Holy Week

Fr. Ron and I invite all of you to the Holy Week services, as the schedule shows on the front page. The Triduum (literally, “three days”) is the core of the entire Church year; these days are the most important in the entire liturgical year and in all of human history. God came to suffer, die, and rise in the flesh, so that we might be forgiven of all our sins and live forever in peace and joy. That’s the heart of the Christian mystery, and it is well worth celebrating wholeheartedly!

This summary of the meaning of these days may help you invite someone who has been away from the Church for a while. The beautiful and powerful liturgies of these days have moved many over the centuries to a new experience of the love of God that goes beyond the human controversies that are part of the life of the Church and see what it is really about.

These celebrations of the Lord’s Paschal Mystery (the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ) begin with Passion (Palm) Sunday, commemorating the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on the day after the Jewish Sabbath. The crowds welcomed him with expectation of earthly salvation; but in the disillusionment of just a few days later, many would call for his crucifixion. Israel was occupied territory, under Roman rule, and the Romans would not allow the death penalty to be exercised by their subjects unless it was clear that it was necessary to protect the Empire’s interests. Thus, Jesus is brought to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, for judgment; and Pilate accepts the fabricated charge that Jesus is attempting to lead a revolt against the Roman Emperor. The liturgy of Palm Sunday moves from the triumphal entry to the somber dismissal as we enter these holy days leading to the Triduum.

The Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday recalls the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper, the institution of the priesthood, and the command of Jesus to service (symbolized in his washing of his disciples’ feet). The Transfer of the Eucharist at the end of the Holy Thursday Mass recalls Jesus’ going out to the garden of Gethsemane. The faithful are invited to spend some time in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament that evening, in response to Jesus’ request to Peter, James, and John to “spend one hour with Me” in his prayer to the Father before undergoing his passion. The Good Friday Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion carries all the weight of the death of those we love, and the death that still visits the human family every day in so many forms. The silent entry sets the tone for this sober liturgy, composed of three parts: the Liturgy of the Word, in which we listen to John’s version of the passion narrative; the Adoration of the Holy Cross, in which we express our personal gratitude to Christ for his sacrifice; and the distribution of Communion, in which we unite ourselves with him in the Eucharist. The collection on Good Friday is for the shrines in the Holy Land.

On Holy Saturday the bustle of the world goes on (even in all our Easter preparations), but it is marked as a day of quiet reflection on the death of the Lord and the emptiness of life without Christ. The Church remains in prayer, but the sacraments are not celebrated

until the Easter Vigil.

The Vigil is the central liturgical celebration of the entire Church year. It consists of four parts. First is the Service of Light: new fire is lit and blessed, and the new Easter candle is lit from this fire; we in turn light individual candles in the darkened church to show that

e share in this Resurrection light and bear it in the darkness of this world, and share it with others. The Exsultet is sung, a prayer of praise to God the Father for the gift of the saving sacrifice of Christ.

Then, we listen to the Liturgy of the Word, which traces salvation history from creation, to the Exodus and the passage of Israel through the Red Sea, symbolic of the waters of baptism, and to the words of the Prophets. After the Old Testament readings, the Gloria is sung and the altar candles are lit; we listen to the words of Saint Paul, and then the Alleluia is joyfully sung again after not using this word of rejoicing for forty days. The Easter story is proclaimed from the Gospels, and we reflect on the victory of our Lord.

Next, the Easter Sacraments are celebrated if there are persons to be baptized and/or confirmed. The water of the font is blessed, and we also renew our baptismal promises and are sprinkled with this blessed Easter water. We conclude with the intercessions.

Finally, the Liturgy of the Eucharist is celebrated – always familiar to us but always equally a miracle beyond words. We are then sent forth to share the joy of Christ’s Resurrection. The Easter Sunday Masses celebrate the Resurrection mystery and our share in it through the renewal of baptismal promises and the great Gift of the Eucharist.