TODAY BEGINS THE MOST solemn week of the Liturgical Year, when we enter deeply into the Passion of our Lord. The liturgies are beautiful and those who attend find themselves spiritually edified, even if one is not obliged to attend Mass on Holy Thursday or the Service on Good Friday. The Triduum (Latin for three days) begins on the evening of Holy Thursday and continues through Evening Prayer on Easter Sunday.
HOLY THURSDAY
One Mass of the Last Supper is foreseen to be celebrated on Holy Thursday evening, though for pastoral reasons (for example, at a tri-lingual parish), sometimes a second Mass might be offered, also in the evening. The priests wear white and, for the first time since the beginning of Lent, the Gloria is sung while bells ring for the last time until Easter.
After the stories of the Passover and the institution of the Eucharist, we hear John’s account of Jesus washing the apostles’ feet, which we then reenact: the pastor removes his chasuble and ceremonially washes the feet of 12 selected parishioners.
The strangest part of Holy Thursday Mass happens after Communion, when the altar is stripped bare and the priest, the Eucharist, and all the people exit the church. Just as the sacrifice of Jesus didn’t end with the Last Supper, so the liturgy of the Triduum has only just begun.
A Eucharistic procession leads to the Altar of Repose, where you’re invited to “watch one hour” with Jesus in the garden, in preparation for the Passion tomorrow.
GOOD FRIDAY
Good Friday is the only day of the year when no Mass is said. The priests enter the church in silence and lie prostrate before the cross. The liturgy includes the Passion reading from the Gospel of John where, like on Palm Sunday, we participate as the voice of the crowd condemning Jesus. There’s a collection of prayers for the Church and the world and, after the Liturgy of the Word, we are invited to venerate a wooden cross. Finally, the extra hosts consecrated at the Holy Thursday Mass are brought from their Altar of Repose into the church for Communion, then the priests leave as silently as they came. The grand Triduum liturgy continues to another day.
HOLY SATURDAY
On Holy Saturday, like on Thursday, there is only one Mass in the parish, which takes place in the dark of night, after a bizarrely quiet day. However, likewise, some parishes have a second vigil Mass for language. You may substitute the language immediately above to indicate this reality. The Easter Vigil is probably the longest Mass you’ve ever been to, so be prepared, but don’t be scared off. It’s also the most beautiful liturgy you’ve ever witnessed. Only one Easter Vigil Mass, beginning after sundown, is foreseen to be the norm, though for pastoral reasons, a second Mass is sometimes offered. The priest consecrates a new Paschal candle, which is lit and brought into the darkness, where “Christ our light” is proclaimed and shared among the faithful, until their hundreds of candles light up the darkness with resurrection glory. The deacon intones the Exsultet inviting us to rejoice in the night of our salvation.
The Liturgy of the Word includes up to seven readings from the Old Testament, including the story of the Passover which we are celebrating the fulfilment of. Only after these readings do we hear the Gloria again, while all the candles in the church are lit, the altar is dressed, and the bells are rung again in joy of the Easter proclamation we’ll hear in the Gospel.
After the Liturgy of the Word, the catechumens and candidates, who’ve been preparing for months, are baptized or received fully into the communion with the Church and receive the sacrament of Confirmation. These new Catholics finally get to stay for the full Mass and make their first Communion as full members of the Church.
The Vigil Mass concludes as any Easter Mass, with lashings of alleluias, but the weight of the cumulative three-day Triduum celebration imbues it with a joy that you might miss if you skipped the liturgies that are not strictly obliged.
COME TO THE FEAST
Which is why I so strongly encourage everyone to attend as many of these Triduum celebrations as they can. Even if I’ve had a disappointing Lent, and failed to fully prepare for Easter, I have never come out of a Triduum feeling less than elated and consoled by the grace of the Resurrection. I pray that your Holy Week is similarly blessed.