In the calendar year, people set aside certain weeks to celebrate specific events. For instance, in schools children participate in Science Week, Maths Week, Friendship Week, Catholic Schools Week, Active Week etc. The world sets aside international days to include World Book Day, World Wildlife Day, World Water Day, World Poetry Day and many more. There is tremendous value in celebrating such dedicated days and weeks.<\/p>\n
The Church also celebrates such times to highlight events. For example, each year the Church celebrates Holy Week, which begins on Palm Sunday. In Holy Week Christians recall, remember and celebrate the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n
The reading proclaimed at Mass today from the prophet Isaiah (Is 49:1-6) is the second song of God\u2019s servant. The Judean exiles at Babylon thank God for choosing them for a unique mission. To these, God will entrust the future of Israel. The words spoken by the prophet Isaiah speak of our vocation in Christ. With such words, God calls disciples to continue the mission of Jesus. \u00a0Before God calls, a person listens and pays attention to God\u2019s word, in this case spoken by the prophet Isaiah. God speaks in the silence of one\u2019s heart. The person responds to God and here, God makes a promise. \u2018I will make you the light of the nations that my salvation will reach to the ends of the earth.\u2019 Whom is God talking about? \u00a0God is talking about Jesus whom he will send. In the New Testament, the Word proclaims Jesus, the light of the world. The disciples follow the Light.<\/p>\n
The psalmist (Ps 70:1-6. 15. 17) acknowledges God\u2019s help. He images God as a \u2018rock\u2019 and a \u2018stronghold\u2019. The assembly respond at Mass, \u2018My lips will tell of your help\u2019 (Ps 70: 15). Disciples tell others of God\u2019s help in their lives. We take a moment to reflect on the ways God helps us in life. God offers help through other people. Jesus teaches us to love one another.<\/p>\n
In the Gospel (John 13:21-33, 36-38), God\u2019s people hear of Jesus being troubled in spirit as his imminent death approaches. He is at dinner with his disciples and conscious that one of the twelve will betray him. The disciples look at one another trying to imagine who among them will betray Jesus. John asked Jesus \u2018Who is it Lord?\u2019 Jesus said \u2018the one to whom I give the piece of bread.\u2019 It was Judas Iscariot. Jesus said something to Judas and he left and went out. The others did not know where he was going. They thought Jesus sent him on a message because he was in charge of the common fund. When Judas left, Jesus spoke to the disciples and told them, he would not be much longer with them. Simon wanted to know where he was going but Jesus just told him he could not come with him at this time, but later he would follow. Peter was still curious and persistent and wanted to follow.\u00a0 Peter told Jesus he would lay down his life for him. Jesus responded, \u2018before the cock crows you will have disowned me three times.\u2019<\/p>\n
As disciples, we also sit around the table with Jesus. The disciples in their own ways showed weakness of betrayal, denial and doubt. Their weaknesses in commitment signify ours also. That is why this time of Holy Week calls us to a deeper knowledge, love and understanding of Jesus.\u00a0 We take time to reflect and pray with the psalmist.<\/p>\n
VERITAS publications provide online resources including the Grow in Love\/ I nGr\u00e1 D\u00e9<\/em> e-books for Holy Week for each class standard of the Grow in Love\/I nGr\u00e1 D\u00e9<\/em> religious education programme available on the Grow in Love<\/em> website.<\/p>\n Website: growinlove.ie<\/p>\n Email: trial@growinlove.ie<\/p>\n Password: growinlove<\/p>\n INVITATION<\/u><\/p>\n PRAY<\/p>\n READ<\/p>\n DO<\/p>\n Sr Anne Neylon<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In the calendar year, people set aside certain weeks to celebrate specific events. For instance, in schools children participate in Science Week, Maths Week, Friendship Week, Catholic Schools Week, Active Week etc. The world sets aside international days to include World Book Day, World Wildlife Day, World Water Day, World Poetry Day and many more. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":997,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.growinlove.ie\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7511","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.growinlove.ie\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.growinlove.ie\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.growinlove.ie\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/997"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.growinlove.ie\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7511"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.growinlove.ie\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7511\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.growinlove.ie\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.growinlove.ie\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.growinlove.ie\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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