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Holy Week:
Palm Sunday & the Triduum -
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Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord
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Holy Week straddles two liturgical seasons of the church. It opens in the final days of Lent with Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, and ends with the celebration of the Sacred Paschal Triduum, which begins with the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday evening.
There is a dual nature to the liturgy of Palm Sunday. On this day we hear two Gospels: the story of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem at the beginning of Mass, and the proclamation of the Passion during the Liturgy of the Word. The joyful shouts of “Hosanna” are soon replaced with “Let him be crucified!”
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The Sacred Paschal Triduum
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The Sacred Paschal Triduum is the central liturgical celebration of the Roman Catholic Church. The three liturgies of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil are, in fact, ONE continuous liturgy that commemorates the passion, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Learn more about each part of the Paschal Triduum below.
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Holy Thursday - Mass of the Lord's Supper
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"Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you also should do."
–John 13:1-15
The Triduum begins with the Mass of the Lord's Supper, a celebration of the institution of the Eucharist. This liturgy, at first glance, seems like a regular Mass. We gather, then we listen to the wisdom of Scripture. But after the homily, the Gospel comes alive with the Washing of the Feet.
The Mass continues with the Liturgy of the Eucharist, but instead of the usual dismissal after Communion, we do the ancient and very moving rite of the Transfer of the Most Blessed Sacrament. We depart in silence and are encouraged to stay awhile in prayer with our Eucharistic Lord at the Altar of Repose.
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Good Friday of the Passion of the Lord
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“Behold the wood of the Cross, on which hung the salvation of the world.”
–Adoration of the Cross
Good Friday is the one day in the whole year when the Catholic Church does NOT celebrate Mass – the Eucharistic liturgy. It is incorrect to call the Good Friday liturgy a Mass because the priest will not pray the words that change the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. We do receive Communion on Good Friday, but the hosts were consecrated the night before.
The Good Friday liturgy is a solemn celebration of the Lord's Passion. It has three parts: the Liturgy of the Word (which includes the Passion according to John), Adoration of the Cross, and Holy Communion.
The death of Jesus on the Cross liberated humanity from the slavery of sin. His obedience destroyed the disease of disobedience. It is fitting that on the day on which we commemorate the death of the Lord, we receive the pledge of eternal life in the Holy Eucharist.
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The Easter Vigil in the Holy Night
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“This is the night, when Christ broke the prison-bars of death and rose victorious from the underworld.”
–Exsultet: The Easter Proclamation
The Easter Vigil is the greatest and most noble of all liturgical solemnities. It is intimately connected with our RCIA Elect, who have prepared all year for their reception of the Sacraments of Initiation on this night.
The liturgy of the Easter Vigil consists of four parts and begins outside the church with the Lucenarium (Service of Light). The Lucenarium includes the blessing of the Easter fire; the preparation of the Paschal Candle which leads the Procession of Light; and the solemn chanting of the Exsultet, the proclamation of the Risen Christ that is arguably the Church’s greatest song.
The Liturgy of the Word gives a basic overview of salvation history, from the Creation story in Genesis through the Resurrection account in the Gospel.
During the Baptismal Liturgy, our RCIA Elect receive the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. Those who are already validly baptized are formally welcomed into the Church at the Rite of Reception.
Once the Baptismal Liturgy is completed, we move into the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The Mass proceeds as usual, but now with the presence of our new Christians who receive Communion for the first time on this night. They are a living symbol of the Risen Christ. Their faith inspires and renews the faith of those of us who have been walking this journey for many years!
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Holy Saturday: Break Through
a reflection by Ken Canedo
There is a sense of incompleteness on Holy Saturday, a strangeness.
Pensively, I walk through this day, uncertain.
Two emotional nights exhaust me:
Thursday’s mandate to wash feet. Bread and wine, to remember him. Intensive prayer, alone in his Eucharistic presence.
Friday’s stark cross on which hung the Savior of the world.
What do these things mean to me?
I think about his disciples on that tumultuous first Holy Week, going from Palm Sunday hosannas to the shocking finality of his death.
How could it end this way? What would become of them? Were they now guilty by association? Would they meet the same crucified fate?
I picture that primal Saturday as a day of despair.
Something needs to break through this void, this emptiness, this darkness.
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