Holy Week, is a time of remembrance and proclamation of the atoning suffering and death of Jesus Christ; It is the week from Palm Sunday to Easter – a week that begins and ends in triumph and rejoicing. 

Holy Week is also the heart of the Christian message. 

Holy week is a time to:

•  Commemorate the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  As we recall the events of Jesus’ last days on earth, we strengthen our hope for eternal life, made possible through His selfless sacrifice.

•  Observe the final and most important week in Lent.  On Ash Wednesday we begin our spiritual preparation for Easter.  Holy Week marks the final phase of that preparation.  It is a time for renewing our faith through prayer, reflection, worship, and other activities.

•  Inspire us to follow Jesus’ example of self-sacrifice in our daily lives.  As Jesus told this disciples, if anyone would come after me, they must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  (Matthew 16:24)

Major Events

Palm Sunday.  According to the Gospel of Matthew, the major events of Holy Week begin with Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem.

•  The Instructions.  Upon reaching the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of the disciples ahead to Jerusalem telling them, Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find an ass tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me.  (Matthew 21:1)

•  The Errand.  The disciples followed Jesus’ instructions and returned with the animals.  They threw garments on the beasts’ backs for Jesus to sit on.

•  The Reception.  A crow greeted Jesus as He entered the village.  Some spread their garments on the road before Jesus.  Others cut palm branches and them there.

•  The Acclamation.  Great excitement was created in the city when the crowd shouted, Hosanna to the Son of David!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  Hosanna in the highest!  (Matthew 21:9)

What is the symbolism of palm branches?

The palm frond was a symbol of triumph in Roman times, given to the winners of military or athletic contests. They were the original pom-poms, or if you prefer, those giant foam fingers at football games.

Therefore, when the people of Jerusalem greet Jesus with palm branches (Matthew 21, e.g.), they aren't just grabbing what is ready-to-hand to express their jubilation. The palms symbolize victory, a fitting tribute for the return of a triumphant king.

· There are multiple levels of irony in this scene: the one they greet is a not a king in a chariot, but a humble man riding on a donkey; he comes not with military might, but to establish a reign of peace; his "battle" is ahead of him, and it will seem to end in tragic and crushing defeat; the very crowds who are now crying "hosanna" ("save us") will soon be shouting "crucify him!"

· For the early Christians who suffered under Roman persecution, the symbol of the palm branch took on new significance as a sign of faithfulness and perseverance under the threat of death. In Revelation 7, the white-robed redeemed from every tribe and nation —"those who have come out of the great ordeal"— wave their palm branches around the throne of God, crying out: "Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!" In the first few centuries of the church, psalms were strongly connected with martyrdom, to the extent that it was once assumed that an engraving of a palm branch on a tomb was sufficient proof that the one buried within was a martyr.

· The palm tree has deep roots in the Hebrew Scriptures. After leaving Egypt, the people of Israel first camped in Elim, "where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees" (Exodus 15:27). The branch of the palm tree is one of four arboreal symbols associated with the festival of booths (Leviticus 23:40 and Nehemiah 8:15). Jericho is called the "city of palm trees" (look out, Miami) in Deuteronomy 34:3 and 2 Chronicles 28:15. Deborah, prophet and judge, held court under a palm tree (Judges 4:5). Solomon's temple was decorated with carvings of palm trees on the walls and doors (1 Kings 6), and the new temple of Ezekiel's vision is similarly adorned (Ezekiel 40-41). The palm tree is used as a simile for the righteous in the Psalms (92:12), the body of the beloved in the Song of Songs (7:7-8), and the former glory of Israel in Hosea 9:13. A palm tree uprooted or cut down symbolizes the judgment of Israel in Isaiah 9:14 and Egypt in Isaiah 19:15. In Joel 1:12 the withered palm represents the desolation of Judah.

· Around three million palm fronds are used in the United States each year. The Eco-Palms Project, a collaboration among Catholic Relief Services, Lutheran World Relief, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and the University of Minnesota, seeks to promote sustainable agricultural practices and provide fair compensation to the Mexican and Guatemalan farmers who harvest palm branches.

Cleansing the Temple.  Jesus was angry when he saw people buying and selling goods in the temple.  He quickly overturned the money changers’ tables and the stools of those who sold pigeons.  All whose greed led them to corrupt this holy place were driven out.  Jesus rebuked them saying, It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer; but you make it a den of robbers.’  (Matthew 21:13)

Christ Speaks in Parables.  Jesus often used parables (short, simple stories) to instruct listeners.  Two parables Jesus told during his last days were:

·       The Parable of the Wicked Husbandman – a story directed at the Pharisees, warning them of the danger of opposing God.  (Matthew 21:33-46; Mark 12:1-12; Luke 20:9-19)

·       The Parable of the Marriage Feast – a story that encourages its listeners to remember that, Many are called but few are chosen.  (Matthew 22:1-14)

Jesus Responds to Questions.  Jesus’ enemies tried to trap him with their questions.  His answers astonished listeners and silenced challengers.  Jesus cleverly responded to:

·       The Question of the Resurrection posed by the Sadducees.  (Matthew 22:23-33; Mark 12:18-24; Luke 20:27-40)

·       The Question of the Great Commandment asked by a Pharisee lawyer to test Jesus.  (Matthew 22:35-40; Mark 12:28-34).

The Anointing at Bethany.  At the home of Simon the Leper, a young woman poured expensive ointment on Jesus’ head.  The disciples protested that money from its sale could have been given to the poor.  Jesus, grateful for the woman’s kindness, responded, For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.  In pouring this ointment of my body she has done it to prepare me for burial. (Matthew 26:11-12)

Judas’ Plan of Betrayal.  The disciple Judas Iscariot wet to the chief priests to arrange to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.  (Matthew 26:14-16)

Maundy Thursday – Jesus’ Last Evening with the Disciples. 

· Preparation for the Passover.  Jesus told two disciples, Go into the city to a certain one and say to him, ‘The Teacher says my time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’  (Matthew 26:18)  they did as Jesus directed and prepared the meal.

· Washing the Disciples’ Feet.  According to the Gospel of John, Jesus washed the disciples’ feet during the supper.  This humble act was Jesus’ way of teaching them to respect and serve others regardless of their status.

· Sharing the Bread and Wine.  During the meal with his disciples, Jesus blessed and broke the bread.  He gave it to them saying,  ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’  He also gave them wine, saying, ‘Drink of it , all of you; for this is the blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’  (Matthew 26:26-28)

· Prediction of Peter’s Denials.  After the meal, they were to the Mount of Olives.  Jesus predicted the disciples would soon desert Him.  When Peter insisted he would never abandon Christ, Jesus said, Truly, I say to you this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.  (Matthew 26:34)

· Agony in the Garden.  In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus went off alone to pray.  He placed his life in God’s hands and prayed, Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not my will but Thine be done.  (Matthew 26:39)

Good Friday – “It is Finished”

· Judas’ Betrayal.  With the sign of a kiss, Judas identified Jesus to a crowd armed with clubs and swords.  Jesus had chosen to sacrifice himself for the forgiveness of sins, and wished to be taken away peacefully.  The disciples fled, as Christ predicted.

· A Charge of Blasphemy.  At the house of the high priest Caiphas, Jesus was taunted, slapped and accused of making disrespectful remarks about God.  The accusers demanded that Jesus be put to death.  Outside, a cock crowed.  Peter had denied knowing Jesus three times.

· Trial Before Pontius Pilate.  This was necessary since Pilate alone, as governor of Judea, ahd the power to order the death penalty.  Though Pilate found Jesus innocent, he yielded to the pressure of the crowd and condemned Jesus to be crucified.

· The Way of the Cross.  On the way to Calvary (the “Place of a Skull”) Jesus was whipped, mocked, spat upon and crowned with a wreath of thorns.  Simon of Cyrene was forced to help carry the heavy wooden cross upon which Jesus would hang.

· The Crucifixion.  Jesus was crucified between two thieves.  Despite the agony, Jesus asked God to forgive those who were responsible.  From noon until 3 o’clock, darkness covered the land.  Then, according to John, Jesus said, It is finished, bowed his head and died.

· The Burial.  Joseph of Arimathea received Pilate’s permission to bury Jesus.  Joseph wrapped Jesus in a linen shroud, placed the body in a tomb and rolled a rock in front of the entrance.

Holy Saturday – A Day of Quiet Hope.  The chief priests and Pharisees recalled Jesus’ claim that he would rise three days after death.  Fearful that the disciples might steal the body and insist that Jesus had risen, they sought Pilate’s aid.  Pilate told them to use available soldiers to guard the tomb.

Easter Sunday, the day of the Lord’s resurrection, is the season of rejoicing which commemorates his ministry until his Ascension, and continues through the Day of Pentecost.  According to Matthew, early on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James and Joseph, went to the tomb.  An angel rolled back the stone, informed the women that Jesus had risen and instructed them to tell the disciples to go to Galilee.  As the women ran to deliver the message, Jesus met them.  They embraced his feet and worshipped him.  Later, the eleven disciples met Jesus in Galilee.