Holy Week

We love great stories, plays, and dramas. Stories about love and passion, sacrifice and service, life and death. This week we are invited to participate in the greatest story ever told and the most moving drama ever imagined – the Holy Week.

Holy Week unfolds as a touching drama, rich with symbolism, emotion, and spiritual significance. The stage is set with Palm Sunday, where Jesus enters Jerusalem amidst joyful crowds waving palm branches, foreshadowing both his triumph and the coming tragedy.

Maundy Thursday marks the intimate scene of the Last Supper, where Jesus shares a final meal with his disciples. His act of washing their feet shows his love and humility, laying the foundation for the sacrament of the Eucharist and the vocation of the Priesthood. The atmosphere is thick with tension as Jesus foretells his betrayal and the hearts of his disciples are filled with confusion and fear.

Good Friday portrays the dramatic events of Jesus' crucifixion. The stage is draped in darkness as Jesus is betrayed, arrested, and condemned to death. He carries the weight of humanity's sins upon his shoulders. The crucifixion scene pierces the heart with sorrow and awe, as Jesus cries out, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Holy Saturday unfolds as a solemn interlude, depicting the silent despair of Jesus' burial and the disciples' grief and confusion. The atmosphere is one of waiting and anticipation, as the world holds its breath in the shadow of death.

The drama reaches its crescendo with the Easter Vigil, a night of vigil and prayer, where darkness is dispelled by the light of the Paschal Candle, symbolising the risen Christ. The stage is transformed into a scene of jubilation and triumph as the proclamation of Christ's resurrection resounds, filling the hearts of believers with hope and joy.

Easter Sunday dawns with the final act of the drama, as the empty tomb reveals the glorious reality of Christ's victory over sin and death. The stage is alive with celebration and exultation as believers proclaim, “Alleluia, Christ is risen!” The drama of Holy Week leaves a deep impression on the hearts and minds of believers, inviting them to journey with Christ through suffering to the ultimate triumph of Resurrection and to view the story of their own lives through the lens of the Easter mystery.

I hope that this Holy Week will bring each of you true joy and peace of heart. Holy Week is a story about you, me and the good news that through Jesus’ sacrifice of the cross and the glory of his resurrection, we are invited into a full and abundant life with God forever.

Fr Pawel Barszczewski OP
Chaplain
Campus Ministry