Deacon’s Corner

As Easter quickly approaches, I thought it appropriate to talk a little about the most holy time in our church’s calendar, the Easter Triduum. The Latin word Triduum means a period of three days. The term was used at the Second Vatican Council, when the revised liturgical calendar set the final part of Holy Week apart from Lent proper. The Easter Triduum unfolds the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ. It is the culmination of all liturgical celebrations during the year.

During the Easter Triduum, Christians commemorate the central events of their salvation. Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday with the Easter Vigil run through the essential core of Christian faith: the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. By participating in the Easter Triduum, Christians want to awaken in them the living memory of the sufferings that Jesus Christ endured for them. They prepare their hearts to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

So, let us take a look at each day of the Triduum, their significance and their unique celebrations.

Holy Thursday

The first celebration of the Triduum is the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper. This Mass celebrates the last meal Jesus shared with His Twelve Apostles and disciples before His death. It was at the Last Supper that Jesus instituted the Sacrament of the Eucharist and the ministerial priesthood, the Sacrament of Holy Orders. The traditional English name for this day is Maundy Thursday.

There is a foot washing ceremony during the Mass. With the humble and expressive gesture of the washing of the feet, we are invited to recall what the Lord Jesus did for His Apostles: by washing their feet He concretely proclaimed the primacy of love. He also anticipated the supreme sacrifice of His life which would be consumed the next day on Calvary.

The Mass does not end after the Liturgy of the Eucharist as there is no dismissal or final blessing. The evening’s celebration concludes with a “stripping of the altar” in which not only are all decorations removed, the Blessed Sacrament is taken from the tabernacle on the main altar and processed to an altar of repose outside the main body of the church. The sanctuary candle or paschal candle is extinguished or darkened, and not relit until the Easter Vigil. Eucharistic Adoration is offered after the Holy Thursday Mass and continues until midnight. It is reminiscent of waiting with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Good Friday

This is a day to commemorate the Passion, Cross, and death of Jesus Christ. It is a day of fasting. Mass is not celebrated on this day, however, Holy Communion (reserved in the tabernacle on the altar of repose from the previous evening) is distributed at the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion. The celebration traditionally occurs at 3:00 p.m. and consists of three parts: Liturgy of the Word, Veneration of the Cross, and Holy Communion.

On Good Friday, Christians remember the humiliation that Christ Jesus undertook for the entire humanity. By dying on the Cross, Jesus takes the suffering and sin of the entire humanity upon Him. The Veneration of the Cross recalls to the Christians that the Cross of Jesus Christ became a sign of victory on Good Friday. The participation in the Way of Cross helps Christians to associate themselves with the sufferings of Christ. Good Friday is the only day of the year on which no Masses are offered.

Holy Saturday

Holy Saturday is marked by profound silence. The churches are stripped and no special liturgical celebration is foreseen except the Easter Vigil. We recall, with Mary and the disciples, that Jesus died and was separated from them for the first time as He lay in the tomb, waiting for the great event of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the Apostles Creed we pray “He descended into hell” (translated hades, that is, the temporary abode of the dead—not the eternal lake of fire) which describes what Jesus did in the time between His burial and Resurrection. Jesus descended to the realm of the dead to save the righteous souls—the Old Testament patriarchs, for example—who died before His crucifixion. Christ’s work on Holy Saturday is also known as the “Harrowing of Hell.”

Easter Vigil (Saturday after sunset)

The Easter Vigil consists of four parts: The Service of Light, The Liturgy of the Word, Christian Initiation and the Renewal of Baptismal Vows, and finally Holy Eucharist.

The Service of Light

The Vigil service begins outside the church around a large fire. This new fire symbolizes the radiance of the Risen Christ dispelling the darkness of sin and death. The Paschal candle is blessed and then lit. This Paschal candle is used throughout the season of Easter, remaining in the sanctuary of the church or near the lectern, and throughout the coming year at baptisms and funerals, reminding all that Christ is “light and life.”

Once lit, the candle is carried by a priest or deacon through the nave of the darkened church, stopping three times to chant an acclamation such as ‘Christ our Light’ to which the assembly responds ‘Thanks be to God.’ As the candle proceeds through the church, the baptized light their candles from the flame of the Paschal candle. As this symbolic “Light of Christ” spreads throughout those gathered, the darkness is dispersed. Once the procession reaches the sanctuary of the altar, with the church lit only by candle light, the Exultet (Easter Proclamation) is intoned.

The Liturgy of the Word

The Liturgy of the Word consists of a choice of seven readings from the Old Testament. Each reading is followed by a psalm and a prayer relating what was read. After these readings conclude, the Gloria is sung, the church bells and the organ are sounded again, silent since that point on Holy Thursday. The opening collect (prayer) is read followed by a reading from the Epistle to the Romans. The Alleluia is sung for the first time since the beginning of Lent. The Gospel of the Resurrection is proclaimed.

The Order of Christian Initiation

People desiring full initiation in the Church who completed their formation are formally initiated as members of the Church through the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, and the Holy Eucharist.) The Initiation celebration consists of the Baptismal Liturgy (litany of the saints, blessing of the baptismal waters, Baptism celebration, and Confirmation celebration, and a renewal of Baptismal vows of all present.) The Easter Vigil then concludes with Liturgy of the Eucharist.

I encourage each of you to join me at these beautiful liturgies. Please watch the bulletin for times and more information.

Blessings,
Deacon Mike Maynard