A service is held at three o'clock in the afternoon the hour He is believed to have died and another later in the evening. We go forward and kiss the Cross in order to show honor and respect for Christ's sacrifice for our sake. There is no consecration of the Eucharist on this day, and the Communion we receive will be from the night before, which has been reserved in the tabernacle. Holy Saturday is a vigil. We keep watch for the expectant rising of Our Savior.
This was the day He went down into the netherworld in order to bring back up with Him into heaven those who had died before His coming. Up to this time, the gates to heaven were closed and no one could go there because of the original sin of Adam. Jesus changed all that. By paying the price for our sins on the Cross, He gained for us our eternal salvation, and heaven was openedonce more.
Also on this night, persons who have spent months of preparation will be received through Baptism and Confirmation into the Catholic Church for the first time. It is a joyous occasion. Those who engage themselves wholeheartedly in living the entire paschal cycle Lent, Triduum and Easter's Fifty Days discover that it can change them forever.
This is especially so of the Triduum which, standing at the heart of the Easter season, is an intense immersion in the fundamental mystery of what it is to be Christian. Jesus is made present when disciples put aside their prideful aspirations, humble themselves, and serve one another, even to the point of doing a menial task joyfully. The symbols of the footwashing are a basin, water pitcher, and towel; the symbols of the Eucharist are a host and a chalice, wheat and grapes, a loaf or basket of bread and a jug of wine, and five loaves and two fish; and the symbols of the priesthood are a stole, a book of the gospels, a host and a chalice, and a censer.
Offer a prayer that your priest might be devoted to the Eucharist and a humble servant. Be on the lookout for someone who might need assistance, and gladly help without drawing attention to yourself. Good Friday. In addition, there is an extended set of General Intercessions with ten petitions for some of the most important concerns for the Church and the world.
The symbol of Good Friday is the crucifix, a cross with a corpus or body of the crucified Jesus. Other artistic forms of the cross are also commonly used. For the symbols of the Passion, see Passion Sunday above. It is worthwhile to set aside some silent time, particularly between the hours of noon and p. Be sure that at least one crucifix is prominently displayed in the home, because veneration of the cross is not just for Good Friday, but for every day.
It is an ideal day to offer Jesus a prayer of thanks for all he suffered on our behalf, and to renew our pledge to avoid the sins that we have committed that put him on the cross. The Easter Vigil. Weeks of fasting and self-denial are directed toward the highest point of the church year, the Easter Vigil, the feast of the resurrection.
It ranks first because our entire faith hinges on it. Then after an extended Liturgy of the Word, the Vigil continues with the Liturgy of Baptism during which the Litany of Saints is sung, the water of the font is blessed, baptismal promises are made, the candidates are baptized, and for the adults, confirmation is received. The Vigil concludes with the Liturgy of the Eucharist and first Holy Communion for the newly initiated members. The primary symbol of the Vigil is the Easter Candle, also known as the Paschal or Christ Candle, as well as the symbols for baptism: water, a seashell, the font, oil, the white baptismal garment, the baptismal candle, a dove, and three interlocking fish which represent the Trinitarian formula.
Easter Sunday. Easter Sunday is the daytime celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord. The congregation is jubilant over the risen Christ and the triumph of his most holy Cross. On Monday, Jesus cleansed the temple, forcing out money changers and vendors. He also cursed a fig tree for not giving him fruit, and on Tuesday found it withered. Judas betrayed Christ on Wednesday. Many Christian churches today, Protestant and Catholic, highlight the events leading to the cross, but this has not always been the case.
What brought about change? One commentator says that Holy Week was already honored before the Nicene Creed, but this was not a formally documented pattern. The significant addition to Easter worship introduced at Nicaea was Lent, a day period of preparation for Easter. Between these two poles, numerous denominations and ideas about the structure of the church worship sprang up, and the Christian calendar stopped emphasizing the importance of either Lent or of Holy Week. The intention behind reinstituting Holy Week was to encourage both joy and serious reflection, transformation, even purification of the heart in anticipation of Easter Sunday.
The Second Vatican Council instituted official spiritual revival within the Catholic church, but the revival also spread to Protestant denominations. Not all churches emphasize Holy Week or Lent because of the fear of turning both of them into a matter of religious duty. A believing Christian, one whose faith rests on the risen Christ and not on the hope that good behavior will save him, must think carefully about why he would decide to participate.
For example, one might go to church every night for a week to hear Scripture relating to the withered fig tree, Maundy Thursday, etc.
There is always the danger of wishing to appear pious or trying to earn salvation, thereby falling into a religious trap. One might go because of pressure from the pastor, not out of a deep desire to imagine what Christ felt like each day he walked a step closer to Calvary. Fasting, attending church every day for a week, and knowing all the scriptures about the Last Supper, etc. These actions do not glorify God. Palm Sunday reminds us of Old Testament prophecies, and how Jesus fulfilled them.
The Pharisees believed they were holy because they kept the law and they prayed frequently.
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