COMMENTARY ON EASTER TRIDUUM

1. HOLY THURSDAY

Introduction: This evening’s solemn celebration marks the beginning of the sacred
three days of the celebration of the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper where we commemorate the institution
of the Holy Eucharist, the institution of the sacred priesthood and the significant
action of Christ in the Washing of Feet.

In one sense our worship continues from now until the Easter celebration. There is
no dismissal after this service, nor after the Good Friday celebration - it is one
continuous time of watching and celebrating the mystery of our salvation till Our
Lord rises on the third day. We therefore urge you to participate fully in this sacred
celebration.

LITURGY OF THE WORD

- The first reading is taken from the book of Exodus (12: 1-8; 11-14): God
instructed Moses and Aaron on how the feast of the Passover meal should be
celebrated. The Passover meal is a celebration in honour of the Lord, who
rescued his people, Israel, from the dreadful plaque that struck the land of
Egypt.

- The second reading is taken from the letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians
(11: 23-26): St. Paul explains to the people of God in Corinth the significance
of partaking in the body and blood of Christ – a proclamation of the death of
the Lord.

- The Holy Gospel according to John (13: 1-15): St John Pictures how Jesus at
the Last Supper revealed himself in a special way – through the washing of
his disciples’ feet – a unique expression of Christlike leadership and profound
brotherly love.

WASHING OF FEET

The washing of the feet of chosen men represents the service and charity of Christ,
who came "not to be served, but to serve." In commemoration of the great humility
and charity of Our Lord toward His Apostles, the priest, washes the feet of twelve
men who represent the twelve Apostles. As we recall that Our Lord washed the feet
of His Apostles, we are reminded that charity is the hallmark by which all men are
to recognize His disciples: “By this will all men know that you are My disciples, that
you love one another.”

GENERAL INTERCESSIONS

We shall now take the general intercessions on this holy night in which we dine
together as the body of Christ. We will commit ourselves to the love and service of
one another, we will pray for the Church and all humankind.
PROCESSION TO THE ALTAR OF REPOSE: (after post-communion prayer) we
shall now perform the rite of transfer of the Blessed Sacrament to the Altar of
Repose. Our Eucharistic King will be carried in solemn procession to the Altar of
Repose, where He will be adored for the rest of the night. The main altar will be
stripped in remembrance of our Divine Savior being stripped of His garments,
mocked and spit upon by the cruel soldiers. The chapel of repose is not prepared so
as to represent the Lord's burial but for the custody of the Eucharistic Bread that
will be distributed in communion on Good Friday. We are strongly encouraged to
spend a suitable period of time this special night in adoration before the Blessed
Sacrament that has been solemnly reserved for the day of the Lord's passion has
begun.

2. GOOD FRIDAY

Introduction: The Good Friday liturgy has all the tones of mourning and sadness
because we commemorate the time, when Jesus Christ was crucified, died, and was
buried “for us men, and for our salvation....” Silence is a pre-eminent symbol of this
day. The Good Friday liturgy is in three parts: the Liturgy of the Word in which the
Passion is read, the unveiling and veneration of the Cross and a Communion
Service. The Liturgy begins and ends in silence. It is a time of mourning the loss of
the Savior and repentance for our sins.

ENTRANCE: The priest enters solemnly in silence, without the Cross or candles,
and then prostrates before the altar in silent prayer. There is no hymn and no Sign
of the Cross- a sign that the Church is in mourning!

LITURGY OF THE WORD:

THE SOLEMN INTERCESSION: It is time for the solemn intercessions. On this day,
the entire Church prays for particular intentions with respect to the saving mission
of Christ in the world. The solemn intercessions clearly signify the universal effect of
the passion of Christ, who hung on the cross for the salvation of the whole world.
We will be directed to stand or kneel when the need arises.

VENERATION OF THE CROSS: veneration of Christ's cross does not mean that we
actually adore the material image, of course, but rather what it represents. In
kneeling before the crucifix and kissing it we are paying the highest honor to our
Lord's cross as the instrument of our salvation. We commemorate the very origin of
the Cross and the sacred wound in Christ's side [Jn. 19, 34]. Because the Cross is
inseparable from His sacrifice, in reverencing Christ’s Cross we, in effect, adore him.
Thus we affirm: 'we adore you, O Christ, and we bless you because by your Holy
Cross your have redeemed the World.'

As we have “crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24), and
have mortified ourselves during these forty days of the Fast, the precious and life-
giving Cross is now placed before us to refresh our souls and encourage us to follow
Him in struggle and sacrifice. The life-giving Cross refreshes us. It assures us of the
manifest triumph over the powers of darkness, and it comforts us in our own
individual daily struggles.
HOLY COMMUNION: It is time to receive the Holy Communion. The Holy
Communion will be administered from the reserved Sacrament and it is only for
Catholics who are in the state of grace. We welcome our visitors; we ask you to
remain where you are and pray in silence to Christ, our crucified Lord. After the
communion, there shall not be the usual blessing or dismissal. The ministers depart
in silence. It is a time of mourning the death of the Saviour, we await his glorious
resurrection and pray for the repentance for our sins. We also are expected to
maintain the decorum and depart in silence.

3. HOLY SATURDAY

Introduction: We have all gathered to commemorate that holy night when the Lord
rose from the dead. This night’s celebration is regarded as the "mother of all holy
vigils" because the Church keeps vigil, waiting for the resurrection of the Lord, and
celebrates the sacraments of Christian initiation.

The Easter vigil is in four parts: 1.) Service of Light 2.) Liturgy of the Word 3.)
Liturgy of Baptism 4.) liturgy of the Eucharist.

a. Service of Light: the service begins at the fire place in the darkness of the
night, outside the church. The paschal candle will be blessed and lighted up.
We will also have to light our candles from the fire of the Paschal candle. By
the blessing of the new fire the flames genuinely dispel the darkness and
light up the night. By this, we are reminded that Christ came as a light
shining in darkness (John 1:5).

The Paschal candle will then be carried by the minister leading in procession
into the church. This symbolic act reminds us that Christ, the light of the
world, provides the unifying thread to the service. He is the “pillar of fire” and
we the pilgrim people of following Christ, the “light of the world”. Our
response to the proclamation of “LUMEN CHRISTI” shall be “DEO GRATIAS”.

b. Liturgy of the Word: we shall listen to series of readings from the Old and
New Testaments. These lessons provide a comprehensive view of what God
has done for humanity. Beginning with creation story, we are reminded of our
delivery from bondage in the exodus, of God's calling us to faithfulness
through the cry of the prophets, of God dwelling among us in Jesus Christ,
and of Christ's rising in victory from the tomb. Consequently, the readings
retell the “holy history of our salvation” as God's children. It summarizes the
faith into which we are baptized. After the readings from the Old Testament,
we shall sing great Gloria accompanied by the bells before the celebration
moves on to the readings from the New Testament.

c. Liturgy of Baptism: this night, in the liturgy of baptism, we celebrate

Christ's Passover and ours. We renew our baptismal promises before the
 rising Christ. While we stand, holding lighted candles in our hands, we reply
to the questions the minister puts to us. Afterwards, we are all sprinkled with
water while the choir leads us in songs with suitable baptismal character. In
this gestures and words, we recall the baptism which we received. As with
the natural symbol of light, water plays a critical role in the liturgy of baptism.
Water is life-giving, life-nurturing, and it cleanses our bodies. The water of
baptism becomes for us a sign of new life in Christ.

d. LITURGY OF EUCHARIST: This vigil reaches its highest point in the joyous
celebration of the feast of Holy Eucharist. The risen Lord invites us to
participate in the new life he brings by sharing the feast which he has
prepared. We thus look forward to the great Messianic feast of the kingdom
of God when the redeemed from every time and place “will come from east
and west, and from north and south, and sit at table in the kingdom of God”
(Luke 13:29). Let us, in this Eucharistic celebration, open our hearts in
worship and reception of Christ, our Paschal sacrifice.

18/04/2011, Nwanguma Michael