Journey Into Holy Week
Hosanna to the Lord! Happy Palm Sunday, my friends! As we are joyfully waving our palms and praising the arrival of Jesus into Jerusalem, we also look to the days ahead this Holy Week; and so, I invite you to take a little journey into the upcoming Holy Triduum. Remember, “triduum” is Latin for three days, in this case the three holiest days of the year. In fact, the Holy Triduum is really one sacred liturgy that takes place over these three holy days and I’d like to walk through that liturgy briefly here.
We’ll start with Holy Thursday, the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, where our liturgy begins. What happens at this Mass? There are three main things to notice: the Institution of the Eucharist, the Establishment of the Priesthood, and Christ’s Mandate to Love Others. In the Second Reading of this Mass we hear the words spoken by Christ at the Last Supper, the same words spoken today at every Mass to consecrate the Eucharist, “on the night he was handed over, [he] took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” (emphasis added) In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” We recall this, His first giving of the Eucharist to the Apostles and we join in that celebration when, through His power, we make present this same gift at each Mass. When Christ commands the Apostles to “do this” He does, in fact, give them the power to “do it” simply by speaking the words – making them into the priests of the New Covenant to be able to fulfill His command. Before the Gospel at this Mass we hear Christ’s command to “love one another as I have loved you,” (Jn 13:34) and then in the Gospel He shows us what it looks like to love others when He washes the feet of the Apostles – humble service, this is love.
Good Friday is the only day of the year without Mass. There is no consecration celebrated on this day; we use the reserved Eucharist from Holy Thursday to distribute Communion. The focus for this liturgy is also three-fold: Passion & Cross of Christ; Birth of the Church; and the Solemn Intercessions. Good Friday forces us to see beyond our sanitized, modernized images of Christ’s Passion. We are confronted repeatedly with Christ’s suffering in very vivid and raw terms, while being reminded that it is all for us: our sin & our healing! For the Birth of the Church we can reflect on this quote:
“When Adam was asleep, a rib was drawn from him and Eve was created; so also, while the Lord slept on the Cross, His side was transfixed with a spear, and the sacraments flowed forth, whence the Church was born. For the Church, the Lord’s Bride, was created from His side, as Eve was created from the side of Adam.” (St. Augustine).
The Church unites her will with Christ’s in a particular way on Good Friday in Solemn Intercession for all by praying for all: the Church, the pope, the faithful, catechumens, all Christians, the Jewish people, those who do not believe in Jesus, those who do not believe in God, and more. Christ desires for all to be saved. How do we approach Good Friday? We actively enter into Christ’s suffering on Good Friday. Like Simon the Cyrene, we help Him carry His Cross – not because He needs our help, but because He invites us to participate. Like the soldier’s lance, we pierce His side with our sin – yet His response is to bathe us in the waters of Baptism and feed us with His blood in the Eucharist. Like the Good Thief, we ask Him to remember us – offering Him our sins as He hangs on the Cross, that we may be among the saved.
Now we come to what the Roman Missal describes as the “Mother of all Vigils” and the “greatest and most noble of all solemnities” in the Church year: the Easter Vigil. Briefly, this is the high point of the liturgical year and the climax of the past several days of liturgical celebration. We begin in darkness, fitting since the Light of the World has been in the tomb since the afternoon of the day before. The fire outside the church is blessed and used to light the new Paschal (Easter) Candle, which will then bring the Lumen Christi (light of Christ) to the world for another year. Like the ancient Israelites who followed the pillar of fire and smoke from slavery to the Promised Land, we follow the Paschal Candle from the darkness outside to the sanctuary. Next we hear the Exsultet. This ancient song retells the story of salvation and lays out the sacredness of this Holy Night.
The multitude of readings on this night walk us through the full salvation story, from creation to the Resurrection. Then, after the homily, we celebrate the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist with those that have been preparing to enter into the family of Christ. “Short of martyrdom, we participate in Christ’s saving work to the highest degree through the sacraments.” (Carstens, p141) Astounding! Nothing about the Easter Vigil is “ordinary” or boring, least of all the celebration of the gift of the sacraments. We have a procession to the Baptismal font, again recalling the journey from slavery to freedom of new life; we call on the saints through a litany to intercede for us and for those about to be Baptized; the water is blessed in a profound way; then, at last, the people desiring Baptism hear the words as the water is poured over them, “I Baptize you…”
In Confirmation, which follows very quickly after Baptism, the oil marks the people as their souls are sanctified and they are sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit. It seems to happen very quickly after so much build up, but there’s no need to delay any longer and so this part of the liturgy is swift in welcoming the newest members to be more fully united to the Body of Christ. From here the Mass proceeds as usual, leading to the Eucharist. In this Sacrament, we are all one. These final moments of the Easter Vigil conclude the Triduum Liturgy and St. Albert the Great (13th cent) ties together the command to “do this” from Holy Thursday and Good Friday’s Cross of victory over death with the Eucharist at these words:
“He could not have commanded anything more beneficial, for this sacrament is the fruit of the tree of life. Anyone who receives this Sacrament with the devotion of sincere faith will never taste death. It is a tree of life for those who grasp it, and blessed is he who holds it fast. The man who feeds on me shall live on account of me.”
Amen! I hope to see you at the Liturgy of the Triduum!
Of course, this is barely scratching the surface of what we can reflect on for these sacred days. If you’d like to go deeper, check out: A Devotional Journey Into the Easter Mystery by Christopher Carstens, Sophia Institute Press