Paschal Triduum reflections
2 April 2023
https://www.australiancatholics.com.au/educationhub
The liturgies of the Triduum form a seamless whole. They all celebrate one and the same great mystery of faith: the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
HOLY THURSDAY
As evening falls on Holy Thursday we cross a significant threshold. Dusk ushers in the great three days of Christian observance, the Paschal Triduum. Lent has come to a quiet end after a flurry of liturgical activity: Palm Sunday celebrations, the Chrism Mass, reconciliation services and the final preparations of catechumens and candidates for initiation. The season of renewal and purification has run its course; now it is time to gather for the Christian Passover.
Like Jesus’ garment, the liturgies of the Triduum form a seamless whole. The Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion, the Easter Vigil and the Evening Prayer of Easter Day all celebrate one and the same great mystery of faith: the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is made plain at the outset. The opening chant for this evening’s Eucharist declares it for all to hear: We should glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, for he is our salvation, life and resurrection; through him we are saved and made free. Could it be clearer?
And if this proclamation were not sufficient, we are gently reminded again and again as the days progress. Each succeeding liturgy begins and ends in silence. We are welcomed with a greeting when we gather on this Thursday evening and are not dismissed until the Easter Eucharist comes to a close. It is as if we are invited to experience the three principal liturgies as movements in one symphony. History and mystery interweave in an observance whose profound meaning takes three days to unfold.
Each celebration views the mystery through a particular prism – the Supper, the Cross, the Resurrection – but it is one mystery from start to finish. This evening’s liturgy takes the form of a Eucharist, familiar in shape but distinguished in order and feel. Tonight, we pray with a heightened consciousness of the fierce dedication that gave rise to Eucharist. We are more intensely aware of the passion with which Jesus loved his Father and his friends until death. We know that to sup at the table with Jesus is to commit ourselves to love and live in this way.
The prayers and readings focus on the memorial meal. The rite is embellished with the washing of the feet to manifest the Gospel in symbolic action as well as in word proclaimed. A special collection for the poor is taken up, to allow us to make our participation in the mystery concrete. Communion in both the Body and the Blood of the Lord is offered. And the liturgy of this night ends with the transfer of the sacrament to the altar of repose, not in triumph but in reverent practicality, to allow Communion to be given at the solemn liturgy the following day. There is no formal end, no dismissal; we may remain in quiet adoration of the Lord before departing into the night in silence, all the while pondering the mystery until we meet again.
GOOD FRIDAY
No other liturgy begins with the same combination of solemnity, simplicity and silence as does the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday. The rite is stark. From the silence of the opening procession to the silence of departure the liturgy of Good Friday is elemental. It focuses successively on Word, Cross and Communion. The short opening prayer, proclaimed without greeting or introduction, declares that it is the Paschal mystery we celebrate today – the whole mystery of the dying and rising of Jesus Christ, not just his death on the cross.
The Word is long and strong. The poignancy of Isaiah’s prophetic account of the suffering servant is echoed in the psalm that follows. We pray a prayer of heartfelt trust in the midst of abandonment: “Father, I put my life in your hands.” The theme continues in the reading from the letter to the Hebrews; we hear of the Son who in suffering became “the source of eternal salvation.” All this paves the way for the proclamation of the Passion.
In accordance with ancient tradition, we read the story of Jesus’ suffering and death as told by the Gospel writer John. His is a unique version of the drama, recast in the light of the Resurrection. In the Passion according to John, Jesus is already Lord; he is in command throughout. Certainly, Jesus is betrayed, suffers and dies, but as sovereign of love and truth. The Cross in John is an emphatic sign of victory rather than an instrument of shame.
But one facet of John’s telling of the story needs to be heard with care. When he uses the term “the Jews” to describe the opponents of Jesus he does not mean the Jewish people in general but rather the religious authorities of the day. In their determination to silence this troublesome prophet we recognise how ruthless we all can be in defending ourselves against the threat of truth. The Liturgy of the Word concludes with a lengthy set of intercessions in the solemn form of the early Church; this is truly the prayer of the faithful, interceding for the whole of humankind in every kind of need.
We move from Word to Cross. The Cross is shown and acclaimed by the whole assembly. For baptised believers it is the sign of God’s love disarming the power of sin and death in our world once and for all. We venerate the cross as a symbol of our salvation. The reverence we offer it is a profession of faith in the presence and power of God to bring life out of death.
Communion completes the celebration. In receiving the Bread of Life we participate concretely in the Paschal mystery. Throughout these three days to share in the Body of the Lord is to commit ourselves to the dying and rising that discipleship demands. The service has no formal dismissal. We simply disperse until we gather again the following night to keep vigil with the Lord.
EASTER VIGIL
The night of nights has arrived. We gather in darkness and silence for the flame of the great Easter candle to be lit from the fire. Then we become again a pilgrim people like the Israelites of old. They followed the pillar of cloud by day and the fire by night, we the flickering flame that radiates the light of Christ. In our name the candle is acclaimed, reverenced and praised extravagantly in song. This is ever the night on which we are set free and blessed with peace and joy.
By the light of Christ and at great length we proclaim the story of salvation, beginning with readings from the Old Testament. From the majestic roll-call of creation and the testing of Abraham we turn to the essential narrative of the night, the liberation of Israel from Egypt through the waters of the sea. The prophets Isaiah, Baruch and Ezekiel expound on the covenant fidelity of Israel’s God and foreshadow a new and everlasting covenant sealed with the gift of God’s own spirit. The vigil of the word culminates in readings from the New Testament on Jesus’ resurrection and our risen life in him.
From light and Word, we move to water and oil. There may be catechumens, by now the elect, to be fully initiated and baptised Catholics to be confirmed (baptised Christians from other churches seeking full communion with the Catholic Church being best welcomed at another time). Our fellowship with all the saints who have gone before us is reaffirmed in the litany. The waters of the font are blessed in a rich memorial prayer, then those to be baptised affirm their faith and allow themselves to be born anew as the waters of life are poured over them. They, and all to be confirmed, are anointed with the holy oil of God’s Spirit, ready to be invited later to Communion at the Lord’s table. In solidarity with the newly initiated the whole assembly renews its baptismal promises and offers the prayers of intercession.
At last our three-day journey comes to its climax. The focus shifts to the Eucharistic table where we break bread with the risen Lord. Joyful thanks and praise are offered over the bread and wine that they will be for us the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Transformed by word and Spirit, the gifts are offered back to us in Communion. Receiving them in faith we ourselves become more truly the Body of the Lord, bearing his life for the world. To that world we are finally returned, sent forth with Easter alleluias ringing in our ears. All that remains to complete these great three days of observance is to gather for the Prayer of the Church as evening falls on Easter Day.
So ends the Paschal Triduum; thus begins the Paschal season. For 50 days the church immerses itself in the life of the Risen One, to be renewed in heart and mission, until the celebration of Pentecost brings the season to an exuberant close.
