I'm sure Holy Week makes a strong impression on many people. Here's my story.

I was baptized in 1998 on a fourth Sunday of Lent, and two weeks later, began my first Holy Week. It was a transforming experience. Here are my strongest memories:

- The stripping of the altar on that Maundy Thursday is one of the starkest moments I have ever experienced. We started with the usual complement of items on the altar, and as each was taken away, the feeling of spirit departing was palpable.

- These words about Good Friday somehow sum up the depths of the day - "There is no Eucharist. Our Lord has died."

- The Easter Vigil - I find the Vigil to be the most sacred and moving service of the entire year, as it progresses from darkness through redemption into light. That first one had the shortest, and maybe the most profound, sermon I have ever heard.

In contrast, Easter Sunday seems "just another Sunday."