Entering the Triduum

Entering the Triduum

It wasn’t until I left college that I was introduced to the wonder of Triduum, those three “Great Days”—Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday—which the Church sets apart as one continuous liturgical moment.  And from then on, I was hooked.  Entering into Triduum, for me, means stepping into a special moment in time, one centered not around ordinary, chronological time (“chronos”), but rather, “the supreme moment” (“kairos,” in Greek), a time “in-between” during which something extraordinary happens.  Entering into Triduum means stepping into a special space, as well, one in which we live and breathe and pray differently as we experience – very much in the present – the Passion, Death and Rising of Jesus.

Maybe what is so very special about the Triduum is the sacramental dimension of this experience.  We go from “fasting” from morning Mass (there is no Mass on Holy Thursday morning unless the Chrism Mass is scheduled then) to the Mass of the Last Supper, where feet are washed and all receive Holy Eucharist, not simply re-enacting the events of over 2,000 years ago, but participating in them here and now, through living faith.  This is where the “Gloria” – from which we have also been “fasting” – rings out again, only to be silenced until Saturday evening.  At the Good Friday service, we immerse ourselves in prayer through the Stations of the Cross, waiting, waiting… and then we are transformed by the Passion of Jesus according to John, responding “Crucify him” on cue and thereby entering more fully into His suffering.  In the evening, we are invited to hear reflections on the Seven Last Words of Jesus, which deepens still further our appreciation of His Passion.  And then, more waiting, waiting at the tomb, this time in anticipation of that procession of Light into the Church, beginning in darkness after the sun sets on Holy Saturday, and increasing in intensity as we hear salvation history proclaimed in God’s Word.  Exsultet! -- we are told, -- Rejoice!  There is nothing else in the church year like it.

Father Peter Elliott has written that liturgy “transforms our time into a sacrament of eternity” (Ceremonies of the Liturgical Year, 15).  The Triduum, centerpiece of our liturgical year, is perhaps the most powerful of those supreme moments when we have a glimpse of eternity.  We are all invited to enter, to share in this timeless journey of grace together.  We hope to see you there!

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