Welcome to Saintly Journeys: Holy Week

Sunday, March 29, 2026

An Invitation into Holy Week - Explore

Something is about to happen that changes everything.

Every year, the Church invites us back to the foot of the Cross — not as spectators, but as pilgrims. Holy Week is not a series of religious obligations to check off a calendar. It is a journey. A sacred passage through the final days of Jesus' earthly life, walked in community, walked with intention, and — if we allow it — walked in a way that transforms us from the inside out.

Whether you are a lifelong Catholic who has participated in these sacred rites for decades, a seeker still testing the waters of faith, or someone returning after a long time away, there is a place for you here.

What Holy Week holds for you:

Palm Sunday opens the week with the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem — and reminds us how quickly celebration can give way to betrayal. It is an honest mirror. We have all waved our palms and then walked away.

Holy Thursday brings us into the Upper Room, where Jesus knelt at the feet of his disciples and redefined what it means to lead, to love, and to serve. The institution of the Eucharist is not ancient history — it is the living heartbeat of our faith, renewed at every Mass.

Good Friday asks us to be still. To stand at the foot of the Cross without rushing past it. To let the weight of the wood settle into our hearts. There is no resurrection without this day, and there is no authentic Christian life without learning to sit in the silence of suffering — our own, and the world's.

The Easter Vigil is the great mother of all celebrations. The fire. The darkness. The waters. The Word. If you have never attended an Easter Vigil, I want to gently encourage you: go. It may be one of the most beautiful nights of your life.

Easter Sunday is not the end of the journey — it is the beginning. The disciples on the road to Emmaus didn't recognize Jesus until after He broke the bread. Our hearts, too, are made to burn.

Wherever you are in your walk with Christ, this week is for you. The vine is alive, and the branches are waiting.

He is risen. He is risen indeed.

Today's Reading from the Holy Gospel Matthew 26:14-25:

One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver, and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over. On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples approached Jesus and said, “Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?” He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The teacher says, "My appointed time draws near; in your house I shall celebrate the Passover with my disciples.”‘“ The disciples then did as Jesus had ordered, and prepared the Passover. When it was evening, he reclined at table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, “Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” Deeply distressed at this, they began to say to him one after another, “Surely it is not I, Lord?” He said in reply, “He who has dipped his hand into the dish with me is the one who will betray me. The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never been born.” Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” He answered, “You have said so.” “The Gospel of the Lord.”

Peace Be With You!

I'm Randy—husband, stepfather, Eucharistic Minister, Cursillista, and a Catholic layman who said 'yes' to God's call to evangelize online. My journey toward online evangelization began during Cursillo #109 in the Orlando Diocese. It was during my Cursillo weekend that I encountered the scripture theme: "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" In that powerful moment of grace, my response echoed Isaiah's: "Here am I. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8) In the days that followed, I found myself in prayer, asking the Holy Spirit how to put into action all that I had discovered. It was then that the vision for Saintly Journeys took shape—not as something I had planned, but as a ministry the Lord was calling me to embrace. I'm not a priest, theologian, or Bible scholar—I'm a layperson living out the call to evangelize, probably a lot like you: balancing faith and family, wrestling with questions, discovering God meets us where we are. My role isn't to stand above you with answers, but to walk alongside you as a fellow member of the laity, both of us sharing in Christ's mission in our own unique ways. As I often say, God doesn't call the qualified; He qualifies the called. My mission is to evangelize from the screen to the altar, mending the nets in the digital vineyard.