HAPPY HOLY WEEK!!!!!!!!!!

HOLY WEEK IS WITHOUT A DOUBT MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE WEEK OF THE YEAR!!! GO HOLY WEEK!!!! it's amazing. like seriously it's got all of the most inspirational things jam-packed into seven days. incredible. for those of you non-Catholics, Holy Week is the last week of Lent and the week right before Easter.

there are four awesome holidays within Holy Week.

Sunday=Palm Sunday (aka Passion Sunday)
Thursday=Maundy Thursday (more commonly known as Holy Thursday)
Friday=Good Friday
Saturday=Holy Saturday

mkay so some of the names are pretty lame, huh? too dang bad cuz the names don't represent at all the awesomeness of these holidays and this time of the year!!!! so here's the quickie low-down on how these four holidays are celebrated in the [Catholic] Church:

Palm Sunday / Passion Sunday

• before Mass (typically outside of the worship space--like in the Narthex) there is a blessing of palm leaves (ya know, like from those pretty palm trees that remind us of Hilton Head and Florida and the South as a whole!)
• Gospel reading of how Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and people placed palm leaves on the ground in front of Him
• then people enter into the church and Mass continues with a reading of the Passion of Christ (basically the story of Jesus' capture, trial, sufferings, and eventual death on the cross at Calvary)

Maundy Thursday / Holy Thursday

• the private celebration of the Mass is forbidden. sorry, but I can't explain this   :'(
• BUT NEVER FEAR!!! the only Mass that IS allowed is the evening Mass of the Lord's Supper! it basically starts up the rest of Holy Week   :)   as one might guess from the title "Mass of the Lord's Supper," this Mass celebrates Jesus' last supper. He celebrated it with His twelve apostles. this is when the whole Communion thing came into play. "this is My Body which is given up for you" and "this is My Blood which is given up for you."
• after the Homily during Mass, the priest typically washes the feet of twelve men because Jesus washed the feet of His twelve apostles

Good Friday

• fast day. meaning we only eat one full meal, and a maximum of two snacks (that together do not equal a full meal) if absolutely necessary...aka you only have those two snacks if you feel like you're going to keel over if you don't satisfy your tummy
• the Passion is typically read or sung
• readings and meditations are offered for personal reflection
• not a Mass. like on Maundy Thursday/Holy Thursday, Mass is forbidden. again, sorry but I can't explain this   :(

Holy Saturday

• again, no Mass.  :'(
• BUT AGAIN, TAKE A BREATH BECAUSE ONCE SUNDOWN HITS ON WHAT IS TECHNICALLY HOLY SATURDAY, MASS CAN BE CELEBRATED AGAIN! YAYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!  :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

AND THEN IT'S EASTER SUNDAY! WOO! YEAH JESUS' RESURRECTION!!!!