H O W T O : H O L Y W E E K

A T H O M E

A Letter from your Pastor As we celebrate Palm Sunday, we enter into Holy Week,the most sacred time of year for Christians. This daymarks Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem where he willaccomplish his mission through his dying and rising.People would oftentimes wave palms or place them onthe road when royalty would pass by. Jesus wouldexercise a different type of kingly power. He came intoJerusalem humbly riding on a donkey. Not the type ofroyal power that some expected! Jesus would win oursalvation not through military power, but through thelaying down of his life so that we could experienceforgiveness and salvation. During Holy Week we walk with Jesus. Following thereadings we proclaim at Mass this week, we will walkwith him as he shares the Last Supper with his apostles.At the Last Supper he gave us the gift of the Eucharistand the priesthood. We walk with Jesus as he goes tothe Cross on Good Friday. He lays down his life so thatwe can have life eternal. And we also walk with him toEaster glory as we experience his resurrection. May this be a blessed Holy Week for us all. This weekcommunicates in a powerful way God's tremendouslove for each one of us. Let us walk with Jesus. - Msgr. Deutsch

PRAY IT: These are opportunities to pray together as a family.

READ IT: Some days you may be asked to read a bible passageor reflection from one of the priests. Feel free to pass the pagearound and give everyone a turn or have a designated leaderfor the day.

DO IT: These daily prayer guides aren't just something we aresaying but something we doing. We are viewing these as para-liturgies and the word "liturgy" actually means "the work of thepeople". So most days you and your family will have the chanceto do something together within the daily outline.

DISCUSS IT: After you're done "praying" and "doing" we willprovide you with two or three discussion questions to help youprocess the prayer and dive deeper into Holy Week.

We know that Holy Week is going to look a little different for all ofus this year, but the Lord still wants to encounter us in a uniqueand powerful way! Our goal is to provide you and your families with resources to helpyou enter into these beautiful liturgies! Here is how the daily prayer guides are broken down:

We hope these daily prayer guides bless you and make this themost beautiful and meaningful Holy Week for both you and yourfamily.

READ IT - Holiest Night / Greatest Liturgy Father/Leader: This is our holiest night and greatest liturgy of theyear! From the Blessing of the Fire, singing of the Exultet,readings, rites of Catechumens, sprinkling with Holy Water andthe Eucharist, this is the Mass that has it all! In the Mass we havethe sprinkling of Holy Water to remember our baptism. We alsolight candles to proclaim that Jesus has Risen from the dead. Thetomb is empty! PRAY IT - Baptismal Promises & Exultet(Let everyone hold a lit candle (or flashlight) as you pray leadingyour family in renewing your Baptismal Promises together andreciting the Exultet in assigned parts or all together.)

PRAY IT - Baptismal Promises & Exultet (cont'd)Father/Leader: Tonight we remember our Baptism and our birthinto God's family as we renew our Baptismal Promises. (Ifavailable you may bless your family with Holy Water at the end.) Leader: Do you reject Satan? All: I do. Leader: And all his works? All: I do. Leader: And all his empty promises? All: I do. Leader: Do you believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator ofheaven and earth? All: I do. Leader: Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, whowas born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, died, and was buried,rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of theFather? All: I do. Leader: Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholicchurch, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, theresurrection of the body, and life everlasting? All: I do.

PRAY IT - Baptismal Promises & Exultet (cont'd)Leader: God, the all-powerful Father of our Lord Jesus Christ hasgiven us a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, and forgiven allour sins. May he also keep us faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ forever and ever. All: Amen (You may have the Father/Leader read the Exultet, take turnshaving one person read each stanza, or all read it together.) EXULTETExult, let them exult, the hosts of heaven,exult, let Angel ministers of God exult, let the trumpet of salvationsound aloud our mighty King's triumph! Be glad, let earth be glad, as glory floods her,ablaze with light from her eternal King,let all corners of the earth be glad,knowing an end to gloom and darkness. Rejoice, let Mother Church also rejoice,arrayed with the lightning of his glory,let this holy building shake with joy,filled with the mighty voices of the peoples.

PRAY IT - Baptismal Promises & Exultet (cont'd)Therefore, dearest friends,standing in the awesome glory of his holy light,invoke with me, I ask you, the mercy of God almighty, that he,who has been pleased to number me, though unworthy, amongthe Levites, may pour into me his light unshadowed,that I may sing this candle's perfect praises. It is truly right and just, with ardent love of mind and heart andwith devoted service of our voice, to acclaim our God invisible,the almighty Father, and Jesus Christ, our Lord, his Son, his OnlyBegotten. Who for our sake paid Adam's debt to the eternal Father, andpouring out his own dear Blood, wiped clean the record of ourancient sinfulness. These, then, are the feasts of Passover,in which is slain the Lamb, the one true Lamb,whose Blood anoints the doorposts of believers. This is the night, when once you led our forefathers, Israel'schildren from slavery in Egypt and made them pass dry-shodthrough the Red Sea. This is the night that with a pillar of firebanished the darkness of sin. This is the night that even now throughout the world, setsChristian believers apart from worldly vices and from the gloomof sin,leading them to grace and joining them to his holy ones.

PRAY IT - Baptismal Promises & Exultet (cont'd)This is the nightwhen Christ broke the prison-bars of deathand rose victorious from the underworld. Our birth would have been no gain,had we not been redeemed.O wonder of your humbe care for us!O love, O charity beyond all telling,to ransom a slave you gave away your Son! O truly necessary sin of Adam,destroyed completely by the Death of Christ! O happy faultthat earned for us so great, so glorious a Redeemer! O truly blessed night,worthy alone to know the time and hourwhen Christ rose from the underworld! This is the nightof which it is written:The night shall be as bright as day,dazzling is the night for me, and full of gladness. The sanctifying power of this nightdispels wickedness, washes faults away,restores innocence to the fallen, and joy to the mourners,drives out hatred, fosters concord, and brings down the mighty.

PRAY IT - Baptismal Promises & Exultet (cont'd)On this, your night of grace, O holy Fatheraccept this candle, a solemn offering,the work of bees and of your servants' hands,an evening sacrifice of praise,this gift from your most holy Church. But now we know the praises of this pillar,which glowing fire ignites for God's honour,a fire into many flames divided,yet never dimmed by sharing of it's light,for it is fed by melting wax,drawn out by mother beesto build a torch so precious. O truly blessed night,when things of heaven are wed to those of earth, and divine to the human. Therefore, O Lord,we pray you that this candle,hallowed to the honour of your name,may persevere undimmed,to overcome the darkness of this night.Receive it as a pleasing fragrance,and let it mingle with the lights of heaven.May this flame be found still burningby the Morning Star;the one Morning Star who never sets,Christ your Son, who, coming back from death's domain, hasshed his peaceful light on humanity, and lives and reigns for everand ever. Amen.

Moms and dads, share a memory from each of your children'sbaptisms. Maybe something about their Godparents or thepriest or anything that comes to mind. Take turns sharing of a time when you truly knew you werefree from something that was weighing you down. Allow each person in your family to share a special Eastermemory from years past.

DISCUSS ITFather/Leader: Take a moment before extinguishing yourcandles or lights. Look at the flame and think about the flame ofyour own Baptismal candle. The light of Christ was lit in yoursoul on the day of your baptism, may you bring that light to theworld.

DO IT - Easter BlessingsTake time to look each person in your family in the eyes, wishthem a very Blessed Easter and tell them how grateful you arethat they are in your family. To close this holiest of evenings pray as a family offering up yourfavorite family prayer together.