A Journey through Holy Week: Reflections from Canon Gregory

As we approach Holy Week and Easter, Canon Gregory shares his reflections on the significance of this time in the Christian calendar.

"I am lucky in that faith has always been part of the fabric of my life. Nurtured in a home of practising Christians, the shape of the Christian year directed the shape of the whole of life. It still does and always will," reflects Canon Gregory.

Looking back on his journey of faith, Canon Gregory recalls the vivid memories "It’s partly a memory of the seasons," he shares. "As far back as I can remember, it seems that Holy Week always felt as though the real spring had arrived… spring life, together with the rituals, worship, hymns and words of Easter are forever linked in my deep memories”

“As I have got older, and like us all, become weathered by the changes and chances of this world, I have found that the story of Christ’s final weeks, tormented and turbulent though they are, make sense of the suffering we will all experience at some point in this life. That final, Holy Week, is really high octane, so full of emotion, sadness, and poignant inevitability.”

For Canon Gregory, the resurrection of Jesus brings a profound sense of hope and renewal. "Just as shoots pierce through the dead earth, and the sweet scents of new life hang in the warming air, so the new life that Jesus’s resurrection brings - so much greater than even the greatest moments we have known - seem to conquer the gloom and grimness of that final week," he shares.

As we prepare to journey through Holy Week and celebrate the joy of Easter, Canon Gregory extends a warm invitation to join Lichfield Cathedral in worship and reflection. "The death of winter, just like the death of death, reminds us that the spring we feel around us in these coming weeks is a gentle hint of a new life that, one day, we will share with all who have gone before us, and with God himself," he concludes. "It’s a real blessing."

Join us at Lichfield Cathedral as we commemorate the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. From solemn services to joyful celebrations, there is something for everyone throughout Holy Week and Easter and all are welcome.

For service times and more information, visit: www.lichfield-cathedral.org/holy-week

We look forward to welcoming you as we journey together in the footsteps of Jesus.

Canon Chancellor (Education and Outreach)  The Revd Canon Dr Gregory Platten, previously vicar of All Saints’ Friern Barnet and Area Dean of Central and West Barnet Deaneries in the Diocese of London, was installed and collated as Canon Chancellor of Lichfield Cathedral in July 2020.