Connecting to Holy Week Through Family Meals

As a youth and young adult ministries director, I often struggle to balance my work in the church with personal spiritual growth, especially during busy seasons like Holy Week. This year, things shifted. In the summer of 2024, my 13-year-old niece moved in with my husband and me. She quickly got involved with the church and the youth group I lead. Watching her embrace her faith made me realize she needed to see my religion lived out beyond my role—and I needed that, too. Determined to reclaim Holy Week as sacred time for my family, I combined my love of cooking with the Passion story, designing themed dinners each night. I shared the meals online and was touched by the response, which inspired me to compile them here for others to use and adapt.

Palm Sunday we attended church and heard the story of Jesus’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem (Luke 19:28-44). At home that evening, I prepared lamb chops with creamy Dijon sauce, roasted rosemary potatoes, and hearts of palm arugula salad. We talked about how Jesus is the lamb of God and the meaning of his humble sacrifice. The rosemary sprigs and hearts of palm also added a fun nod to the Palm Sunday theme. My niece wasn’t a fan of the lamb or hearts of palm, but she bravely tried them before settling on a hot pocket and potatoes. For my husband and me, the meal was delicious—especially with a glass of red wine. Mixed reviews aside, we enjoyed sharing the meal and reflecting together as a family.

On Holy Monday, we sat down to our second Holy Week dinner and read Matthew 21:12-22, detailing Jesus’s entrance into the Jerusalem Temple, anger at the money changers, and his disgust with a fig tree that would not bear fruit. We discussed Jesus’s anger and frustration on this day as we ate pork chops with a fig-balsamic sauce, Israeli couscous, and Brussels sprouts. The figs in the sauce served as a reminder that true faith bears sweet fruit, and the Israeli couscous offered a connection to Jesus’s entrance into the capital city. The Brussels sprouts were simply a tasty vegetable to balance out the meal.

On Holy Tuesday, we continued in Matthew’s gospel, reading the Parable of the Two Sons and the Parable of the Tenants (Matthew 21:28-46). Since both parables take place on a vineyard, we enjoyed fruity chicken salad sandwiches with grapes and chips. We dove into the meaning of these parables and imagined what it felt like to be the religious leaders of the time as Jesus challenged their faith.

Holy Wednesday, commonly known as Spy Wednesday, ended up being my favorite meal of the week. We gathered with family to make “money bag” pork dumplings, with teens laughing around the kitchen island as they tried to tie green onion purse strings on each one.  We served these family style with grocery store sushi and lettuce wraps that utilized the extra meat filling. We read Matthew 26:1-4,14-16 which explained the religious leaders’ plot to kill Jesus and Judas Iscariot’s agreement to betray his friend in exchange for 30 pieces of silver. While devouring our dumplings and sushi, a passionate discussion broke out over Judas’s motives and his state of mind. One teen noted that Judas later took his own life out of guilt, while another wondered if, had he lived to see Easter, Jesus might have offered him forgiveness.

The rest of the week moved quickly as we attended Triduum services leading up to Easter. Thursday night, we enjoyed the annual Agape Soup Dinner at church, followed by the Maundy Thursday service. On Good Friday, we joined the noon liturgy and later had salmon patties with pasta and salad for dinner. That evening, we discussed the tradition of abstaining from meat on Fridays and how Jesus sacrificed his own flesh.

On Holy Saturday, we were busy prepping for our church’s Easter service and hosting family for lunch at our house, but I snuck out early to buy donuts. Before anyone woke up, I cut and arranged them into the shape of a tomb. My niece and husband giggled at the surprise. As I sipped my coffee that morning, I reflected on the week. Through planning, preparing, and sharing these meals, I experienced one of the most meaningful Holy Weeks of my life. The stories came alive in new ways, and we explored each day’s themes together with joy and depth. Holy Week dinners will definitely become a lasting family tradition as our family continues to learn and grow together. 

[Image Credit: all photographs were taken by the author’s niece, Kayden Hiers]