Holy Week is one of the most important times of the liturgical year for Catholics as it commemorates the final week of Jesus' earthly life, and marks the end of the season of Lent.  Holy Week commences this Sunday - Palm Sunday (5^th April) and follows Jesus’ steps through to his death on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Timeline of Holy Week:

Palm Sunday: Accompanied by his disciples, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, while crowds of people covered the streets ahead of him with their cloaks and with palm branches.

Tuesday and Wednesday: Jesus preached and taught in Jerusalem.

 Thursday: The Last Supper After washing the feet of the disciples, Jesus celebrated the Feast of the Passover, instituting the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

After the supper, Jesus and his disciples went to Gethsemane to pray, where he was arrested by the Temple guard and taken to an illegal night session of the Jewish court, the Sanhedrin.

Friday: Jesus was taken into Roman courts, before Pontius Pilate and Herod Antipas, who sent him back to the Jewish court. Roman soldiers took him to Golgotha, the place of the skull, where he was crucified.

Saturday: Jesus rested in the tomb while his disciples observed the Sabbath.

Easter Sunday: An angel met Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary" (perhaps Mary, the mother of James and John) at the tomb to tell them that Jesus was risen from the dead.

THE PASCHAL MYSTERY

What is the Paschal Mystery?

The Lenten season is a perfect time to have this discussion. We have many mysteries in our faith. These are beliefs that we accept as truth on faith alone because they have been revealed to us by God. These mysteries are central to our faith, but not always the easiest to explain to our children and students.  When we talk about the Paschal Mystery we are referring to God’s plan of salvation which was ultimately fulfilled through four events in Christ’s life. Those four events are His Passion (his suffering and crucifixion), death, Resurrection, and Ascension. (CATECHIST'S AIDE ON MARCH 16, 2018)

The Paschal Mystery teaches us that living, dying and rising are a part of everyday experience as Christians. It reminds us that there may be times when we struggle and are in pain but that, if we follow Jesus' teachings and have faith, there is always the hope of new life. The Paschal Mystery is celebrated is celebrated at Easter with Jesus’ resurrection but also recalled during Mass each Sunday.

 Amid the anxiety of the effects of the Corona Virus, it certainly is a time to reflect on the  Paschal Mystery and hope and pray for Christ’s light to guide us through these difficult times, to new life. In fact, did you know that the Easter Egg is a symbol of new life?  In countries in the Northern hemisphere, Easter is celebrated during spring and the egg was chosen to symbolise the new life that occurs during spring.

I wish you and your family a happy Easter and a relaxing break during the holidays. I have placed some links for an Online Mass and Stations of the Cross on the 2,3,4 and 5,6 Google Classrooms for families to share during Holy Week.

Wishing you every blessing this Easter.

- Liz Murray