“Since Christ accomplished his work of human redemption and of the perfect glorification of God principally through his Paschal Mystery, in which by dying he has destroyed our death, and by rising restored our life, the Sacred Paschal Triduum of the Passion and Resurrection of the Lord shines forth as the high point of the entire liturgical year.”
BISHOP
KEVIN J.
SWEENEY
In this space last week, I passed along the invitation and advice to “take the time to appreciate and enjoy Holy Week.” I offered some thoughts on Palm Sunday, on the opportunity to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Monday**, and on the Chrism Mass on Tuesday. [**If you’re reading this on Wednesday, Holy Thursday, or Good Friday and have not yet had a chance to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation (go to Confession) during Lent, there are parishes and priests that may have some availability in these days.] I also promised to continue a reflection on Holy Week by offering some thoughts on the “Paschal Triduum.”
One additional note on Holy Week before the Triduum is to mention “Spy Wednesday.” Knowledge of “Spy Wednesday” seems to be less prevalent than it was in the past. It is something I recall my Mother teaching to me, my sister, and my brother as we were growing up. I found an interesting and informative article online entitled “What do Catholics do on Spy Wednesday?” It mentions a “Spy Wednesday Silver Hunt” — which my Mom never mentioned to us. It also states:
“Wednesday of Holy Week — also known as “Spy Wednesday” — is traditionally believed to be the day Judas betrayed Jesus based on what is recorded at the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew (26:14–16). … It is Matthew 26:16 where he (Judas) assumes the role of “spy” since, from the point of receiving the silver, he was searching for an opportunity for Jesus to be arrested leading, of course, to His Passion.”
Similar to the entire Lenten Journey and Holy Week, there are countless books of Liturgy, Theology, Scripture, and Spirituality that have been written on the “Sacred Paschal Triduum” which “begins with the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, has its center in the Easter Vigil, and closes with Vespers (Evening Prayer) on the Sunday of the Resurrection.” (Universal Norms, 19) We use the word “Triduum,” from Latin, signifying “Three Days,” to speak of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday/Easter Sunday. It also refers to Jesus’ “rising on the third day,” after his passion begins with his arrest in the Garden on Thursday evening, his crucifixion, death, and burial on Good Friday, and his Resurrection on the morning of Easter Sunday. I would like to offer some (very) brief thoughts on each of the “three days” that have been helpful to me in my own spiritual and prayer life that I hope in some way could be helpful to you.
Two phrases or ideas that have been helpful to me are the idea that we should “live the Mass” and that the Mass is a “school of Love.” In our country, we are in the midst of a three-year “Eucharistic Revival.” At the invitation of our bishops, we have been encouraged to deepen our appreciation for the “Real Presence” of Jesus in the Eucharist. It is on Holy Thursday, at the “Mass of the Lord’s Supper,” that we commemorate Jesus’ “institution” (or giving) of the Eucharist. The words that we hear at every Mass, “Take and eat, this is my Body,” and “Take and drink, this is the chalice of my Blood … Do this in Memory of Me,” these words were first spoken by Jesus at the Last Supper, on Holy Thursday. The belief of the Church has developed since that Last Supper that the bread and wine become the very “Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus,” and we receive His Body and Blood in Holy Communion.
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke recount those “words of institution” of Jesus taking the bread and the chalice of wine and saying, “This is My Body” and “This is my Blood.” The Gospel of John, which we read on Holy Thursday night at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, takes a different approach. We read the account from John 13:1–15 when Jesus washes the feet of his disciples and tells them, “I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you also should do.” (Jn 13:15). John then goes on for the rest of Chapter 13 and for the next four chapters, telling us what Jesus taught his disciples (and us) at the Last Supper. I strongly encourage anyone who would like to spend some time in prayer on Holy Thursday to read Chapters 13–17 of John’s Gospel.
In Chapter 13: 34–35, Jesus gives us his “New Commandment”: “love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another…” In Chapter 15:11–13, he repeats the commandment and adds, “… No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” I believe that if we “listen closely” to what Jesus teaches us and calls us to live at the Last Supper (at Mass), we can come to a greater understanding of what it means to truly “live the Mass” and love one another as he loves us. We can also grow in our appreciation that it can take a lifetime to learn those lessons and strive to put them into practice. Holy Thursday is a beautiful night and an opportunity to reflect on all that Jesus teaches us and the love that he calls us to live.
It has been said that, at each Mass, we are present at the Last Supper, on Holy Thursday, at His suffering and death on the “altar of the Cross” on Good Friday, and at His Resurrection on Easter Sunday. If the Mass is a “school of Love,” then it leads us from what he teaches us at the Last Supper to what it means to “share in the Mystery” of his Cross, walking with him (and our Blessed Mother), the Way of the Cross.
Good Friday is the only day in the year when Mass is not celebrated. There is the beautiful “Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion,” usually at 3 p.m. when the Triduum “moves” from the Last Supper to the Lord’s Passion. The Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion has three parts: 1. The Liturgy of the Word, which culminates with the Reading of the Passion from John’s Gospel; 2. The Adoration of the Holy Cross; and 3. Holy Communion. One of the reasons why we have the “Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion,” rather than Mass on Good Friday, is that our “participation” in the “way of the Cross,” in Jesus’ suffering and death, is the “same sacrifice” of his body and blood on the Cross at Calvary that we commemorate or, in which we participate, at every Mass.
Whether it is participating in the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion or in the “Stations of the Cross,” which take place in different forms in parishes and faith communities throughout the whole world on Good Friday, we remember that he has told us, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” (Mt 16:24)
The Easter Vigil begins with these words of introduction (just before the priest blesses the “new fire”):
Dear brothers and sisters, on this most sacred night, in which our Lord Jesus Christ passed over from death to life, the Church calls upon her sons and daughters, scattered throughout the world, to come together to watch and pray. If we keep the memorial of the Lord’s paschal solemnity in this way, then we shall have the sure hope of sharing his triumph over death and living with him in God.
The majestic Easter Vigil begins in darkness and, with the blessing of the new fire and the new Paschal Candle, and the passing of that light amongst the baptized, we see (and feel) how “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (Jn 1:5) From the singing of the Easter Proclamation, the “Exsultet,” to the Easter Alleluia and the Reading of the Gospel of the Resurrection; to the witness of adults being baptized, receiving communion and confirmation and being received into the Church; to the renewal of our Baptismal promises, the Beauty and power of the Easter Vigil and Mass on Easter morning are the opportunity to joyfully proclaim what we believe, that Jesus is Risen, He is truly Risen. He has conquered sin and death and given us the promise of everlasting life in Heaven!
To each of you and your families and to the whole Church of our Diocese, I hope and pray that you will have a Blessed Holy Week and a very Happy Easter!!