As you prepare to enter into Holy Week, the Church invites you to reflect on the Passion of Jesus and to look ahead with hope toward Easter Sunday.
For many grandparents, however, this sacred week carries mixed emotions. You may look forward to gathering with your family for Easter brunch, yet feel heaviness when some of those you love are not beside you at the Easter Vigil or Sunday Mass. Perhaps your children no longer practice the faith, and your grandchildren are not being raised in the Church.
That concern can feel like a cross of its own.
You want them to know the joy of the Resurrection. You want them to understand that Easter is more than a meal or a tradition—it is the victory of Jesus Christ over sin and death.
If this is part of your Holy Week, you are not alone.
And Holy Week still offers hope.
Each day of this sacred week provides an opportunity to pray intentionally—for your own heart as well as for those you love. Here are reflections and prayer practices for every day of Holy Week, so that you can walk from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday with renewed faith and confidence in God.
On Palm Sunday, Jesus entered Jerusalem to shouts of “Hosanna!” The crowds spread cloaks and palm branches before him. Yet, as we learn from the Gospel reading of Our Lord’s Passion at Mass, the cheers of Palm Sunday will soon give way to cries of “crucify him!”
Palm Sunday calls us to remain faithful to our King, even when times of suffering come. Sometimes, that suffering comes from watching our own families lose faith, like the crowds. We must persevere in prayer, remembering that the King who entered Jerusalem triumphantly won an even greater victory after his own suffering and death.
On Holy Monday, Jesus drove the money changers out of the Temple, declaring that his Father’s house was meant to be a house of prayer. What was sacred had become crowded with commerce and distracted by temporal things.
Holy Week begins with purification.
The Temple today is our own heart. Are there distractions getting in the way of prayer? Have material concerns subtly taken first place?
Before worrying about the faith of others, Holy Monday invites us to let Christ gently remove what needs cleansing in us.
On Holy Tuesday, the disciples noticed a fig tree Jesus cursed had withered from the roots. In response, Jesus told them to have faith in God, believing they will receive what they ask for in prayer (see Mark 11:20–25).
Jesus’ words should encourage us in prayer. The One who has the power to whither a fig tree has the power to make it fruitful—and to answer any prayer we make in faith.
On Spy Wednesday, Judas went to the chief priests and agreed to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. One of the Twelve chose self-interest over loyalty and temporal gain over faith.
Betrayal hurts deeply. Watching someone walk away from the faith can feel similar.
Yet even Judas’s betrayal unfolded within God’s providence. The Passion did not take Our Lord by surprise. Similarly, we are called not to despair but to trust in God’s sovereignty over our circumstances.
On Holy Thursday, Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples, instituting both the Eucharist and the priesthood.
Holy Thursday also marks the start of the Easter Triduum—the Church’s most sacred liturgy—beginning with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper and concluding with the Easter Vigil.
The Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith. It is not symbolic; it is the Real Presence of Jesus Christ.
If members of your family have drifted from the Mass, this night becomes especially meaningful. Pray that Our Lord would give them a hunger for the Eucharist.
On Good Friday, Jesus was scourged, crowned with thorns, and crucified. He gave his life to atone for our sins and bring salvation to the world.
The Church does not celebrate Mass. Instead, we venerate the Cross at the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion.
The Cross reveals the depth of God’s love. It also teaches us that sacrifice is not wasted. No matter how many years you’ve been praying for your loved ones, God has heard every prayer and will answer every one in his providence.
On Holy Saturday, Jesus lay in the tomb. The Church waits in silence for Easter morning.
This night, at the Easter Vigil, the Paschal candle is lit, and the Resurrection is proclaimed.
Holy Saturday teaches patience. When prayers seem unanswered, it does not mean God is absent. Often, he is at work when we cannot see it.
If you are waiting for someone to return to the Church, this day speaks directly to that waiting.
On Easter Sunday, the tomb was found empty. Jesus Christ had risen from the dead. Death was defeated, and the gates of heaven were opened.
The Resurrection changes everything.
No heart is beyond redemption. No family member is beyond grace. The victory of Jesus Christ is greater than any doubt, distance, or obstacle we face.
Each year, Holy Week meets us where we are.
From Palm Sunday’s jubilant procession to the reverent silence of Holy Saturday, this week reminds us that God’s work often unfolds in ways we do not immediately see. The disciples did not understand everything as it was happening. Yet the Resurrection came all the same.
The same Lord is at work now—both in your life and in the lives of your family members.
This Easter, entrust those you love to Jesus Christ, who suffered, died, and rose again for them.
Your gift helps CatholicTV deliver the Good News into millions of homes across the nation. We need your support to continue connecting people with Christ and the Church.
