It has always puzzled me how our Catholic churches are typically very crowded on Christmas, Ash Wednesday, and Easter Sunday morning, but the three vitally important days of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday draw much smaller crowds. If you truly want to get more deeply in touch with the central realities of salvation in Jesus Christ, you should participate in those liturgies.

The three most important days of the year on the Catholic calendar comprise the Triduum. Latin for “three days,” the Triduum is an entire liturgical season that lasts from Holy Thursday evening until Easter Sunday evening.

In the Triduum, we are observing the Christian Passover. We call it the Paschal Mystery. The Paschal Mystery is the total event of the Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Christ. “Paschal” refers to the Hebrew word for Passover, and a “mystery” is a reality that is both visible and hidden. While we participate in the Paschal Mystery in every Catholic Mass that we celebrate, we encounter it most profoundly in the Triduum.

The Church teaches, “Since Christ accomplished his work of human redemption and of the perfect glorification of God principally through his Paschal Mystery, in which by dying he has destroyed our death, and by rising restored our life, the sacred Paschal Triduum of the Passion and Resurrection of the Lord shines forth as the high point of the entire liturgical year.” (Universal Norms, 18)

The Triduum reveals more to us about the core doctrines of the creation, fall, redemption, Christ’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection than any other experience we might have, because the liturgy of these three days allows us to enter into these mysteries through powerful ritual. We are not just remembering them as past historical events. We are actually sharing in them sacramentally. The Triduum is a peak moment in our liturgical lives through which we enter into a personal journey with Jesus Christ in his Passover from death to new life.

Going to church on all the days of the Triduum is a great sacrifice, and it is not possible for everyone. It is not obligatory, either. However, even if you cannot attend all of these liturgies, I hope you can at least come to some of them, and open your heart to God’s action in you through these ancient prayers of the Church. Here I would like to review what happens in the liturgies of the Triduum.

Holy Thursday

Lent actually ends on Holy Thursday evening. The Paschal Triduum begins with the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper. This Mass commemorates the institution of the Eucharist and the priesthood, as well as Jesus’ command to follow his example of love and humble service. The priest washes the feet of a representative group of parishioners, responding to the Lord’s words at the Last Supper, “I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.” (John 13:15) In the Offertory of this Mass, we present gifts for the poor along with the bread and wine, as an expression of our commitment to Christian charity.

The Holy Eucharist is the source and the summit of the entire Christian life. All that we do as Christians leads to the Eucharist and flows from the Eucharist. This is the night that Our Lord Jesus gave us this precious gift of the Eucharist. In this Mass, following the Prayer after Communion, we bring the Blessed Sacrament in a solemn procession to a specially prepared place of reposition. We then have the opportunity to spend time in silent Adoration.

I encourage you to set aside some time on this sacred evening for prolonged Eucharistic Adoration. It is very helpful to bring a Bible and read prayerfully from chapters 13-17 of the Gospel of John during this time. A beautiful custom of many Catholics on Holy Thursday evening is to visit various parishes in the area and pray at their place of reposition of the Blessed Sacrament. Jesus asked Peter on this night, “Could you not watch with me one hour?” (Matthew 26:40)

Good Friday

The official liturgy of the Church on Good Friday is the Celebration of the Passion of the Lord. It consists of three parts: Liturgy of the Word, Adoration of the Cross, and the distribution of Holy Communion that was consecrated the night before. This is not a Mass. In fact, there are no Catholic Masses celebrated anywhere in the world on Good Friday.

On this solemn day, we honor the suffering and death of Our Lord, Jesus. We fast and abstain from eating meat on this day. In the liturgy, we proclaim the entire Passion account like we did on Palm Sunday. The experience of the Adoration of the Holy Cross is one of the most unforgettable rituals of Holy Week.

Devotions such as the Stations of the Cross can also be prayed on this day, either with others or alone, either at the parish or at home. A beautiful outdoor Way of the Cross is found along the Concho River on the grounds of Christ the King Retreat Center at 802 Ford Street in San Angelo. If you are not sure how to pray the Stations of the Cross, you can find many beautiful versions online. My favorite is called Everyone’s Way of the Cross by Clarence Enzler.

Along with many members of the faithful, I will participate in a Good Friday Procession with the Cross starting at St. Margaret Parish at 2619 Era Street in San Angelo at 1:00 pm on Good Friday, ending with the Stations of the Cross at Christ the King Retreat Center. Everyone is invited and welcome to join us.

Good Friday is a prime opportunity to meditate on the meaning of suffering. We recall the many crosses that our fellow human beings carry today. The saving sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross gives profound meaning to the experience of human suffering. In a very special way, Good Friday is a day of solidarity with our fellow Christians who suffer persecution and martyrdom in the Middle East. A special collection is taken up this day in our churches around the world to support Christians in the Holy Land.

Holy Saturday

The Mass celebrated on Holy Saturday begins after nightfall. It is called the Easter Vigil in the Holy Night. This liturgy ranks highest among all the celebrations of the entire year. It is more important than Christmas, Ash Wednesday, Pentecost, or any feast of any saint. It is the greatest, most beautiful, and most noble of all solemnities.

The Easter Vigil is not the same thing as a typical Saturday evening Mass. In the Easter Vigil Mass, we are keeping vigil for the Resurrection of the Lord. It consists of four parts, which move us through a gradual unfolding of the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ.

The first part is called the Lucernarium, or the service of the light. It starts with the outdoor blessing of the fire and the singing of the Easter Proclamation. Young and old alike carry lit candles in the darkness, symbolizing the light of Christ that dispels the darkness of our hearts and minds.

The second part is the Liturgy of the Word, which includes up to nine scripture readings, tracing the entire history of salvation, from the creation of the world through the new creation in the Resurrection of Christ. We take our time listening to scripture and responding through song and prayer.

In the third part, the Liturgy of Baptism, we celebrate the initiation of new members of the Church who have been preparing through the RCIA process. This part of the Easter Vigil draws the elect through the waters of Baptism into the promise of eternal life, and it also renews in all of us the grace of our own Baptism. We renew our baptismal promises, and we are joyfully sprinkled with the Easter water. Along with all the members of the parish RCIA team, we support the new Catholics and we welcome them to take an active role in our Church.

The fourth and final part of the Easter Vigil is Liturgy of the Eucharist, when the newly baptized receive Holy Communion for the first time. Here, we all experience the climax of the banquet of the Lamb of God, rejoicing in the presence of the Risen Christ.

This is a long liturgy. Don’t expect it to be over in one hour. You might say that the Easter Vigil is sort of like “camping out at the church” for the evening. Some find it helpful to take a nap at home on Saturday afternoon in order to stay alert throughout the entire liturgy in the church that night. To some people, it might seem unusual to spend such a long time in the church. However, I call to mind my nephew, who once sat through 24 hours of Star Wars movies in a theater. The Easter Vigil is infinitely more important than Star Wars.

Easter Sunday

On this day, we celebrate the fact that God conquered death and unlocked for us the path to eternity. Those who participate in the Easter Vigil have no obligation to attend Mass on Easter Sunday, because the Vigil is an Easter Mass. However, many choose to attend Mass on Sunday, as well. Those who receive Communion at the Vigil may also receive the Body and Blood of Christ at a different Mass on Easter Day. In the Masses of Easter Sunday, the rite of renewal of our Baptismal promises can take the place of the Creed after the homily.

Conclusion

The Paschal Triduum concludes on Easter Sunday evening. It is a precious treasure of the Catholic faith, and it need not remain hidden. If you are able to attend any of the liturgies of the Triduum, you will be participating in the most important days of the Church year.