Perhaps we can look at next week—Holy Week—as a Tale of Two Kingdoms. Our families can journey through Holy Week in the Kingdom of God, or we can give in to our fallen nature and spend Holy Week in the kingdom of this world.

Think of it like citizenship: we can flourish next week, living out our baptismal identity as noble sons and daughters of the most high king. As God’s children, we can’t help but want to join Jesus as he enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday; spend time with him as he washes his disciples’ feet; accompany him to Gethsemani, to prison, to his scourging, way of the cross, and crucifixion.

If we choose to live in God’s kingdom, we will be fundamentally shaped by the experience of our Savior, Jesus Christ, during his Holy Week. The readings, the beautiful liturgies, our times of prayer—individually, as couples, and as families—will unfold in new ways, touching our hearts and preparing us for his resurrection.   

Or, we can suffer a bout of amnesia, forget our royal heritage, and spend Holy Week away from liturgies and prayer, away from any silence—adrift, chasing the phantoms of a commercialized Easter. The perfectly dressed family for the gorgeous family photo. The carefully styled Easter baskets. The best Easter egg hunt. The picture-perfect meal on Easter Sunday.

As one market research firm attests, “U.S. consumers are expected to spend a record $24.9 billion on Easter this year, underscoring the resilience of holiday-driven retail demand … spending is also expected to reach a new peak ($195.59 per adult consumer).”

To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with photos, baskets, hunts, and meals. But if we opt for living in the kingdom of this world next week, then let’s be honest: it’s all about photos, food, comfort and fun. In fact, let’s put aside liturgy and prayer and get ready to: strive, posture, control, people please, indulge, achieve and consume.

Sigh. It’s all so exhausting, isn’t it? Yes, our families deserve better. And thank God, we don’t need to live in that kingdom. Jesus, his Church, Scripture, the liturgies down the street at our parish … they all invite us to live differently in the week ahead, and get ready for: surrender, stillness, invitation, meditation, wonder, accompaniment, and anticipation.

Can we live in the Kingdom of God and still have nice outfits, meals, and baskets on Easter Sunday? Of course. But as St. Augustine and others taught in the concept of ordo amoris—the “ordering of loves”—we have to set the tone in our families and try to put the loves in the right order by:  

• Participating in Holy Week liturgies as a family as much as possible.

• Leading your family into conversations about what Jesus is experiencing in the daily readings.

• As you prepare outfits, baskets, and meals, pause and invite the Holy Spirit into that moment. Allow the Lord to transform it from a moment of striving to a moment of surrender and peace.  

Let’s be honest. As saints-in-the-making, we are a confusing mix. One minute we are children of the most high king, secure in the Kingdom of God. The next minute, we trade away our citizenship, succumb to weakness like St. Peter, and deny that we ever knew Jesus.

As we lead our families into the harrowing beauty of the Holy Week ahead, may we beg the Lord to keep us mindful of our noble lineage as his beloved sons and daughters!