On Holy Thursday we start the Sacred Triduum – a service which is spread over three days starting with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, continuing on Good Friday with the Passion of the Lord and concluding on Saturday with the Easter Vigil.

The Gospel of Holy Thursday has been given here for your Holy Week Timeline. Take some time to read, reflect and then add your image and your commentary to your timeline.

It was before the festival of the Passover, and Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to pass from this world to the Father. He had always loved those who were his in the world, but now he showed how perfect his love was.
They were at supper, and the devil had already put it into the mind of Judas Iscariot son of Simon, to betray him. Jesus knew that the Father had put everything into his hands, and that he had come from God and was returning to God, and he got up from table, removed his outer garment and, taking a towel, wrapped it round his waist; he then poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel he was wearing. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ Jesus answered, ‘At the moment you do not know what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ ‘Never!’ said Peter ‘You shall never wash my feet.’ Jesus replied, ‘If I do not wash you, you can have nothing in common with me.’ ‘Then, Lord,’ said Simon Peter ‘not only my feet, but my hands and my head as well!’ Jesus said, ‘No one who has taken a bath needs washing, he is clean all over. You too are clean, though not all of you are.’ He knew who was going to betray him, that was why he said, ‘though not all of you are.’
When he had washed their feet and put on his clothes again he went back to the table. ‘Do you understand’ he said ‘what I have done to you? You call me Master and Lord, and rightly; so I am. If I, then, the Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you should wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example so that you may copy what I have done to you.’

The Wednesday of Holy Week is often referred to as Spy Wednesday because on the Wednesday before Jesus was killed, Judas conspired wiht the Jewish Authorities to betray Jesus.

As always today’s Gospel is given. Take tiime to read the Gospel and share it with your family. Spend a few minutes reflecting on the Gospel. Then add an image and a commentary to your Holy Week Timeliine.

A Reading from the Holy Gospel According to St Matthew.

One of the Twelve, the man called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What are you prepared to give me if I hand him over to you?’ They paid him thirty silver pieces, and from that moment he looked for an opportunity to betray him.
Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus to say, ‘Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the passover?’ ‘Go to so-and-so in the city’ he replied ‘and say to him, “The Master says: My time is near. It is at your house that I am keeping Passover with my disciples.”’ The disciples did what Jesus told them and prepared the Passover.
When evening came he was at table with the twelve disciples. And while they were eating he said ‘I tell you solemnly, one of you is about to betray me.’ They were greatly distressed and started asking him in turn, ‘Not I, Lord, surely?’ He answered, ‘Someone who has dipped his hand into the dish with me, will betray me. The Son of Man is going to his fate, as the scriptures say he will, but alas for that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! Better for that man if he had never been born!’ Judas, who was to betray him; asked in his turn, ‘Not I, Rabbi, surely?’ ‘They are your own words’ answered Jesus.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Today is Tuesday of Holy Week.
The Gospel of the Mass is given below. Take some to read and then reflect on the Gospel. After this a task for pupils is to add an image for today and a short commentary to your Holy Week Timeline.

A Reading from the Holy Gospel According To St John.

While at supper with his disciples, Jesus was troubled in spirit and declared, ‘I tell you most solemnly, one of you will betray me.’ The disciples looked at one another, wondering which he meant. The disciple Jesus loved was reclining next to Jesus; Simon Peter signed to him and said, ‘Ask who it is he means’, so leaning back on Jesus’ breast he said, ‘Who is it, Lord?’ ‘It is the one’ replied Jesus ‘to whom I give the piece of bread that I shall dip in the dish.’ He dipped the piece of bread and gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. At that instant, after Judas had taken the bread, Satan entered him. Jesus then said, ‘What you are going to do, do quickly.’ None of the others at table understood the reason he said this. Since Judas had charge of the common fund, some of them thought Jesus was telling him, ‘Buy what we need for the festival’, or telling him to give something to the poor. As soon as Judas had taken the piece of bread he went out. Night had fallen.
When he had gone Jesus said:
‘Now has the Son of Man been glorified,
and in him God has been glorified.
If God has been glorified in him,
God will in turn glorify him in himself,
and will glorify him very soon.
‘My little children,
I shall not be with you much longer.
You will look for me,
And, as I told the Jews,
where I am going, you cannot come.’
Simon Peter said, ‘Lord, where are you going?’ Jesus replied, ‘Where I am going you cannot follow me now; you will follow me later.’ Peter said to him, ‘Why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.’ ‘Lay down your life for me?’ answered Jesus. ‘I tell you most solemnly, before the cock crows you will have disowned me three times.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

Today is Monday of Holy Week and we hear the story of Mary Magdalen anointing the feet of Jesus with expensive oil and Judas objects to this. What does he say he wants done with the money? If this really what he wants? What does Jesus say to him?

Read the Gospel and then complete your timeline of Holy Week. An example is given though it is not very original.

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St John.

Six days before the Passover, Jesus went to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom he had raised from the dead. They gave a dinner for him there; Martha waited on them and Lazarus was among those at table. Mary brought in a pound of very costly ointment, pure nard, and with it anointed the feet of Jesus, wiping them with her hair; the house was full of the scent of the ointment. Then Judas Iscariot – one of his disciples, the man who was to betray him – said, ‘Why wasn’t this ointment sold for three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor?’ He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he was in charge of the common fund and used to help himself to the contributions. So Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone; she had to keep this scent for the day of my burial. You have the poor with you always, you will not always have me.’
Meanwhile a large number of Jews heard that he was there and came not only on account of Jesus but also to see Lazarus whom he had raised from the dead. Then the chief priests decided to kill Lazarus as well, since it was on his account that many of the Jews were leaving them and believing in Jesus.
The Gospel of the Lord.

Holy Week

On Palm Sunday we remember the great excitement as Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey. This was indeed the triumphant entry for the Messiah but there is a clear message about Jesus. He is not entering as warrior on a chariot or a fine horse but on a humble donkey.

The Palm Sunday Mass will usually begin with the Gospel retelling this event and later in the Mass we have another Gospel telling of the events of the rest of Holy Week. However, the Gospel given below focusses on the entry into Jerusalem. Each day of Holy Week we will give the Gospel of the day and you can uses these to complete your account of Holy Week. You can do this as drawings or images from the internet and add your own commentary. Please send a photo of your work to the RE Twitter Account @StNiniansRE

First put by a few minutes to read this Gospel either on your own or with your family/

This gospel is read at the procession with palms before Mass:

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew.

When they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, ‘Go into the village facing you, and immediately you will find an ass tied, nd a colt with her: untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, “The Lord has need of them,”
and he will send them immediately.’
This took place to fulfilwhat was spoken by the prophet, saying,
‘Tell the daughter of Sion, Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on an ass, and on a colt, the foal of an ass.’
The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them;they brought the ass and the colt,
and put their garments on them, and he sat thereon.Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road,
and others cut branches from the treesand spread them on the road.And the crowds that went before him
and that followed him shouted,
‘Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest!’
And when he entered Jerusalem,
all the city was stirred, saying, ‘Who is this?’
And the crowds said,
‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee.’