A Message for Children – Preparing for Holy Week with Jesus
As Easter draws near, Bishop Charles Gauci shares a heartfelt message for children, inviting them to prepare for Holy Week with open hearts and curiosity.
“Dear young people,” he begins, “we now come to the end of Lent, where we have Holy Week and Easter.” With warm and simple language, Bishop Gauci explains how Jesus showed great love by continuing to do what was good and kind, even when it was difficult and others were unhappy with him.
Jesus chose not to run away from his mission. Instead, he stayed faithful to love, even when it meant dying on the cross. But his story didn’t end there.
On Easter Sunday, we celebrate something amazing – Jesus rose from the dead. “He was truly dead, but truly alive again,” Bishop Gauci explains. His friends saw him, spoke to him, and even ate with him. For 40 days after the resurrection, Jesus remained with them until he returned to heaven – not to leave them, but to be with them in a new and lasting way.
Bishop Gauci also highlights the importance of Holy Thursday, when Jesus gave us the Last Supper. This moment, when bread and wine became his Body and Blood, is what we remember every time we go to Mass. It reminds us that Jesus is with us always, especially in the Eucharist.
As children get ready for Holy Week and Easter, Bishop Gauci leaves them with a loving message:
“May this be a real good Holy Week and Easter for you. God bless you.”
A Message for Adults – Preparing for Holy Week with Jesus
In a heartfelt message to adults, Bishop Charles Gauci offers a reflective and faith-filled perspective on the meaning of Holy Week and Easter, as the Church prepares to enter the sacred days of the Triduum.
The Triduum – Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday – is the heart of the Christian calendar. As Bishop Gauci explains, it is not just tradition, but a transformative journey into the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
On Holy Thursday, Jesus gave us the Eucharist during the Last Supper – a lasting and sacred way to remain connected with him. “To remember him in a special way, to connect with him in an enduring way,” Bishop Gauci says.
Good Friday then brings us face to face with the cross. Jesus didn’t avoid suffering; he embraced it out of love. “He felt absolutely down. He felt distraught,” says Bishop Gauci. But Jesus kept trusting in the Father and stayed committed to his mission of love, even in the face of death.
And then, Easter Sunday – the triumphant moment when Christ rose from the dead. This is not a symbolic story or fantasy. “He really did die and rise,” Bishop Gauci affirms. Countless eyewitnesses saw the risen Jesus, touched him, and were so convinced of the truth that they gave their lives in witness to it.
This truth forms the foundation of Christian hope. It’s not wishful thinking or shallow optimism, but a hope grounded in the resurrection – a divine promise from the God “who cannot tell lies.” No matter what challenges we face in life, this hope assures us that we are never abandoned.
“Jesus is with us. God is with us,” Bishop Gauci reassures us. “Whatever challenges we have to face, we are never alone.”
As we move towards Holy Week and the celebration of Easter, his message is one of strength and consolation: Christ has conquered death – and through him, we live in hope.
Have a blessed and joyful Easter.