SUNDAY, 11:30 a.m.

Reflections on the Passion

FAMILYLAND TV Father John Galea discusses the incalculable suffering that Jesus took upon himself to redeem mankind. Re-airs Holy Thursday, 8:30 a.m., 9:30 p.m.

SUNDAY, 8 P.M.

Nature: Unforgettable Elephants

PBS Elephant expert and filmmaker Martyn Colbeck tells why he believes pachyderms are as intelligent as the higher primates. Advisory: TV-PG.

SUNDAY AND THURSDAY-SATURDAY

Passion Sunday and the Triduum

EWTN Pope Benedict XVI celebrates the Mass of Palm Sunday (3 hours), live at 3:30 a.m. with a re-air at 8 p.m. On Holy Thursday, his chrismal Mass (2 hours) is live at 3:30 a.m. and his Mass of the Lord’s Supper (2 hours) is live at 11:30 a.m. On Good Friday, his Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion (2 hours) is live at midnight with a re-air at 11:30 a.m. On Holy Saturday, the Holy Father’s Easter Vigil Mass (3 hours) is live at 4 p.m. with a re-air at midnight.

MONDAY, 9 p.m.

Digging for the Truth: Search for King David

HISTORY CHANNEL Reigning in the 11th century B.C., David was king of Israel, prophet, Psalmist and above all, an ancestor of Christ. In seeking proof outside the Bible for David’s existence, host Josh Bernstein interviews historians, examines a basalt slab inscribed with David’s name and explores a waterway beneath Jerusalem. Advisory: TV-PG.

WEDNESDAY, 10 p.m.

In Performance At the White House

PBS The President and Mrs. Bush host the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, a nonprofit educational group named for the jazz great (1917-1982). Performers include Anita Baker, Nnenna Freelon, Lisa Henry, Clark Terry and Bobby Watson.

SATURDAY, 3 p.m.

The Greatest Story Ever Told

HISTORY CHANNEL George Stevens directed this 1965 monumental Gospel epic based on the 1949 novel by author-editor Fulton Oursler (1893-1952), a convert to Catholicism. Max von Sydow is cast as Jesus.

SATURDAY, 7 p.m.

The Ten Commandments

ABC The parting of the Red Sea and God’s giving of the Commandments on Mount Sinai are two of many highlights in this 1956 epic by Cecil B. DeMille. Stars include Charlton Heston as Moses, Yul Brynner as Pharaoh, Anne Baxter and Yvonne De Carlo.

SATURDAY,8 p.m.

Iceberg That Sank the Titanic

DISCOVERY CHANNEL This special takes us to Greenland and Newfoundland to research the North Atlantic iceberg that sank the Titanic on April 14, 1912, with the loss of 1,496 lives.

Dan Engler writes from
Santa Barbara, California.