Rev’d Vicky Falvey
Curate, St Mary’s Fairford
Readings: tba
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The following is taken from the Parish Newsletter for Easter Sunday 5th April 2026.
As we arrive at this point in Holy Week, we recognise that we have already been on a journey—walking step by step through moments of praise, tension, betrayal, and deepening reflection. From Palm Sunday’s joy to the gathering shadows of the Passion, we have been invited not simply to observe, but to enter into the story.
Now, on this Thursday, as this newsletter is shared, we stand at the threshold of the Paschal Triduum—that most solemn, rich, and profoundly reflective time in the Church’s year. Beginning with Maundy Thursday and moving through Good Friday to the stillness of Holy Saturday, we are drawn into the heart of the mystery of Christ’s love.
Maundy Thursday invites us to the table—to witness humility in the washing of feet, and love poured out in the sharing of bread and wine. It is a moment both intimate and unsettling, as we hear the commandment to “love one another” not as an abstract idea, but as a lived, costly reality. From there, the tone shifts as we move into Good Friday, where we stand at the foot of the cross. Here, words often fall away. We are left with silence, with grief, and with the stark depth of sacrificial love.
Then comes Holy Saturday—a day easily overlooked, yet full of meaning. It is a day of waiting, of absence, of uncertainty. The world holds its breath. The tomb is sealed, and hope seems hidden. And yet, it is precisely here, in the quiet and the unknown, that God is still at work.
All of this leads us toward the joy of Easter Sunday, and the resurrection account in the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew tells us that the women come to the tomb in faithfulness, only to be met with the unexpected news that Jesus has been raised. Their response—both fear and great joy—captures something essential about Easter: it is overwhelming, surprising, and full of life.
As they go to share the news, Jesus meets them on the way. In that simple yet profound encounter, they recognise him and respond in worship. They are then sent to tell others—a reminder that the good news of Easter is not something to be kept, but something to be shared.
Easter does not stand apart from the journey that leads to it. Its joy is richer because of the sorrow that comes before; its light shines more brightly because we have known darkness. As we enter these sacred days of the Triduum, we are invited to be present—to watch, to pray, and to reflect—so that when Sunday comes, we may truly celebrate the risen Christ.
May this holy time draw us deeper into the mystery of God’s love, and prepare our hearts to rejoice with renewed faith and hope.
Rev’d Vicky
Updated 5th April 2026