Reflection: The Paschal Triduum
The Paschal Triduum, also referred to as the Triduum Sacrum (Latin for “Three Holy Days), is the three day observation of Jesus’ Passion and Crucifixion. The Triduum includes Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday and ends at Evening Prayer on Holy Saturday when the Easter Celebration begins. These three ancient observations walk us through the tragically beautiful events that brought about our redemption. And so the purpose of this reflection is to make us more familiar with each day.
While these are three different days, they share the same basic subject: the Paschal Mystery. The Paschal Mystery refers to the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the center of our faith. The term “paschal” connects these events to the Jewish Passover because Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s liberating activities in Exodus. Further, the Paschal Mystery is a cycle of death and new life as we walk with Jesus to the Cross and celebrate his glorious Resurrection. This macro-redemptive story reminds us of our own individual stories and how those of us who are “in Christ” have experienced those same cycles through the sacrament of Baptism in which we died to sin and were raised to walk in the newness of life.
The Triduum begins on Maundy Thursday. While the most “normal” of the services, there are still a few unique emphases and practices. First, we commemorate the Last Supper between Jesus and his friends as well as the institution of the Sacrament of the Altar: “Do this in remembrance of me.” Further, the Gospel reading is often the story of Jesus washing his disciples feet, reminding us of the great humility of our Savior and the mandatum (command) he gave to his followers (St. John 13:14-15): “If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.” At the end of the service, the Sacrament is moved from the Tabernacle over the Altar to an Altar of Repose and the Altar is stripped as we think about Jesus’ betrayal at the hands of one of his friends. No Mass is said from the end of the service until the Easter Vigil and the people leave this service in silence.
On Good Friday, the focus is on the Crucifixion of Jesus, the great sacrifice that the Paschal Lamb makes for us. Without the Cross, there is no Christianity as Jesus atones for our sins, enabling us to have a restored relationship with the Father. While Holy Communion is not consecrated on Good Friday, we do plenty to commemorate what Jesus did for us. At the beginning of a series of Scriptural passages are read: Hosea 5:15-6:6, Hebrews 10:1ff., and St. John 19:1ff. These passages and the prayers that attend them remind us of what Jesus accomplished for us. After that, we pray “The Solemn Collects,” prayers for the Church of God. The Solemn Collects mirror the Prayer for the Whole State of Christ’s Church as we pray for the Church to continue to spread the Gospel, our Bishop, Clergy and other servers, the President, catechumens, true doctrine, those who travel, those who have separated themselves from the Church through heresy and schism, preservation from the devil, and the conversion of the Jews and other non-Christians. Then we venerate the Cross, the precious instrument of our redemption. After we celebrate this symbol, we listen to the reproaches, those are verses from Scripture that are read reminding us of what God has done for us while we ask him for his mercy. Finally, we receive Communion from the Altar of Repose before leaving.
The Easter Vigil is the first celebration of Easter. The church is dark and we begin outside as we light a new fire. Once the fire is blessed, the Deacon uses it to light the Paschal Candle. He then leads a processional into the church chanting, “The light of Christ” while the people respond “Thanks be to God.” The Paschal Candle is used to light all the candles on the Altar. This reminds us that Christ is the light of the world who shines in the darkness (St. John 1:5). When the candles have been lit, we sit for the reading of prophecies that anticipate the Resurrection of Jesus. Then the Baptismal Font is blessed. Just as Jesus was laid to rest in the Tomb only to burst forth after his Resurrection, so the Font is both a tomb and a womb for us. In it, the old person dies and the new is raised to life. When the Font has been blessed, the priest then changes from purple into white and the Easter celebration begins as we go to the Altar and receive Holy Communion!
These three sacred days are about observing the events at the heart of our faith. Yet the goal is not to treat them as purely liturgical events. Liturgy is important because it forms and shapes us; it cultivates our imaginations and trains us to take the Gospel into the world. We vividly recollect Our Lord’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection so that we might be a people who live out the rhythm of the Paschal Mystery in our own lives.