As you all know, this week and next week are our English Week. (Don’t ask me why – there are two weeks but we only say English Week. Never mind.) Next Friday, you are going to have your Easter holiday. Isn’t that wonderful? The week right before Easter is known as Holy Week. 聖周During Holy Week, we remember what has happened during the days before Jesus died on the cross.
This year Holy Week happens to be English Week as well. Let me compare these two important events.
First, last Monday, for English Week, we had English Olympics, It was very joyous, noisy and exciting, wasn’t it? For Holy Week, on Sunday – that is this coming Sunday – we remember the day that Jesus went to Jerusalem, riding on a donkey. People welcomed him by waving palm branches. It was also very joyous, noisy and exciting because the people (wrongly) thought that Jesus would help them to become independent from the Roman Empire. However, it was not fun at the end because these people became dissatisfied with Jesus and made him die on Good Friday.
Second, yesterday, as part of the English Week, we had English Tea. I wish I had been there to share nice company, wonderful conversation and good food. I surely hope there will be more English Teas in the future. Next Thursday, a week from today, it’s Holy Thursday. On Holy Thursday we remember the day when Jesus had his Last Supper with his friends, his disciples, his students. Similar to English Tea yesterday, Jesus shared nice company, wonderful conversation and good food with his friends. This was Jesus’ Last Supper before he died on the cross. So, Christians celebrate Mass彌撒or the Eucharist聖餐to remember Jesus’ death on the cross.
Finally, there was the Easter Egg Hunt on Tuesday. Did you participate in it and run around the school to look for Easter Eggs? Were you happy to find the eggs? Next Sunday, it will be Easter Sunday. On Easter Sunday, we remember how people ran around Jerusalem to tell people that Jesus has risen from the dead. Jesus came back to life three days after death on the cross. When people found out that Jesus is alive again, people were happy, just like finding the Easter Eggs.
So you see, English Week is similar to the Holy Week in some ways. I hope you would enjoy the rest of the English Week. And for Holy Week, I hope you will take the time to think about, to reflect on the love of Jesus for all of us. He loves us so much that he was willing to die on the cross. Take the time to think about the new life that Jesus gives us. Only he can give us new life because he was raised from the dead. He came back to life after dying on the cross. So let us pray and commend our lives to God.
~ Brother William OFM
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