FRIDAY, APRIL 3

DAY 16 - HOLY WEEK

This Sunday, we begin one of the most sacred weeks of the year. If we understand what the Church is doing in her liturgies, it is an incredibly rich experience for those that are attentive. Starting on Palm Sunday, we follow Jesus' last week, from his procession & being herald King, his final meal, to his death and resurrection. These major events are all expressed during the masses this week. This Sunday we wave the palm branches. On Holy Thursday we eat the bread Jesus gives. Our feet are washed clean. We stay awake with him in his agony. On Good Friday, we follow his cross. We watch him suffer and die. And finally, we run to the empty tomb to find him risen on Easter Sunday. This lesson is meant to teach the story of this last week of Jesus' life and then to help you enter more deeply into the mysteries reflected in the liturgy this week.

From Our Spiritual Director ✝

Friday Reflection

Readings

Jer 20:10-13Ps 18:2-7Jn 10:31-42

In today’s Gospel from John, Jesus states that He is doing the works of God the Father, the one who has sent him. It is important to realize that Jesus the Christ does not take credit for what he does in this world, but instead always points to God the Father. Imagine what life would be like if each of us followed this practice. Absent would be those who take credit for things that they did not accomplish. Gone would be the self-importance that we occasionally attribute to ourselves (if although privately), gone would be envious resentment of others. In its place would be a true appreciation of the Holy Spirit functioning in our lives and in the lives of those around us. We would be grateful for the goodness that God expresses to us through others.

Unfortunately, all of us exhibit some sense of self-importance. It seems to be part of the human condition. Perhaps we can never totally move away from that weakness but Lent can draw us up out of ourselves to appreciate what God truly does through us for the benefit of others, not to feed our self-importance.


Peace,

Fr. John Kurgan

Weekly Challenge 🙌

We've got some great submissions this week for our Fort Funday challenge. We will announce and post our winner here at 12pm today! Winner gets House Points!

New Trivia Quizzes! 💯

We've got a new trivia quiz this week. Have you been following along? Test your knowledge and win House Points and get on the student Leaderboard.

Elementary (Grades 1-4)

See Day 1 for a longer explanation of what to do in Pray & Learn

Pray

Find all the prayers here.

    • Mealtime Prayers & Night Time Prayers

    • 5 mins - Praying for Others

Learn

The Main Points to Teach Your Child:

  1. The basic story of Jesus' last week of His life - Holy Week

    • Palm Sunday

    • The Triduum - Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday

    • Easter Sunday

  2. The Holy Week services and Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday Mass help us to re-live Jesus' last week.


A Note from Julie:

Dear Parents,

Please know that our prayers continue for you and your families. Also, I have been in contact with the teachers and they are missing the time with your children. They too are praying for the health and well-being of all our Holy Cross families and the entire community.

As we approach these final days of Lent, may our hearts be open to God's working through us--to be there for one another, to love others as deeply as Jesus loves us, and to make this year's Holy Week experience profound and memorable., drawing us closer to God.

God bless,

-Julie Sheridan


Additional Resources & Activities to do at Home

Video:

Resources:


Middle School (Grades 5-8)

See Day 1 for a longer explanation of what to do in Pray & Learn

Pray

Find all the prayers here.

    • Basic Prayers

    • Ten Minutes of Silence

      • Intercessions

      • Thanksgiving

      • Reading the Bible

Learn

The Main Points that need to be learned or taught from this lesson

  1. Know the basic narrative of what happens to Jesus during his last week of life.

  2. Understand how the liturgy of Holy Week follows Jesus every step of the way, most importantly on Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, & Easter Sunday.

High School (Grades 9-12)

See Day 1 for a longer explanation of what to do in Pray & Learn

Pray



Find a list of all these prayers here.

Learn

Adults

See Day 1 for a longer explanation of what to do in Pray & Learn

Pray

  • Basic Prayers

    • A list of all these prayers are here.

For those new to prayer

  • First 10 mins - Talk to God


For those more experienced in prayer


Learn

Learn

Watch the faith formation resource video below to learn more about your faith.

Pray

The Stations of the Cross

"We see Jesus crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, that through God's gracious will he might taste death for the sake of all men."


- Hebrews 2:9