Holy Week - inputs from Fr. T, Thanks Mike Chua

Holy Week is the highpoint of the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church. Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday (or Easter Sunday) are not to be taken as one big summit of our worship. They are three individual summits. Three individual summits where we can truly experience the love of God not in a cliched way but in a participated, personal and profound way. To make it more meaningful than last year, here are some points to reflect as we approach the coming Thursday - Sunday.

It starts now. In fact, it should have started six weeks ago, Maundy Thursday: Maundy came from the root word 'commandment', referring to the New Commandment the Lord gave (Love one another as I have loved u). Love one another is exemplified by the Master washing the feet of His disciples and then asking us to do the same. Love one another is also made real by the institution of the Eucharist (Body and Blood), the priesthood, the mass (community participation), which all happened that day.So even before we step foot onto Thursday, we are challenged to think about living out this Commandment. So a practical way is to think about one person in our life who has been quite impossible to love. To be engaged in this Commandment, make a commitment to love that person and DO IT especially these two or three days (depending when u read this email). Then as u participate in the Eucharist on Maundy Thursday, it will be that much more real, more meaningful.

For Good Friday, start thinking now about what sin or part of you that u would like to crucify at the cross on Friday. In other words, what sin would u like to die to on Good Friday? At mass, do it. Make a prayer at an appropriate time and tell the Lord that you are nailing that sin on the cross and ask Him for the grace to keep it dead and buried.

Holy Saturday is a time of silence and waiting. Read scripture text, references, literature about resurrection and reflect and wait. The whole Church waits in silence for the great event of the Resurrection. If we do it faithfully, we will have a most meaningful Holy Saturday mass or Easter Sunday mass... a truly liberating experience of New Life.Done faithfully, all the above can be quite life-changing. Otherwise... it's just another Holy Week.