Will you fast and pray during Holy Week?

Question

What does your church do for Holy Week and Easter?

Answer 1

This Sunday (Palm Sunday) observes the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem that was marked by the crowds, who were in Jerusalem for Passover, waving palm branches and proclaiming him as the messianic king. The Gospels tell us that Jesus rode into the city on a donkey, enacting the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9, and in so doing emphasized the humility that was to characterize the Kingdom he proclaimed. The irony of his acceptance as the new Davidic King (Mark 11:10) by the crowds who would only five days later cry for his execution should be a sobering reminder of the human tendency to want God on our own terms.

We enact the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem by the waving of palm branches and singing songs of celebration. This is accompanied by a processional into the church.

After today, we have the Stations of the Cross every day through Holy Thursday. All of the altar coverings and decorations are removed after the Eucharist on Maundy Thursday. Since the altar in these traditions symbolize the Christ, the "stripping of the altar" symbolizes the abandonment of Jesus by his disciples and the stripping of Jesus by the soldiers prior to his crucifixion.

On Good Friday, the church commemorates Jesus’ arrest (since by Jewish customs of counting days from sundown to sundown it was already Friday), his trial, crucifixion and suffering, death, and burial. Since services on this day are to observe Jesus’ death, and since Eucharist is a celebration, there is traditionally no Communion observed on Good Friday. Also, all pictures, statutes, and the cross are covered in mourning black, the chancel and altar coverings are replaced with black, and altar candles are extinguished. They are left this way through Saturday, but are always replaced with white before sunrise on Sunday.

The traditional Catholic service for Good Friday is held in mid-afternoon to correspond to the final words of Jesus from the cross (around 3 PM, Matt 27:46-50). Usually, a Good Friday service is a series of Scripture readings, a short homily, and a time of meditation and prayer. One traditional use of Scripture is to base the homily or devotional on the Seven Last Words of Jesus as recorded in the Gospel traditions.

Father, forgive them . . . (Luke 23:34)
This day you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43)
Woman, behold your son . . .(John 19:26-27)
My God, my God . . . (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34)
I thirst. (John 19:28)
It is finished! (John 19:30)
Father into your hands . . . (Luke 23:46)

We will also have the Stations of the Cross on Good Frday, and Tenebrae (Latin for "shadows" or "darkness"), held in the evening of Good Friday. there are varieties of this service, but it is usually characterized by a series of Scripture readings and meditation done in stages while lights and/or candles are gradually extinguished to symbolize the growing darkness not only of Jesus’ death but of hopelessness in the world without God. The service ends in darkness, sometimes with a final candle, the Christ candle, carried out of the sanctuary, symbolizing the death of Jesus. Often the service concludes with a loud noise symbolizing the closing of Jesus’ tomb (see The Empty Tomb). The worshippers then leave in silence to wait.

Holy Saturday is traditionally a day of quiet meditation as Christians contemplate the darkness of a world without a future and without hope apart from God and his grace.

Answer 2

Palm Sunday comes first in order. The central feature of the service proper to this day, as it was in the time of Ætheria, is the procession of palms.

The only other noteworthy feature of the present Palm Sunday service is the reading of the Gospel of the Passion.

Maundy Thursday:
The day commemorates the Last Supper of Christ and his 12 Apostles and the institution of the Eucharist.
On Maundy Thursday, the celebrant often celebrates the rite of the washing of the feet.
During the day, bishops celebrate the Chrism Mass, where they bless the oils for Confirmation, the Anointing of the Sick and the Catechumens.
The hosts not distributed in Communion on Maundy Thursday are reserved and distributed on Good Friday, when no Mass is celebrated.
After the Mass, the Blessed Sacrament is carried in procession to an "altar of repose". Then all altars except that one are stripped.

Good Friday:
There is no Mass; the Eucharist is not consecrated. Communion takes place with the hosts left over from Holy Thursday.
The church remains stripped on this day of ornate objects, including the altar cloth and candles, as a sign of respect.
Holy water fonts are emptied.
On this day, the stations of the Cross are often prayed either in the church or outside.
Celebration of the liturgy of the Lord’s Passion occurs in the afternoon.
The liturgy consists of three parts in the Roman Rite:
the Liturgy of the Word,
the Veneration of the Cross,
and Holy Communion.


Holy Saturday:
A day of silence and prayer which commemorates the dead Christ in the tomb. No Mass is celebrated.
The Tabernacle is left empty and open. The lamp or candle usually situated next to the Tabernacle denoting the Presence of Christ is put out, and the Eucharist is kept elsewhere, usually the sacristy, with a lamp or candle burning before it.

Easter Vigil
Takes place during the night, either on the eve of Easter or early in the morning on Easter Sunday.
The Gospel reminds us to have our lamps ready, to be like men waiting for the Lord’s return so that when He arrives He will find us wide awake and will seat us at His table.
Night vigil is arranged in four parts:
A brief service of light;
Liturgy of the word;
Liturgy of baptism;
Liturgy of the Eucharist.

Easter Sunday

Answer 3

I plan to fast and pray during Holy Week. I always pray, but I will pray more often. I will also do some major reflecting on how this one week changed the world forever.

Answer 4

I pray every day...I will fast on Good Friday. We have services...Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Vigil. It's called the Triduum. Then of course, Easter Sunday service.

I love Holy Week it's a solemn and reverent time as we wait for the resurrection of Christ.

Answer 5

Well, that would depend upon which church you attend.

I am neither Catholic nor Protestant, but Anabaptist.

Many of the traditions associated with Easter (which, by the way, is from a pagan festival, and is worshipping a fertility goddess) and Christmas (winter solstice, etc) were not originally celebrated by Christians and were introduced after Constantine (who changed the date for Christmas).

We will not be restricting ourselves to fish on "Good Friday" (where does it say that Christ was crucified on the Friday? - where does it specify WHICH Sabbath it was? Was it a High Sabbath?).

Since becoming a member of my group, I've not fasted and we've not observed group fasting. That is a personal thing between myself and God.

I'm looking forward to remembering the sacrifice of Christ and celebrating His resurrection with my fellow Christians.

Blessings, Gypsy Queen

Answer 6

Jewish passover Nisan 14 which will be on April 2nd is the authentic day of Jesus's death. No wonder christianity has no respect and looked on as hypocritical and watered down when churches divulge in pagan practices such as Easter.
Enjoy your pagan influenced easter eggs

Answer 7

I pray but am not sure about the fasting, guess it depends on how you are raised up, in my family we didn't fast, at all that I can ever remember..But since I have gotten older I have fasted, but the way I do is to give something up for however long...I can't go with food very long cause of my health, so I give up something I really like alot...But to fast at this time no I haven't but we do pray...

Answer 8

Firstly, fasting is for people who still surrender to the old Jewish Mosiac law. That is not a necessity of christians.
Easter, as it's very name gives away is a pagan celebration occasion of feritlity - hence the pagan symbols of easter eggs and easter bunnies.
April 2nd this year, is the proper biblical time of the year for the Memorial of Jesus Christ it corresponds to the passover when Christ gave up his life to save obedient mankind.

Answer 9

I only eat saltines and water every time I get hungry.
I pray every now and then.
Our church reads the scriptures.

Answer 10

Holy Week!! - whats holy week?? Oh you mean easter - I'm going to stuff myself with chocolate. Go out to a dance party and take drugs.