What is Holy Week?

It is the week before Easter.  Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday and includes Spy Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.  It does not include Easter Sunday which is the beginning of another liturgical week.  Holy Week commemorates the Passion of Christ.  It is solemn and sorrowful, but anticipates the joy of Easter.

Palm Sunday:

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week with Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem where palm branches were placed in His path.

Spy Wednesday:

This is the day that Judas betrayed Jesus.  Judas acted as a spy for the Sanhedrin by accepting 30 pieces of silver in return for information that led to the betrayal of Christ.

Maundy Thursday:

Christ celebrated the Last Supper with His disciples.  Maundy Thursday is the oldest of the Holy Week celebrations.  During the Last Supper, Christ blessed the bread and wine and said to His disciples “love one another, as I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

The church altar is stripped bare and all bells in the church are silent until the Gloria at the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday.

Good Friday:

The crucifixion of Christ is commemorated.  No mass is celebrated on Good Friday and it is traditionally a day of fasting and penance.

Holy Saturday:

Holy Saturday is the final day of Lent and of Holy Week.  It commemorates the day that Jesus Christ’s body lay in the tomb before His resurrection.  It is also known as the Easter Vigil.  An Easter Vigil Mass takes place after sundown on Holy Saturday.

Easter Sunday!

Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  Through the 40 days of Lent, we have prepared ourselves to rise again with Him in new life on Easter.

Here is a great video: Holy Week in Two Minutes!

May you have a blessed week!