“In the Sacred Triduum, the Church solemnly celebrates the greatest mysteries of our redemption, keeping by means of special celebrations the memorial of her lord, crucified, buried, and risen.
Pastors are given special instruction on their responsibilities during these holy days. The instruction in the Roman missal itself says, “Pastors should not fail to explain to the Christian faithful, as best they can, the meaning and order of the celebrations and to prepare them for active and fruitful participation”
This evening we celebrate what is called the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. As normal, this mass includes the liturgy of the word, from which we read from the sacred scriptures, and also the liturgy of the Eucharist, which contains special orations unique to this day, particularly about the Lord’s institution of the Holy Eucharist and the Ordained Priesthood at the Last Supper. Between the two normal parts of the mass is a special ritual of the Washing of the Feet. After the distribution of Holy Communion, the Eucharistic fragments will be processed through the Church back to the Tabernacle.
Tomorrow morning we will celebrate the Church’s official Morning Prayer at 9am tomorrow. Followed by the Stations of the Cross at noon and the Good Friday Passion Liturgy at 3pm. It is a particularly solemn liturgy, beginning with the priest laying prostrate in the bare sanctuary. After readings from Isaiah and the letter to the Hebrews, the entirety of St. John’s Passion will be proclaimed. Special solemn intercessions are offered before we have the beautiful once a year ritual of the veneration of the cross. Holy Communion which is confected this even will be distributed tomorrow, and we then depart in silence.
That’s the order of things for Holy Thursday and Good Friday. The Easter Vigil, the Mother of all Vigils, will be celebrated at 8:30pm, and that Liturgy, well, you just have to experience for yourself.
That’s “what” we are doing, but why are we doing it?
“Do this in memory of me”. Three times we heard it already. Twice in St. Paul’s description of what the Lord said at the last supper in our second reading. And the third time in the Gospel, when the Lord says that we must remember what he has done for us, and do it for others.
During the Triduum, we remember how Jesus washed feet. We remember how Jesus took bread and wine and transformed them into his body and blood and how he made the Apostles the first priests of the Church, so that Sacrament could be repeated for all ages. During the Triduum we remember how he took up the cross. We remember how he spoke words of forgiveness from the cross. We remember how he gave his blessed mother to be the mother of all disciples. We remember how he gave up his life as a sacrifice.
Why do we do, what we do? Why do we remember what we remember? Because he told us to. We celebrate and remember because he told us to. We eat his flesh and drink his blood because he told us to. We keep watch in prayer because he told us to.
In the first reading, we heard how the Lord commanded the Jewish people through Moses to keep the memorial feast of Passover every year, as a way to remember and celebrate what God did for them in delivering from slavery in Egypt. And now we too remember our deliverance by God over these three Sacred Days, by gathering in prayer, reading the scriptures, singing hymns, processing, venerating, prostrating.
Personally, these are my favorite days of the year. I love being a Catholic because of these Sacred Three days. And I love being a priest because of these Sacred Three Days. For as a priest, not only do I get to speak such beautiful prayers in the name of the Church, I get to witness your faith and devotion as you have your feet washed, and as you venerate the cross, sometimes with tears in your eyes, and to witness your joyful fire on the easter vigil, and the sense of renewal on Easter Sunday.
Holy Thursday in particular is a special night for priests. For we trace back our priesthood back to the Last Supper on that first Holy Thursday. This is the origin of the priests’ mandate to serve the Church, to put the needs of the Church before our own, to lift up the worries of the Church and the struggles of the Church in prayer. Please offer special prayer for priests tonight, that your priests may continue to put God and the Church first in our life, always.
And as a beautiful reminder of how priests must always be men of humble service, I now call forward those who have been chosen for the washing of the feet. May they be a reminder for us all, of the need to allow the Lord to wash every part of our lives, our bodies, our minds, our souls, of the filth of sin, and to pour ourselves out in humble service to the Lord always, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
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