Holy Week At Home – Easter Sunday

Visit the church today where you will find a large cross erected at the church door or entry. Spend a moment to kneel and venerate the cross.
“Behold the wood of the Cross
on which hung the salvation of the world.”
Return home and read aloud the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John
Pause for a time of silence.
Pause for a time of silence
Pause for a time of silence
Pause for a time of silence
Pause for a time of silence
Conclude your reflection on the Passion of the Lord by saying together the following prayer.
All: Almighty and all-merciful God,
lover of the human race, healer of all our wounds,
in whom there is no shadow of death,
save us in this time of crisis;
grant wisdom and courage to our leaders;
watch over all medical people
as they tend the sick and work for a cure;
stir in us a sense of solidarity beyond all isolation;
if our doors are closed, let our hearts be open.
By the power of your love destroy the virus of fear,
that hope may never die
and the light of Easter, the triumph of life,
may shine upon us and the whole world.
Through Jesus Christ, the Lord risen from the dead,
who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
Take a green branch from your garden. Gather the family together and, with each person holding a branch, pray together.
All: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Leader: During Lent, we have been preparing our hearts to celebrate Easter. Today we join Christ as he enters Jerusalem. In the coming days, we will relive the mystery of his death and resurrection. By joining ourselves to Christ, God’s grace will lift us up and rescue us.
Reader: A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew.
When they were near Jerusalem, the disciples brought a donkey to Jesus and laid their clothes on its back. Jesus sat on the donkey. A great crowd spread their clothes on the road, while others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in his path. The crowds who went in front of him and those who were following were crying out: 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, the whole city was in turmoil as people asked, ‘Who is this?’ and the crowds answered, ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.’
The Gospel of the Lord.
All: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Spend a few minutes in silence to think about the Gospel. Then talk together about what Jesus will do in Jerusalem in the coming days. What will happen on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday?
Leader: Let us pray.