We are in Holy Week – but what an unusual Holy Week it is. With no public Masses, many are heartbroken they will not be able to receive the Holy Eucharist and participate in the Triduum liturgies at their parish. So how can you make the most of Holy Week, even though it will look very different this year?

Fr. James Kubicki, a regular Morning Air® contributor, recently shared some ways in which this most unusual Holy Week can offer unique opportunities to grow in our faith. Although it is natural to feel disappointed at not being physically present at the Triduum liturgies, he pointed out that praying along from our homes presents an opportunity to experience the liturgy with new eyes.

“I think the opportunity is for us to unite ourselves more spiritually with what’s going on during the Holy Week services, and to be more mindful,” he said. “Not just to be there physically present, but to be spiritually present, to be praying these in a deeper way than maybe we have in the past.”

With Mass closed to the public for the last several weeks, you likely find yourself particularly hungering for the Eucharist during this Holy Week. We are right there with you. But Fr. Kubicki pointed out that we should recognize this hunger that we have, and allow it to shape who we are during this week, and who we will become once the quarantine is over.

He explained, “The goal of fasting is to create a void and an emptiness. Certainly, we experience that physically when we refrain from eating food, or certain kinds of food. And it gives us a longing for that particular food – whether it be chocolate, or caffeine, or things like that.”

“And so, spiritually, having to fast from receiving Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament should create a void in us, a hunger, a desire to not take him for granted,” Fr. Kubicki said. “To look for opportunities once we’re able to go back into our churches and celebrate the Eucharist. To look for opportunities where we can receive him more often, not just on Sundays, but also during the week. So hopefully, the fasting that we’re doing from the Eucharist will create that great hunger in us that will lead us to seek him more frequently. And also to honor him, and love him, and not take him for granted.”

While this Holy Week may involve suffering, we should always hold tight to hope, because when we look at things from an eternal perspective we know that death, disease, and discouragement don’t have the last word.

“This experience of the COVID-19 virus, the threat that it is to all of us, [brings an] awareness of our own vulnerability, and the fact that we are dust,” Fr. Kubicki acknowledged. “But God promises us a resurrection.”

Relevant Radio^® is offering many ways for you to enter into this holiest of weeks, to celebrate the richness and beauty of the Triduum from the safety of your own home. Check out these highlights from our special Holy Week and Easter programming schedule, and find them all on your local Relevant Radio station, at relevantradio.com, and on our free mobile app:

Fr. Rocky’s Holy Week Mission, Close to Jesus to the Last: A special 5-day reflection led by Father Rocky at 6pm CT, April 6-10. Take a deeper look at the events leading to Christ’s crucifixion and meditate on his Passion.

Holy Thursday:

• Discourse on the Holy Eucharist with Fr. Rocky at noon CT
• Mass of the Last Supper at 5pm CT

Good Friday:

• 11am CT, National Moment of Prayer Live with Archbishop Gomez
• Noon CT, Good Friday Liturgy
• 3pm CT, Stations of the Cross

Holy Saturday: Vatican Easter Vigil Mass at 1:30pm CT

Easter Sunday:

• Urbi et Orbi blessing with Pope Francis, live from Rome at 4am CT
• Easter Sunday Mass with Fr. Rocky at noon CT, and rebroadcast at 3pm and 6pm CT

In addition to these special broadcasts, Relevant Radio broadcasts daily Mass at noon CT, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy weekdays at 3pm CT, and the Family Rosary Across America^® at 7pm.

View Holy Week Programming Schedule

Remember, you are never alone. Relevant Radio is praying with you and for you every single day. We are all in this together, and God is near to us even when we are physically distant from the Holy Eucharist. We wish you a blessed and sacred Holy Week, and thank you for joining our reflections, devotions, and celebrations of the Holy Mass throughout the weeks to come.