Welcome
Welcome to these devotional resources for Holy Week and Easter in Isolation. Each day there are three suggested focal points.
The first is a focal shelf in your home. This might be a table or sideboard, or part of a bookshelf, or a windowsill – anywhere you can place some items. There are suggestions each day for items you can place there as a visible sign of the story. If you put chairs nearby, it might form a sacred space for prayer, meditation and reflection.
The second focal point is your dining table. Whether you live alone or with other members of a household, we invite you to use some meals as a time for prayerful practice. We’ve included suggested prayers, readings and actions. Of course, you will adapt or modify these to suit your circumstances.
The third focal point is your inner life. We hope that during isolation you have some space where you can be still and alone. We hope that you can take some time each day to speak to God, listen to God, and be still.
Palm Sunday
Focal Shelf
If you don’t have one already, find a space in your home to create your focal shelf. Place things there that help you come close to God. It might include a bible, or a photo, or a flower or candle. Think about what is right for you. For Palm Sunday, try to find a leafy branch to place there (you might need a cup or vase to keep it upright!)
Meal
A palm cross has been sent to most parishioners. Maybe you also have an old one floating around? At a meal today, you could take turns holding the cross or place it in the centre of the table. These crosses are an annual tradition that always form part of our personal devotions. Some people keep them on their fridge or bedside table as a prompt for prayer. Today, they remind us of our shared journey towards the cross, even as we are physically distant. Before, after or during the meal, you could read this story from Luke’s gospel:
Luke 19: 29 - 40
When Jesus had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, saying, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, “Why are you untying it?” just say this: “The Lord needs it.” ’ So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, ‘Why are you untying the colt?’ They said, ‘The Lord needs it.’ Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying,
‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!’
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, order your disciples to stop.’ He answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.’
Here is a prayer to share at your meal, or at another time:
Today, O God, we begin our Holy Week journey.
A week to come close to the suffering and death of Jesus.
A week to prepare to come close to the mystery of Easter.
A week to call to mind, in word and action,
the central story of the Christian faith, the central story of God’s work in the world
and the central story of our baptismal vocation.
Jesus entered Jerusalem in triumph,
but soon he would be condemned to a brutal death.
Today we commit ourselves to walk the way of the cross,
so that, sharing in his sufferings, we may be united with him in his risen life.
We thank you for this cross of palm.
May it be for us a sign of the victory of your Son.
May we who hold it in his name ever hail him as our Messiah,
and follow him in the way that leads to eternal life;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Inner Life
The story of Palm Sunday is a story of crowds, but crowds are not possible right now. Nevertheless, we still live in community, surrounded by neighbours. From your yard, see what houses you can see. Take a moment to hold each household in prayer before God. If you are able, go for a walk around your area and take some time to pray for households you come across.