holy Thursday is sometimes called “Maundy Thursday” (from the Latin word “mandatum” or “command”), from Jesus’ command made on this day that his followers are to love as He loves – demonstrated in the very act of washing feet. Holy Week is the center of the Christian Year, and the heart of Holy Week are the days of Holy Thursday through Easter Sunday, called the Sacred Triduum (Three Days). – The solemnity and seriousness of Holy Week are very evident in the Church of St.

Ecce Mater Tua is the name of a Holy Week exhibition set up by Darren Vella in collaboration with the Gozo cathedral altar boys at Santa Barbara chapel at ...

The exhibition consists of Passion statues and an altar of repose displaced in a miniature church. Work on the first-time exhibition has been going on for months. Consists of Passion statues and an altar of repose

Holy Week, in the Christian church, is the week between Palm Sunday and Easter. Christians observe this week with special solemnity and a time of ...

Holy Week Message ( 2^nd April 2023 ). By: Archbishop Justin Badi , Chairman of the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA).

Happily, the core leadership of both GSFA & GAFCON have recently agreed to build a more collaborative relationship as we seek God’s will for His Church at this time and seek to keep in step with the Holy Spirit. This means that there is a total of 11 Ordinary Member Provinces in GSFA , with 2 more Provinces in the pipeline at the moment. With sorrow yet with resolve & humble boldness, the orthodox in the Communion must now rise up to this task of re-setting the world-wide Communion with a new locus , that is a new ecclesiastical centre. For the glory of our great God and Saviour! Dear people , pray fervently for GSFA & all the orthodox components of the Communion in this endeavour. The chosen trajectory of the official leadership of the Church of England is lamentable but clear, and it warrants a firm response. Therefore , GSFA will work patiently, thoughtfully and lovingly with other orthodox leaders in the Communion, such as those in the GAFCON movement and other Primates & groupings, to forge this re-setting of the Communion on a strong and stable foundation. The Statement makes it clear that in making this decision it is “ the Church of England that has chosen to break communion with those provinces who remain faithful to the historic biblical faith expressed in the Anglican formularies.” On its part , the GSFA finds that in its calling to be ‘a holy remnant’ it cannot be ‘in communion’ with revisionist provinces who pursue the path of false teaching that compromises the Gospel. Please know that the position taken by GSFA in its Ash Wed Statement was made after careful consideration and after due warnings were communicated to the Archbishop of Canterbury. I am referring to the global Anglican Church that God has built up over the centuries and that has been His instrument of Gospel blessing to so many countries … Furthermore , the leadership role played by the Archbishop of Canterbury in the revisionist path adopted by the General Synod renders the GSFA unable to recognise the present incumbent as “ the ‘first among equals’ Leader of the global Communion.” Instead of coming on a horse as a conquering general, He came on a colt as the Prince of Peace.

Lauren Green, host of "Lighthouse Faith" podcast, shares insights into Holy Week for Christians and others of faith; the week leads up to the death and ...

It is after they say, 'You're no friend of Caesar,' that he immediately to sentences Jesus to death." But he's learned to work with the Jewish chief priests and the high priests to keep order among the people. Judas leads the arresting guards to the Mount of Olives where Jesus and the other apostles are. But the religious leaders don't want him just convicted: They want him disgraced. Jesus' trial is for the most part a mockery of justice. Plain and simple, she said, "He did for the money!" Constantinou gives many more examples of the religious leaders trying to confuse Jesus. Bethany was about two miles from Jerusalem and the Jewish temple, the seat of religious power. In her book, "The Crucifixion of the King of Glory," she uncovers the political intrigue that condemned Jesus. Anybody who visits an Orthodox church will see that it is like stepping back in time to the early church." Eugenia Scarvelis Constantinou, an adjunct professor at the Franciscan School of Theology at the University of San Diego, said that what Jesus did just a few miles from Jerusalem is key to understanding Palm Sunday and the entirety of the week. "It says in the Scriptures," she said.

There are many ways to mark Holy Week – perhaps fasting, perhaps the daily Eucharist, and perhaps receiving a text that is describing where Jesus now is in the ...

Before we know where we are, we are 70 and facing the truth of our mortality. The concept of the Church Calendar is to encourage humanity to live conscious of the divine and to transcend the mundane. Let us turn the phone into a device of prayer and reflection.

Lauren Green, host of "Lighthouse Faith" podcast, shares insights into Holy Week for Christians and others of faith; the week leads up to the death and ...

As Easter Sunday approaches Christians will celebrate the final days of Jesus Christ before his crucifiction and resurrection at the end of Holy Week.

Below is the calendar of events for Holy Week, April 4 through Easter Sunday, April 9, at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in downtown Cullman.