One of the best ways to celebrate Holy Week is to attend as many Masses as possible. During this week, you can practically live at church: Palm Sunday, with the reading of The Passion, Chrism Mass, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, not to mention Stations of the Cross and extra hours for Reconciliation. These liturgies and extra events are beautiful, and I highly recommend attending as many as you possibly can.
But to really help your children (and you!) appreciate all of the nuances of this holiest of weeks, it’s important to supplement the liturgies with lessons geared to their age levels. Here are some ideas for how to do this in your home.
Spy Wednesday, Part 1: Judas
Just as there is no Easter Sunday without Good Friday, there is no Holy Thursday without Judas. And what child isn’t intrigued by a name like “Spy Wednesday”?
Spy Wednesday is the day when Judas makes the deal to hand over Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Searching the house for 30 pieces of silver helps children understand how greed can take over. We’ve also used quarters, dimes, and nickels (whatever silver coins I can find), but this year the 30 chocolate coins came in my Catholic All Year subscription box for Holy Week.
Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. When they heard it, they were greatly pleased, and promised to give him money. So he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.
Mark 14:10-11
Judas vs. Peter
It can be tempting to skip the discussions about Judas with young children – his story definitely does not have a happy ending. But I love to take advantage of this opportunity to talk about the difference between Judas and Peter. Tomorrow night Judas will betray Jesus, and Peter will deny three times that he knows Jesus. Judas cannot live with his guilt, but Peter becomes Saint Peter and the first Pope of the Catholic Church. The difference? Reconciliation. Peter asked Jesus for forgiveness, providing a wonderful example of what we all should do on a regular basis.
Spy Wednesday, Part 2: Tenebrae
An at-home Tenebrae service was a first for us this year. Sometimes I think we’ve done it all, but there is always something new to add to our understanding of Holy Week. The Tenebrae Hearse and candles also arrived in my Catholic All Year subscription box for Holy Week, and I also downloaded a guide to the service. We had PSR on Wednesday night after a full day of work and school, so we fit in Tenebrae by doing it during dinner.
We took turns ready the 14 short paragraphs, passing the paper around the table and blowing out one candle each time. I could not find my candle snuffer, so it was a challenge to blow out only one candle at a time! Tenebrae means darkness in Latin. When all of the candles are extinguished, a loud noise (what children don’t like to make a lot of noise?!) is made to symbolize the earthquake and tearing of the curtain of the temple. We did this by stomping on the floor.
Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split.
Matthew 27:50-51
Tenebrae was a hit!
More ideas for Holy Week:
5 Movies to Watch During Holy Week
Palm Sunday: Welcoming and Learning about Jesus
Holy Thursday: The Last Supper at Home
Good Friday: Silence and The Crown of Thorns
3 Ways to Meditate on the Stations of the Cross at Home
Vinegar, Salt, and the Gospel: A Holy Saturday Activity
