The Liturgies of Holy Week
Celebrating the Easter Triduum

The season of Lent has always been an important time in the life of the Church. It begins very dramatically with the reception of ashes — in a sense, marking us as God's people. Near the end of the season, we receive palms which remind us of an adulation (love?) which quickly turned to mockery, hate, and indifference. Because Lent is a season with a personality of its own, we may think of it as a season which has its existence just for the sake of itself. It is, however, preparation for something bigger: the Easter Triduum.

The Easter Triduum (or Sacred Triduum) is one expansive three-day liturgy that celebrates the Paschal Mystery - the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ. At various times during those three days, the Church is called to gather and remember together what Jesus has done for us. The death of Jesus cannot be separated from his resurrection. When we are not in church, we are asked to keep the spirit of those days in our homes, if possible. These are not days of “business as usual.” In essence, the Triduum is the culmination of the entire liturgical year because it celebrates the core of our belief as Christians: Because Jesus died and was resurrected, we live.

The Latin word Triduum (trih-doo-um) means “three days.” The three days are counted as the Hebrews counted their days, from dusk to dusk. Therefore, the three days of the Easter Triduum are from dusk on Maundy Thursday to dusk on Good Friday (day one), dusk on Good Friday to dusk on Holy Saturday (day two), and dusk on Holy Saturday to dusk on Easter Sunday (day three). Each of those days calls us to reflect upon a different part of the story of Jesus' saving action. The scripture lessons for the liturgy of Maundy Thursday remind us of the first Passover meal of the Israelites as they prepare for their journey out of slavery in Egypt; recall the institution of the Eucharist; and, through the story of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet, remind us of the mandatum (mandate) of Jesus to follow his example. At the end of the service, as the altar is stripped and the church placed in darkness, we enter into Jesus’ final hours of suffering and are invited to “watch and pray” as Jesus’ disciples tried but failed to do in the Garden of Gethsemene.

The Triduum continues through the services of Good Friday which draw us to Jesus’ suffering and death. The solemn Proper Liturgy at noon offers prayers for the whole world and all its people, retells the passion story, and, through a time of meditation, invites us to earnest prayer at the foot of the cross. In the evening, we gather again for the Stations of the Cross, symbolically walking the last agonizing steps of Jesus.

The great three-day liturgy concludes with the Great Vigil of Easter on Holy Saturday and the Festival Eucharist of Easter Day. On Holy Saturday, we are first invited to gather for a brief, somber service at noon in which we wait at the sealed tomb, recalling the disciples’ despair in spite of Jesus’ promise that “after three days I will rise again.”

That evening, the Triduum liturgy reaches its culmination with great rejoicing. During the Great Vigil, scripture reminds us of our salvation history. A fire is kindled and the new Easter candle is lit. That light, carried into a darkened church, symbolizes Christ … the light that banished our darkness. The Exsultet (Easter Proclamation) - one of the finest surviving examples of liturgical poetry - is chanted, proclaiming our redemption from darkness into the light of the Risen Christ. It recounts the great events of God, beginning with the Old Testament story of the exodus from Egypt, and continuing through the marvelous salvific acts of Jesus, the new Paschal Lamb. The Vigil is also a time for welcoming new members through the Sacrament of Baptism, and for renewing our own Baptismal Covenant.

The Festival Eucharist on Easter Day continues the celebration as we proclaim, “The Lord is risen! He is risen indeed!” Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, our historical and metaphorical journeys through darkness and desert end and the promises of redemption and eternal life begin.

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