Holy Week

Next Thursday our students will gather in the school hall for the re-enactment of, and reflection on, the most important event in human history, the events of Holy Week. Holy Week. Holy means "set apart." Christians set apart an entire week (Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday) to recall the greatest tragedy and sorrow and the most important time in human history – the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross for all humanity’s sake. Jesus was THE ONE sent by God to show humanity the WAY to live and the WAY to God. He suffered and died to atone for the sins of the world.

PALM SUNDAY

This coming Sunday is Palm Sunday, and it marks the beginning of Holy Week. On this day Christians celebrate Jesus’ joyful entrance into the holy city of Jerusalem. Jesus, along with thousands of Jewish people, were making the annual pilgrimage to the holy city to worship at the holy temple and celebrate the Jewish Festival of the Passover (still celebrated today by the Jewish people to remember God leading their ancestors out of slavery in Egypt thousands of years before Jesus’ time). Jewish Pilgrims had to be in the city seven days before the beginning of the Passover Feast to worship at the temple and purify themselves for the annual Passover Festival. Word had spread about Jesus being the Messiah, and as he entered the city humbly on a simple donkey, crowds gathered to welcome him and worshipped him, laying down palm leaves before him.

But this joyous return to Jerusalem is only one side of the story of Holy Week.

Many Jewish leaders did not believe Jesus was the Son of God. They were worried about his popularity among the Jewish people. They wanted to see him dead.  

HOLY THURSDAY

After His triumphant entry into Jerusalem on ‘Palm Sunday’, Jesus celebrated the Passover Feast with his mother Mary and his apostles. He knew this was to be his Last Supper and he wanted to give his friends the greatest gift ever… the gift of himself. 

‘Then he took some bread, he said a thankyou prayer, he broke it and gave it to those who were present, saying, “This is my body, [which will be] broken for you” (crucified on the on the cross). “Do this in memory of me.” And he did the same with the cup saying, “This is my blood poured out for you.” (His blood poured out in death on the cross) (Luke 22:19,20).

Catholics go to mass every weekend to remember Jesus’ last supper and his sacrifice on the cross just as Jesus asked His followers to do over 2000 years ago. They share in the breaking and eating of the bread (which they truly believe is Jesus’ body – his life - sacrificed for humanity). 

Sacrament Program