We are about to enter into the three holiest days of the Christian calendar which are celebrated as one unbroken service. Many people, including a number of practicing Catholics, don't realize that beginning at sunset on Holy Thursday, through Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday into Easter Sunday are the three holiest days in the year. These three days, starting Thursday evening and going through Sunday evening are known as the Holy Triduum. They give us a wonderful opportunity to pray and reflect on Christ's Passion, death, and Resurrection.
A Holy Week overview in two minutes:
Over the years, I have prayerfully written a number of reflections on these three holiest of days and how they are observed. Below, I've included links to those reflections as well as to those posts that chronicle the joyous, miraculous occasion of my husband returning to the Catholic faith.
Holy Thursday: Washing of the feet and Institution of the Eucharist
This evening we will remember what Christ did in His 72 hours on earth. To read more about the significance of Holy Thursday and what we do to honor it, check out this reflection.
Good Friday: Veneration of the Cross
A reflection on The First Station of the Cross
A new look at Christ's words on the Cross: "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"
Remembering Christ's Sorrowful Passion
Easter Vigil: A culmination of the faith and summary of Christianity through Scripture reflection, songs, and sacraments. Saturday evening is when people are Baptized and brought into the church through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults.
Check out Very Special Fond Memories of the Holy Week for a more detailed account of one of the best Holy Week's of my life, when my husband Kevin returned to the Catholic Church in 2000 (and was named "the patron saint of boyfriends" by Fr. Remi Sojka, the priest who served our Catholic Campus Ministry at Hollins University and Roanoke College.
