The Church considers the days of Holy Week to be the most significant of all holy days in the year. To derive benefit from them, we must pay attention to the following points:

Our behavior within and outside the church

It is notable how some behave in a certain way during Holy Week in church, but completely differently outside of it. Inside the church: black curtains, somber chants, solemn readings, and emphasis on the suffering of Christ. Outside the church, we laugh and have fun, we engage in worldly conversations with many, and our thoughts drift to worldly matters. Thus, we lose the spirituality gained within the church. Let us dedicate our thoughts, conversations, and contemplations to the events of this Holy Week and the Suffering of our Savior.

Seclusion

On ordinary fasting days, we should keep in mind these words from the Bible: “Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly” (Joel 1:14). How much more should we apply these words during Holy Week? This time should be characterized by seclusion and withdrawal, spending our time with God. We must keep ourselves far from all profane conversations and all means of relaxation and pleasure. Preserve your time for God and for spiritual acts worthy of this week.

On the first hour of Monday of Holy Pascha, we read the homily of St. Shenouda, in which he warns: “Brothers, if we want to escape the judgment of God and find favor in His eyes, then we must sit alone every evening and examine our souls….”

Follow in the footsteps of Christ

Reflect on all the events of this week: from Palm Sunday, when Christ refused a worldly kingdom causing the Jews to lose hope in Him, to the time when they crucified and buried Him. Ask yourself on Palm Sunday: “Is Christ Lord and King over every detail of my life? Do I, like Christ, also refuse worldly glory to strive for eternal, spiritual glory? During the general mourning service, do I behave as if I am attending my own funeral?”

And when the church condemns Judas’ kiss of betrayal on the evening of Wednesday of Holy Pascha Week, ask yourself in prayer: “How often, O Lord, have I betrayed You? How many times have I addressed You with loving words in prayer while my actions proved the opposite, and my heart was far from You?”

Share in the fellowship of His suffering

St. Paul said: “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” (Philippians 3:10). Can we impose upon ourselves this week to participate in His suffering and be conformed to His death? Can we follow Him in His suffering and be crucified with Him? Can we say with St. Paul: I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20)?

So that Christ may live in us, we must bear our cross and follow Him. If you have a cross in your life, do not complain. Instead, rejoice in it and bear it for Christ. ” For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (Philippians 1:29).

Abstaining from worldly things

One who keeps in mind the suffering of Christ will not take pleasure in eating, drinking, or any other way to please the body. To succeed in asceticism, we must nourish our soul with spiritual food so that it may grow and overcome physical hunger. Typically, the church fasted at least until the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.) on normal fasting days and until sunset during Holy Pascha Week. St. Athanasius even said that the period of Holy Week should be welcomed with “longer prayers, fasting, and vigils so that we may clothe ourselves with the precious blood and escape the grip of the destroyer.” The blessed saint also says: “Let us fast as He prescribed to us, in the way that we find the path to God.”

Spiritual readings

Spiritual readings are also food for the soul. The church has organized for us a treasure trove of appropriate readings for each day of Holy Week. These consist of readings from the Gospels, prophecies from the Old Testament corresponding to the events of each day, spiritual explanations, and sermons from the church fathers. On Saturday (night of the Apocalypse), the church reads the entire book of Revelation.

Hymns

The hymns of Holy Week are moving and filled with spirituality. Like the readings, hymns protect the thoughts from wandering and lead them in a spiritual direction. We should actually continue to repeat the hymns while walking, contemplating, and even while resting.

Prayer

Since the Agpeya prayers are not used during Holy Week, we must replace them with our personal prayers, and also with the intensive prayers of the church. In them, we ask the Lord, who took upon Himself the sins of the world and died for us, to be gracious to us according to His great mercy.

Confession and Communion

Throughout the week, each person should sit alone with themselves to remember their sins and then lay them on Christ’s shoulders and tell Him in shame: “Bear, O Lord, also my sins, along with the sins of the rest of humanity. Take my sins and crucify them on the Cross with You, so that Your blood may wipe them away!”

Examine your sins closely and know that they are the reason for His crucifixion. Many cry with sorrow for the suffering of Christ while crucifying Him themselves every day with their sins. We should not have pity on Christ during this week, but rather we should show repentance for our sins which have caused Him this suffering. As Jesus told the women who were weeping for Him: ” Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children” (Luke 23:28).

We all stand as sinners before the cross ” There is none who does good, No, not one.” (Psalm 14:3). We confess our sins and prepare ourselves for Holy Communion. There are also three liturgies during Holy Week: on Maundy Thursday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday (and of course, the liturgy on Palm Sunday).

Spiritual stockpile

Holy Week is not just an opportunity to grow during the week itself, but a time to build up a stockpile of spiritual food that should be sufficient for the entire year. This stockpile is especially necessary during the 50 days after the Resurrection when there is no fasting.

I hope that you can spend this week with us in prayer, and I wish you all a good Pascha Week.