The Holy Week is the final station of Great Lent’s spiritual journey, depicting the final days of Christ’s earthly life from Palm Sunday to the dawn of the Resurrection.

It is so commendable to see our faithful following in the footsteps of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through the prayers, hymns, and devotional services established by the church fathers. Christ’s presence is evident in the liturgical life of the church, which grants us an opportunity for self-refection.

In the past, we published various brochures for our faithful community to explain the true purpose and meaning of the lent, but above all, to lead them through prayer and contemplation so that they may feel the presence of God in the true sense of the word. We thought that these brochures could contribute to the overall spiritual growth of the faithful.

Life is God’s most precious gift to us which we ought to live with a true faith, enriching it with kind and benevolent deeds. To do that, it is enough to have Christ as our source of emulation and live a Christ-like life, which is God-pleasing.

With Palm Sunday, the Holy City of Jerusalem becomes the gateway leading to the new life, for the triumphant entry of Christ into the Holy City inspires new meaning to the people of Israel bound to God through the Old Covenant. Christ’s entry into Jerusalem signifies the fulfilment of the law. It seems that the crowds that were cheering the Lord with exclamations of Hosannas were perceiving the delineation of the promised life. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Others would invoke God, beseeching Him to open their eyes so that that may have a spiritual discernment. During the entire Holy Week, we will join the blind in prayer, asking the Lord to open our eyes so that we too may see the new life in the resurrection of Christ.

The triumphant entry of Christ into the Holy City of Jerusalem is presented in the gospels festively. It is possible that some people were following the cheerful event without a full comprehension or consciousness. Yet, they were happy and full of hope.

The following days after the grand entry into the Holy City, Christ, through His personal example, imparts valuable moral and spiritual lessons, without which the life would turn to the pre-creation chaos. Christ’s personal example illustrates the path of justice and righteousness paved and laid out in front of us.

One of the most profound lessons is the one about humility. In the Gospel of Matthew, Christ says, “Whoever will humble himself will be exalted.” Matt. 23:12

Christ is the embodiment of humility. The descent of the Son of God to this world and to the humanity already speaks volumes about His humility. It is also a living testimony of God’s boundless love for humanity, whose salvation was the only purpose of God’s incarnation.

Happiness derives from being “humble in heart.” That kind of happiness is uninfringeable. It radiates peace and love in the lives of people. It’s a balm for the soul.

Christ also teaches us about serving the others. Christianity, in general, is about serving God and each other. Here, too, Christ presents us the meaning of servitude in the sense of dedication and self-sacrificial love. We see the ultimate example of servitude and sacrificial love in the poignant image of Christ’s crucifixion. If the Son of God humbled Himself, how much more humble shall we live our transient lives on this earth.

As we prepare to celebrate the glorious resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, let us concentrate on these two important lessons and ponder.

Through Holy Week, we can see the path to Golgotha, and subsequently, the new dawn of Easter. When we gaze on the mystery of the glorious resurrection, we receive the eternal light emanating from Christ, the Lord.