A Liturgical Journey through the Holy Week

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A Liturgical Journey through the Holy Week
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• The entire week between Palm Sunday and Holy
  Saturday is included in Holy Week
• Holy Week observances, as they call us to move
  behind the joyful celebrations of Palm Sunday and
  Easter, and focus on the suffering, humiliation,
  and death of Christ

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• It is important to place the hope of the
  Resurrection, the promise of newness and life,
  against the background of death and endings.

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It is only in walking through the shadows and
darkness of Holy Week and Good Friday, only in
realizing the horror and magnitude of sin and 
its consequences in the world incarnated in the
dying Jesus on the cross, only in contemplating
the ending and despair that the disciples felt on
Holy Saturday, that we can truly understand the
light and hope of Easter Sunday morning!
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Palm SundayCommemoration of the Lords entrance
into Jerusalem
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This Sunday is also known as Passion Sunday to
commemorate the beginning of Holy Week and Jesus
final agonizing journey to the cross.  The
English word passion comes from a Latin word that
means "to suffer," the same word from which we
derive the English word patient.
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Palm Sunday commemorates the triumphal entry of
Jesus into Jerusalem that was marked by the
crowds, who were in Jerusalem for Passover,
waving palm branches and proclaiming him as the
messianic king
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Red Colour
Symbolizes blood used on Palm Sunday to
symbolize the death of Jesus
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The liturgy

• Blessing of palms
• Gospel
• Short Homily
• Procession
• The word of God
• The Eucharistic sacrifice

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The Gospels tell us that Jesus rode into the city
on a donkey, enacting the prophecy of Zechariah
99, and in so doing emphasized the humility that
was to characterize the Kingdom he proclaimed.
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Reading of the Passion of Christ

• For meditation during the whole of holy week

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Easter Triduum

• The Easter Triduum begins Thursday evening of
  Holy Week with Eucharist and concludes with
  evening prayers Easter Sunday.

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Holy Thursday/ Maundy Thursday - Evening Mass of
the Lords supper
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• Traditionally in the Christian Church, this day
  is known as Maundy Thursday. The term Maundy
  comes from the Latin word mandatum (English word
  mandate), from a verb that means "to give," "to
  entrust," "to order or to command.

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A new commandment I give to you, that you love
one another even as I have loved you, you also
ought to love one another. By this everyone will
know that you are my disciples, if you have love
for one another. (John 1334-35)
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Holy Thursday commemorates Various events - 1

• The washing of the feet
• The betrayal by Judas
• Jesus praying in Gethsemane

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Holy Thursday commemorates Various events 2

• The last Supper / Passover meal the institution
  of Eucharist
• Passover meals / Seder meal a commemoration of
  the delivery of the people of Israel from slavery
  to the Egyptians
• Eucharist Remembrance of our delivery from
  slavery to sin through the death of Christ

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The Liturgy - 1

• Gloria sung the last time before Easter Sunday
• Washing of the Feet Self abasement of Christ
  servant hood and indicating the way Jesus will
  die
• Eucharistic Sacrifice

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The Liturgy - 2

• Transfer of the Holy Eucharist - Procession to
  the altar of the repose World in darkness
  without Christ darkness is the consequences of
  sin
• stripping of the altar abandonment of Jesus
  by the apostles and stripping of Jesus before
  crucifixion
• Keeping vigil - Silence

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The real focus of the celebration is the death
and resurrection of Jesus.
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Good Friday
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On this day, the church commemorates Jesus
arrest, his trial, crucifixion and suffering,
death, and burial.
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Service of Good Friday aimed at allowing
worshippers to experience some sense of the pain,
humiliation, and ending in the journey to the
cross
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How is the Church?

• No candle, No cross, No bell
• All pictures, statutes, and the cross are covered
  in mourning black
• Bare altar
• Minister prostrates or kneels

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Part 1 Liturgy of the Word

• We listen to the words of the scripture and
  strive to understand the true meaning of his
  suffering and the mind that was in him

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Meditation on the 7 last words of Jesus

• Father, forgive them . . . (Luke 2334)
• This day you will be with me in paradise (Luke
  2343)
• Woman, behold your son . . .(John 1926-27)
• My God, my God . . . (Matthew 2746, Mark 1534)
• I thirst.  (John 1928)
• It is finished! (John 1930)
• Father into your hands . . . (Luke 2346)

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General intercession

• We pray with his spirit for the needs of the
  whole world

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Part 2 Veneration of the Cross

• We worship the cross as the symbol of his triumph
• It is a cross not a crucifix

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Part 3 Holy Communion

• We enter into sacramental communion with him who
  is our Saviour and our Life

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Good Friday is not a day of celebration but of
mourning, both for the death of Jesus and for the
sins of the world that his death represents. Yet,
although Friday is a solemn time, it is not
without its own joy.
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For while it is important to place the
Resurrection against the darkness of Good Friday,
likewise the somberness of Good Friday should
always be seen with the hope of Resurrection
Sunday. "Its Friday.  But Sundays coming!"
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Holy Saturday
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• This is the seventh day of the week, the day
  Jesus rested in the tomb
• a day of quiet meditation as Christians
  contemplate the darkness of a world without a
  future and without hope apart from God and his
  grace.

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• It is also a time to remember family and the
  faithful who have died as we await the
  resurrection, or to honor the martyrs who have
  given their lives for the cause of Christ in the
  world.
• The last fasting on Holy Saturday is the climax
  of the season of Lent, the celebration of the
  resurrection is at hand! The fasting would end
  the feasting will begin.

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Holy Saturday has traditionally been a time of
reflection and waiting, the time of weeping that
lasts for the night while awaiting the joy that
comes in the morning (Ps 305).
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Easter Vigil
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Part 1 Service of light

• Easter Vigil begins in darkness as a flame is
  lit a "new fire" lit amid the darkness.
• From this "new fire" all the other candles in the
  sanctuary are lit. Paschal Candle as the focal
  point for this part of the service.
• All the worshippers light individual candles from
  the Paschal candle as they sing a song of praise.

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Order of service of light

• New fire is blessed The church is in darkness
• Blessing of Easter candle
• Procession into the Church Christ our light
• Easter Proclamation The Exultet

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This return of light symbolizes the resurrection
of Jesus from the grave and the light of
salvation and hope God brought into the world
through the resurrection, the triumph of the
light of Gods grace and salvation over the
darkness of death and sin.
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Part 2 Liturgy of the Word

• Reading form the old and new testament
• Nine Readings
• Unfolding of the revelation of God
• The salvation history

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A glance at the readings

• Rd 12 the creation of human and the universe
• Rd 3 Deliverance from Egypt
• Rd 4 5 Gods love delivers and new covenant
• Rd 6 7 - calling to new way of life, cleansing
  new heart
• Rd 8 Dying and rising with Christ
• Gospel The Account of Resurrection -the empty
  tomb.

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Part 3 Liturgy of Baptism

• A fitting day for baptism as Jesus delivers us
  from sin and darkness makes us the children of
  light through the washing of baptism.
• An experience of dying and rising anew in Christ

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The order of the Liturgy of Baptism

• Litany of the saints
• Blessing of water
• Baptism
• Renewal of Baptismal Promises
• Baptism
• Confirmation

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Part 4 Liturgy of the Eucharist

• The celebration of the sacrament of Redemption
  that redeemed mankind

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Easter Sunday The day of Resurrection
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A normal mass is celebrated with renewal of
baptismal promises
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Easter season

• Lighted candle
• Gloria
• Alleluia
• Greetings Jesus is risen and with more
  emphasis Jesus is indeed risen