“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”
So, let’s take a small overview of the present and future liturgies of the triduum.
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 liturgies is a special ritual of the Washing of the Feet, more on that later. After the distribution of Holy Communion, the Eucharistic fragments will be processed through the Church to the altar of repose.
We are encouraged to spend time in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and so the Church will remain open until 10pm this evening.
Tomorrow morning we will celebrate the Church’s official Morning Prayer at 9am tomorrow. Followed by 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.
So that is the Order of the main liturgies. I am also instructed to share your responsibilities. Tomorrow is a day of fasting for all Catholics aged 18-59, so only one major meal tomorrow. Good Friday is also a day of abstinence from meat for all Catholics aged 14 and over. We fast, so that we may feast with great joy with hearts focused on the reason for our feasting.
These are also days of profound prayer. I recommend coming to morning prayer tomorrow and Saturday as a way of formally praying with the Church and sanctifying the day. But make sure you make time for private prayer. Consider praying the seven penitential psalms throughout the day tomorrow leading up to the good Friday service. Shut off electronic distractions especially from noon to three in honor of our Lord’s sacrifice. Pray the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary. Read through the two other Passion narratives, or spend time contemplating the crucifix and the wounds of Our Lord tomorrow.
The instructions make special mention of singing during these sacred days and liturgies. The Lord sang hymns on his way to the Garden of Gethsemane. We have one of the best music programs in the diocese, so join them in song. Song gives expression to faith and is part of active participation.
Because tomorrow is a particularly penitential day, consider prayerfully the parts of your lives you need to bring to the cross of Jesus to forgive. Consider the sins you have committed over the last year, since last good Friday, and bring them to the cross of Jesus. As I mentioned last Sunday, bring your enemies to the cross, those who have hurt you. Bring to the cross your family members who have fallen away from the Church, who may not even be considering coming to Mass on Easter this year.
Okay. Now that’s what we are doing over the next few days. Now WHY are we doing it?
It’s a good question. The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council reminded us of the extraordinary significance of the Triduum. They wrote: "Christ redeemed us all and gave perfect glory to God principally through his paschal mystery: dying he destroyed our death and rising he restored our life. Therefore the Easter Triduum of the passion and resurrection of Christ is the culmination of the entire liturgical year."
These three days are the origin of the most important elements of our faith. Why do we gather week after week, year after year for the celebration of Mass? Why do we hang crucifixes in our homes, and wear them around our necks, and make the sign over our bodies. Why do we seek to serve our follow man in humble service? Why do we forgive our persecutors and enemies and speak truth to kings and emperors and presidents at the risk of our lives?
“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 thirdly in the Gospel, when the Lord says that we must remember what he has done for us, and do it for others. And during the Triduum, we remember how he washed feet. We remember how he took bread and wine. We remember how he took up the cross. We remember how he spoke words of forgiveness. 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.
We are here 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 God’s deliverance over a three day period, by gathering in prayer, reading the scriptures, singing hymns, processing, venerating, prostrating. And like the Jews, we keep these days by remembering the blood of the Lamb. Blood, however, which isn’t wiped on the lintels of our homes, but is poured into us through the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the Lamb of God broken and shared for us.
The Psalm this evening also focused on remembering. The people of God are told to take up the cup of salvation—we are to eat and drink together to thank the Lord for all the good he has done for us, which is precisely what we do in the Mass.
We do this in memory of the Lord, and we do so joyfully.
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 to the Last Supper as well, it is the origin of our mandate to serve the Church, to put the needs of the Church before our own, to life up the worries of the Church and the struggles of the Church in prayer. Please offer special prayer for priests tonight, and me, that we may continue to put service to 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.
