These Lenten days are drawing to a close, and we have arrived at Holy Week, with the highpoint of the whole liturgical year taking place during the Sacred Triduum – the three holiest days of the Church’s entire year of grace. In fact, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday together are a three-day-long unfolding of the one act of our redemption: “These three days are a trilogy, a three-part drama on Christ’s redemptive work.” It is especially important for the faithful to join in the celebration of these mysteries during the Triduum; all unnecessary preoccupations and distractions or busyness should be avoided, and Catholics should make time for prayer and devotions (i.e., Stations of the Cross or Tenebrae). In the Sacred Liturgy, we enter into the eternal power of Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection; having a “liturgical imagination” can go a long way in helping us to enter into these moments so that they can bear greater fruit in our souls:
“The three great days of the Easter Triduum encompass the Paschal Mystery and draw us into the Passion, death and Resurrection of Jesus our Savior. With His disciples, we enter the upper room to celebrate the Passover. We accompany Him to watch at his agony in Gethsemane, and then we follow Him through the halls of judgment to his bitter Passion. We take His way of sorrow that leads to Calvary and death on a cross. Then we assist at His burial in the rock tomb. We wait in solemn vigil until He rises again, in our human flesh, glorious and immortal. So we look in hope to our compassionate High Priest returning to the Father and taking us to glory with Him in His Mystical Body, the Church” (Elliott, Ceremonies of the Liturgical Year, §180).
From the Upper Room, through Gethsemane, to Calvary, and from the tomb out into glory, we journey with Jesus during these days in a more intense and augmented manner. Every Mass is truly the entire Paschal Mystery, but in the Triduum, what usually takes place succinctly over the course of a single hour is drawn out to encompass the span of three days, as on those first three days when the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was first offered. The Faithful should make every provision to participate in this celebration as best they can.
This year, the entire Triduum will be celebrated at Saint Henry Church (with an additional Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion at Saint Bernard at Good Friday). On Holy Thursday, the Mass of the Lord’s Supper begins at 7pm. Following this, there will be an opportunity for the parishioners to participate in a “Holy Thursday Pilgrimage”, traveling around to local parishes to spend some time with Jesus while He is in repose, just as the disciples spent time with Him on the eve of His Passion. On Good Friday, we will have the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion at Saint Henry and Saint Bernard, both at 3pm, which is the hour of the Lord’s Passion and thus the preferred time to celebrate this event as indicated by the liturgical norms. Gathering to celebrate the Stations of the Cross or making this devotion on one’s own is praiseworthy; it is also the first day to begin the Divine Mercy Chaplet Novena. By obligation, Good Friday is a day of fasting, in addition to abstaining from meat, and it is encouraged that the Faithful maintain this fast through Holy Saturday, if they are able. Holy Saturday is a day of quiet, but also a day marked by anticipation, as we wait for the sun to set and the Lord to burst forth from the tomb. At 9pm on Holy Saturday, we celebrate the Easter Vigil and Resurrection of the Lord at Saint Henry, where our candidate for full communion in the Catholic Church, Caleb Spencer, will complete his sacraments of initiation. It would be good to have many parishioners present to share in this joyous occasion with Caleb and his family and friends, as a witness to the Faith we have and in which he has come to share.
As we enter this Holy Week, let us redouble our spiritual preparations for the Resurrection of the Lord. Let us strengthen our drooping hands and weakening knees, to walk with the Lord in His passion. As we have journeyed with him in the desert of Lent, and as we die with him to this world, we can rise with Him to glory. He leads us to the cross, and through the cross to eternal life. May God bless you in the week ahead and may Mother Mary lead you more deeply into the Sacred and Merciful Heart of Jesus. I remain,
Affectionately Yours in Christ,
Fr. Hess
