The Sacred Triduum

The Sacred Triduum, the Easter Triduum, is the period of three days from Holy Thursday to Easter Day.

The liturgy of the three last days of Holy Week is especially moving. The Church recalls the great events which marked the last days of our Saviour's life and helps us celebrate the mystery of our redemption.

Maundy Thursday is devoted to the institution of the Eucharist and the priesthood. It is on this day that we have the washing of the feet, of twelve men, known as the Maundy or Mandatum. It is a reminder of that humble gesture of charity, in which Jesus emphasized the new commandment to love one another, a commandment of fraternal love.

In his homily, Fr. asked young men to consider the vocation to the priesthood. Without our priests, Fr. noted, we would not have our Mass, the Eucharist, the sacrament of sacraments, the Blessed Sacrament.

The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus.

O, how great is the priest! ... If he realized what he is, he would die.

Without the priest, the passion and death of our Lord would be of no avail. It is the priest who continues the work of redemption here on earth...What use would be a house filled with gold, were there no one to open its door? The priest holds the key to the treasures of heaven: it is he who opens the door: he is the steward of the good Lord; the administrator of His goods...Leave a parish for twenty years without a priest and they will end by worshiping the beasts there..The priest is not a priest for himself, he is a priest for you.~ St. John Vianney

Fr. urged the faithful to pray for priests and religious. Basically, every act we do as Catholics in a state of grace can be offered up to help a priest.

What was on my to do list today..Easter Monday...Monday in the Octave of Easter? Well, I had tidying, sorting, cleaning laundry, as the house was a disorganised mess after a busy week , after Holy Week and now Easter. I could, then, make an act of consecration offering my whole day to Mary for the benefit of the priesthood. For religious.

What can you do? Perhaps you can pick a few chores that you hate, then do them with extra love today, to help a priest carry his cross.

On Good Friday, we had live Stations of the Cross, in the Friary grounds, with Fr. reading the reflections and leading us in prayer and the youth group participating in the Passion re-enactment.

Then, at three pm, the liturgical solemnity in commemoration of the Passion and death of Our Lord. In this solemn liturgy, the Church commemorates the redemption of the world. The solemn reading of the Passion, the sung Collects, in which we pray with the Church in confidence for the salvation of all, the veneration of the Cross and the singing of the reproaches are more than moving rites..they are the prayer and the thanksgiving of all Christians, acknowledging in God's presence, the meaning of the mystery of the Cross.

Easter night. The Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday. The day is traditionally one of mourning in memory of Christ in the tomb. And usually a day of busyness for us! Until the night, the heart of the night, at the time when our Lord overcame death, then we have joy. The Gloria is sung. Bells are rung. We bear candles, lit at the Paschal Candle, a figure of Christ who is the light of the world. We renew our baptismal promises; we are re-born to new life with our risen Lord.

We renounce Satan. And all his works. And all his pomps.

And we came home to celebrate, after prayer, after making our own mini Paschal candle for the table, to celebrate with snacks and Singstar and Band Hero. And to cook for Easter Sunday lunch.

Because Easter is the feast of all feasts, the joy of all Christians. We celebrate the resurrection of Our Lord. We pray and rejoice in Mass. We share joy with family and friends. Haec dies quam fecit Dominus. This is the day which the Lord has made. And so every Sunday will provide a reminder of this, every Sunday is a mini Easter in which we celebrate the resurrection of Our Lord, we receive Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament..as Fr. reminded us all in his homily.

Haec dies, quam fecit Dominus: exsultemus, et laetemur in ea.

This is the day which the Lord has made: let us rejoice and be glad in it.