Catholic public worship centers on the Eucharist, and the celebrations of every Eucharist center on the death and Resurrection of Christ. Although each Sunday liturgy is “a little Easter,” the great celebration in our Church year is the Triduum: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil / Easter Day Mass. Whereas Christians have gathered to remember the death and Resurrection of Jesus from the dead since immediately following the events, observing the birth of our LORD came centuries later. Pentecost is a Jewish feast in honor of the giving of the Law through Moses, and from early centuries Christians modified that feast into thanking God for the gift of the Holy Spirit through Christ. Holy Week, Pentecost, and Christmas form the high points of the Church year--mountains rising from the sea, as it were. And without doubt, the Pascal Mystery remembered and observed in the Easter liturgies is the supreme climax and celebration of the entire year. “Christ our Paschal Lamb has been sacrificed for us. Therefore, let us keep the feast--not with the old leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (I Cor 5).
During the homilies this week-end through Easter, and on Passion (Palm) Sunday, I will offer some thoughts on the meaning of the death and Resurrection of Christ for us. I encourage as many as possible to attend the liturgies of Holy Week, to prepare before each service with some quiet prayer, and to be attentive during the liturgies. The Catholic Church offers these “high holy days” for our benefit, to bring us closer to God through Christ. The services are a gift of Christ in the Church.
This year on Passion / Palm Sunday, we read St. Mark’s account of the Lord’s suffering and death for us. Only twice in the Church year do the faithful hear an entire Passion narrative: on Passion Sunday and on Good Friday.
Three main services compose the Triduum--Mass of the LORD’s Supper on Holy Thursday; the Good Friday liturgy; the Easter Vigil / Easter Mass. These three are integrated liturgies, representing the Passover of the Lord. Hence, we are instructed to celebrate them in one church. Holy Thursday and the Vigil are joyful, although Christ’s Passion overshadows the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. Washing of feet symbolizes Christ’s self-giving love. After Mass we repose the Blessed Sacrament outside the sanctuary, with space for the faithful to remember and to adore. Good Friday, the one day in the year when Mass is not celebrated, focuses on reading the Passion according to St. John, prayers for all, the veneration of the Cross, and holy communion. The Vigil and Easter are joy to those who made the Passover with the Lord.
During the homilies this week-end through Easter, and on Passion (Palm) Sunday, I will offer some thoughts on the meaning of the death and Resurrection of Christ for us. I encourage as many as possible to attend the liturgies of Holy Week, to prepare before each service with some quiet prayer, and to be attentive during the liturgies. The Catholic Church offers these “high holy days” for our benefit, to bring us closer to God through Christ. The services are a gift of Christ in the Church.
This year on Passion / Palm Sunday, we read St. Mark’s account of the Lord’s suffering and death for us. Only twice in the Church year do the faithful hear an entire Passion narrative: on Passion Sunday and on Good Friday.
Three main services compose the Triduum--Mass of the LORD’s Supper on Holy Thursday; the Good Friday liturgy; the Easter Vigil / Easter Mass. These three are integrated liturgies, representing the Passover of the Lord. Hence, we are instructed to celebrate them in one church. Holy Thursday and the Vigil are joyful, although Christ’s Passion overshadows the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. Washing of feet symbolizes Christ’s self-giving love. After Mass we repose the Blessed Sacrament outside the sanctuary, with space for the faithful to remember and to adore. Good Friday, the one day in the year when Mass is not celebrated, focuses on reading the Passion according to St. John, prayers for all, the veneration of the Cross, and holy communion. The Vigil and Easter are joy to those who made the Passover with the Lord.
