HOLY WEEK & EASTER at The Entrance
"Evil does not have the last word! The paschal mystery confirms that good is ultimately victorious, that life conquers death, and that love triumphs over hate."
Pope John Paul II
Holy Week TimetableMonday of Holy Week
9.00am Mass Tuesday of Holy Week 9.00am Mass 7:30pm Chrism Mass Waitara Cathedral Wednesday of Holy Week 9.00am Mass Holy Thursday 7pm Mass of the Lord’s Supper 8pm Gethsemane Adoration Good Friday 10.00am Stations of the Cross 3.00pm Solemn Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion with Holy Communion Confessions after both Holy Saturday 9.30am Confessions 4.30pm Confessions (finishing at 5.30pm) 6.00pm Easter Vigil Ceremonies and Mass Easter Sunday 8.00am 9.30am Masses Adoration in LentAdoration in Lent is held on each Saturday in the Prayer Room following 9am Mass and continuing throughout the day until Benediction at 5:30pm.
Stations of the CrossStations are held on each Wednesday morning during Lent at 9:30am (after 9am Mass).
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Passion (Palm) SundayHoly Week is the most dramatic time in the history of Jesus and of the Church.
In Jesus’ time this week was the highlight of the Jewish calendar and he came to Jerusalem along with thousands of pilgrims. His reputation as a healer had preceded him, but as much as he was loved by the ordinary people he was feared by the priests and the Pharisees who saw him as a challenge to their positions and power. So with some fears, Peter and the other Apostles gathered around the Master at Bethany (home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus) about a mile from Jerusalem. As they came as a group towards Jerusalem, the message of his arrival swept the city and the people poured out of the gates to welcome him and spread palms along the road, and gave him a donkey on which to ride. His arrival in Jerusalem was acclaimed by the people but it set the seal on his fate as far as the High Priests were concerned – it was this confrontation that led to Jesus’ death at the end of the week. For this reason the Gospel today tells the story of Jesus’ Passion. Please take a palm as you enter the church, or, if you wish, join the procession from the foyer, down the main aisle, then into your seat along the side aisles. Holy ThursdayThe only Mass today is that of the Last Supper – the Feast day of the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Holy Orders.
At that Last Supper Jesus preceded the traditional Passover (Paschal) meal by washing the feet of the twelve – a ceremony of service for those he loved which we repeat after the Gospel as a similar sign and we hear Jesus’ words, “As I have done for you, you too do for others”. After the Mass we again follow Jesus’ footsteps, as he leaves the Upper Room we leave the Sanctuary, as he came to the Garden of Gethsemane so we come to the Altar of Repose, as he asked the Apostles to watch and pray with him, so we spend some time in prayer awaiting the coming of Judas and Jesus’ arrest. Please depart tonight's ceremony in procession with the Blessed Sacrament, to the Prayer Room behind the Church, where you may watch and pray until 11pm. Good FridayStations of the Cross 10am
Jesus made this journey from Pilate’s judgement seat to Calvary, we accompany him along the way in this moving devotion. Good Friday Liturgical Action 3pm Today and Holy Saturday there is no Mass, instead our liturgy allows us to live through the time of Jesus’ passion. The official ceremonies of today include the reading of St John’s Passion, the solemn entry of the Cross and Holy Communion. It is at 3pm so that we can in spirit relive the day of our salvation. It was for this reason that Jesus came into our world: to rebuild the bridge between earth and heaven which our sins had broken, and which we are powerless to rebuild alone. While sin is a free act, so to is love and it is love that puts Jesus on the Cross. Love for us gave us the Eucharist, love for us gave us the Cross. We can only stand in awe to see what extremes God goes to for us – extremes that can only be explained, by love. Holy SaturdayEaster Vigil Holy Saturday 6pm
In the early Church, Mass was celebrated at dawn, and the people would spend the previous night in prayer as a vigil awaiting the Resurrection. Our “Vigil” is much shorter, but it is still a time of expectant waiting for the Resurrection. As we wait, we recall our history in Old Testament readings that tell of the wonder of God’s relationship with his people. There are 5 parts to our Vigil and Mass: 1. The light of the new fire from which the Paschal Candle is lit – a candle which will remind us of the Resurrection throughout the coming year. 2. The series of readings and psalms, which remind us of our history – we are God’s chosen people. There are 9 readings of which we will use 4 following each with a responsorial psalm. 3. After the last reading and psalm we rejoice with the Gloria (not heard since Lent began) which ushers in the Mass of the Resurrection. With the Gloria, our Lenten Vigil is over – Christ Risen from the dead, has conquered sin as he said he would. 4. After the Liturgy of the Word, we celebrate the new life of Baptism, the blessing of the Baptismal Font, and our renewal of Baptismal promises, our free renewal as God’s chosen people reborn in Christ. 5. The priest goes to the altar of Jesus’ sacrifice to celebrate the Liturgy of the Eucharist. |
May you know the miracle of Easter when we were ransomed with the Saviour’s blood and experience the beauty of Christ, the Morning Star, and the peace that only He can bring. 
“As I have done for you, you too do for others”. 
“Come watch with me, watch and pray” |
