Lenten activity #38 is an opportunity for catechists to connect Holy Week and the end of Lent to the celebration of Easter.

Holy Week Basket

• We are all familiar with Easter Baskets. This activity takes the Easter Basket and transforms it into a Holy Week Basket in preparation for the celebration of Easter.
• Place a traditional Easter Basket (filled with that fake green grass!) in the center of the room.
• In the basket, place a number of plastic eggs that you have filled with slips of paper that have suggestions for how to make Holy Week more holy. Suggestions:
  • each day of Holy Week, read the Gospel for the day
  • spend 15 minutes in silence each day
  • pray the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary
  • Get to church early for each of the Holy Week services and spend some quiet time in prayer
  • rent an inspirational film such as Jesus of Nazareth, King of Kings, The Greatest Story Ever Told, etc.
  • listen to some inspirational music
  • fast from one meal each day
  • fast from watching TV
  • fast from surfing the Internet, spending time on Facebook, etc.
  • fast fromyour Ipod
  • gather up loose change and donate it to a charity
  • volunteer to work at a soup kitchen or shelter
  • volunteer to help at a parish activity
  • volunteer to participate in a special role at one of the Holy Week services
  • go through your closet and drawers and gather up some clothes to donate to charity
  • begin some spring cleaning in and around the house, starting with your own room
  • make Easter cards for your family and godparents and for anyone you know who is ill
  • visit someone who is sick or lonely
  • plant some flowers
  • help your parents do the Easter food shopping and preparation of Easter meals
  • keep a quiet atmostphere on Good Friday: no TV, radio, or computer for a few hours in the afternoon.
  • pray the Stations of the Cross
  • other ideas? PLEASE SHARE THEM!
• Have each young person take one of the eggs and open it to get their Holy Week suggestion.
• Go around the group and ask them to read aloud the Holy Week suggestion they received.
• Announce the times of Holy Week services at your parish and encourage the young people to attend and participate.
• Play some quiet instrumental music and invite the young people to come forward one at a time to place their egg back in the basket in preparation for the celebration of Easter.
• Remind them that the egg is a symbol of the tomb of Jesus from which he arose.