The Three Holiest Days of the Year: The Easter Triduum

We are about to enter into the three holiest days of the Christian calendar which are celebrated as one unbroken service.  Many people, including a number of practicing Catholics, don't realize that beginning at sunset on Holy Thursday, through Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday into Easter Sunday are the three holiest days in the year. These three days, starting Thursday evening and going through Sunday evening are known as the Holy Triduum.  They give us a wonderful opportunity to pray and reflect on Christ's Passion, death, and Resurrection.

A Holy Week overview in two minutes:

Over the years, I have prayerfully written a number of reflections on these three holiest of days and how they are observed.  Below, I've included links to those reflections as well as to those posts that chronicle the joyous, miraculous occasion of my husband returning to the Catholic faith.

Holy Thursday: Washing of the feet and Institution of the Eucharist

This evening we will remember what Christ did in His 72 hours on earth.  To read more about the significance of Holy Thursday and what we do to honor it, check out this reflection.

Good Friday: Veneration of the Cross

A reflection on The First Station of the Cross

A new look at Christ's words on the Cross: "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"

Remembering Christ's Sorrowful Passion

Easter Vigil: A culmination of the faith and summary of Christianity through Scripture reflection, songs, and sacraments.  Saturday evening is when people are Baptized and brought into the church through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults.

Easter Triduum Observation

 Fond Memories from 2013 Triduum

Check out Very Special Fond Memories of the Holy Week for a more detailed account of one of the best Holy Week's of my life, when my husband Kevin returned to the Catholic Church in 2000 (and was named "the patron saint of boyfriends" by Fr. Remi Sojka, the priest who served our Catholic Campus Ministry at Hollins University and Roanoke College.

May you and your family have a very blessed and most Holy Triduum!

Glory Bees Fascination & Novena

I do believe the start and fascination Michele and I developed with bumblebees blossomed back in the spring of last year just before Michele went to visit The Sisters by the Sea in Carmel, California, for the first time.  It was around then that I had given Michele The Pieta Prayer Book, one of my absolute favorite prayer books of all time.  (I love it so much I always carry it with me in my purse.)  She had been looking through it and had come across The Twenty-Four Glory Be to the Father Novena.
     
This novena involves praying the ‘Glory be to the Father’ twenty-four times a day (one for each of the 24 years St. Therese of the Child Jesus lived) for nine days in succession.

   
When I walked into the side porch at St. Benedict’s one weekday before 5:30pm Mass, Michele enthusiastically told me about how she was doing The Twenty-Four Glory Be to the Father Novena.  She mentioned that it was a lot of ‘Glory Be’s to say.  Immediately we laughed at the thought of bumblebees buzzing around giving glory to God. 

   
From then on, we’d say, write, and/or text to each other: “love, hugs, and glory bees.”  Since then we have taken to giving each other bumblebee items.  In the picture, Michele is holding the “glory bee” and pink roses I gave her Easter 2012.  We both thought it was really cool that the shadows formed a cross on the wall leading up to her place, so we made sure to get that in the photo as well. 

     
As I sit here missing her and preparing this post, Michele texted me to let me know she is turning her cell phone off tomorrow.  All is well there.  She’s got butterflies in her stomach but is very excited.  It may be too cold there for the purple dress to wear she bought for her entry date.  I guess it’s a good thing she had the opportunity to wear it a couple times in Richmond before she left.  Though she and her mom have been staying there for the past few days, Michele will officially be entering The Carmelite Sisters by the Sea cloistered part of the monastery to begin the next stage of her discernment at 3:00pm (Pacific Standard Time) on Tuesday, August 6, 2013, which happens to be the Transfiguration of the Lord.

     
Please join me in praying for Michele and the sisters in Christ welcoming her into their fold this week.  I know God has great things planned for all of them! 

Christ Has Risen, Alleluia! The Easter Triduum Revisited

Holy Thursday

The Mass was one of my grandma’s favorites of the year.  The last time she joined us at St. Michael’s was for a Mass on Holy Thursday.  It was quite moving when someone went and brought my grandma down to have her feet washed without any of us asking. 

Being involved in Christ Renews His Parish (CRHP), Cursillo, and an Easter Triduum veteran, I’ve participated in the washing of the feet a number of times.  One of the most meaningful experiences I had was at Richmond Hill when I was on a Cursillo team overnight retreat.  The “rectora” ahead of the weekend and her “archangel” came and washed the feet of each team member, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the room.  Both women are very loving, compassionate—true Christian servants—and we were all overwhelmed by the incredible love they expressed through such a seemingly simple act.

    
This year is the thirteenth Easter Triduum Kevin and I have celebrated since our first one together in Roanoke back in 2000 when Kevin drove over 500 miles to spend four days going to church with me, and after the Triduum plus, was named by Fr. Remi Sojka “the patron saint of boyfriends.”  It was during that weekend Kevin began participating in the Sacraments and going to Mass on his own back in Rochester. 

    
My mom, Kevin, and I sat together for Mass, and all of us loved the sermon that Fr. Dan Brady gave about the importance of service to others as being the basis of what each and every one of us is called to.  He was inspired by Pope Francis’ visit to a juvenile detention center where he celebrated Holy Thursday.    

It has become my tradition to attend the Holy Thursday Mass each year, and for the past few years, I have stayed afterward in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament as part of my observance of the Triduum.  At our parish, they hold Adoration from the end of the Holy Thursday service when they process in with the ciborium filled with the Eucharist that will be used for the Good Friday service into the chapel until midnight that evening.  Lately, I haven’t been as good about doing Adoration regularly or setting aside adequate time for prayer, so I was looking forward to my time in “the classroom of silence” as Matthew Kelly refers to it.

    
“Stay with Me” is a song that I often associate with my time in Adoration, especially on Holy Thursday as I think of Jesus’ disciples falling asleep when He was praying so hard He sweat blood in the Garden of Gethsemane knowing the suffering He was about to undertake for our sins. 

    
In the past, sometimes our beloved brother-in-Christ John Baab, the woman who is the go-to person for all things liturgical at our parish, Alison Eichler, and I would be the only three left at church come midnight.  I was really excited that there were a number of people who stayed the entire time keeping vigil with the Blessed Sacrament this Holy Thursday.         

  

Good Friday

I had a special role to play in the Good Friday service this year.  Our brother John and another seminarian from our parish Henry were serving throughout the Triduum since they were in town for Holy Week.  Knowing that Kevin and I are very supportive of religious vocations and have been close with John on his journey, Alison asked that I would be the third cross-bearer when we brought in a wooden cross for all to venerate.  Interestingly enough, I was worried about it being too heavy for me as those at some parishes are quite heavy and require a number of strong people, usually males, to move from one location to another.  Fortunately this cross was relatively light, and I felt quite comfortable in my role of following after the priest guiding us and the two seminarians holding the cross beams.  Kevin and I have been quite grateful that John has helped us carry our crosses, and we are eager to support him however we can, so my role seemed quite appropriate.

Kevin, me, and John Baab

It was beautiful to watch people come up and venerate the cross.  I think my favorite was when someone would come up carrying a small child, and the child would reach out and want to touch the cross and some even kissed it. 

The Easter Vigil

The past couple years, Kevin, John, and I have watched the movie The Passion some time between Holy Thursday and the Easter Vigil.  Saturday we watched it just before getting ready to go to church for the vigil.  I was deeply struck by the suffering Christ willingly accepted in order to reconcile us with God the Father.  I found myself praying throughout for those who are currently in agony in mind, body, and/or spirit, especially those who are tempted to lose hope in the Lord, in eternal life, in God’s mercy…

    
Kevin volunteered to serve as a Eucharistic Minister, as he often does whenever we attend Mass at our home parish, which reminded us of the first time he ever served which was on Easter Sunday at Church of the Epiphany where we were married.        

   
The vigil was quite beautiful, as it always is.  The many Old Testament readings that map out the beginning of Creation in the Bible and hit the highlights of our journey of trusting in God, the wonderful choir, music selections, and impressive instrument section were all glorious.  I’m always struck by the power and majesty of the Easter Vigil Mass, which is the pinnacle of all Masses.  Several people were Baptized, received their First Holy Communion and were Confirmed during the liturgy.

     
Witnessing so many of the Sacraments in one Mass with Kevin on the thirteenth anniversary of our first Triduum together and his return to the Catholic faith in which he was raised serves as a poignant reminder of the power of prayer and the Truth that nothing is impossible with God.     

    

Easter Sunday

Kevin and I didn’t have anything planned for today except a homemade family dinner this evening.  My mom set a very joyful table, made a delicious meal, and helped us really celebrate Easter this evening.  John joined us, and we had a really nice evening breaking bread together and discussing the Catholic faith and what we enjoyed most about this particular Triduum.

    
My mom’s always made holidays fun and festive.  This one was no exception.  She even had put together an Easter basket of goodies for Kevin and me. 

Lord, thank You for the gift of Your Son, who by His Passion, death, and resurrection, reconciled us with You, so that we might bask in Your love and spend eternity in Your Presence.  Amen.

7 Quick Takes Friday (Vol. 95)

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The Easter Triduum: By the time you read this, we will have started the three holiest days in the Catholic Church: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil.   

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Proof of Miracles in Our Lives This is a very special time in the Church year when we reflect on Christ's Passion, death, and Resurrection. It is also a treasured time of memories for Kevin and me as we have journeyed together to grow closer to the Lord and one another. 
 

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Stay with me, remain here with me This week I've made sure to pray some extra prayers for all parents and caregivers who are deprived of sleep due to caring for loved ones of any age.  There are times when we would like nothing more than to go to sleep, but a more pressing need it at hand.  While taking care of others especially when it means going without much sleep, consider that you are keeping Christ company in the Garden of Gethsemane watching, praying, and staying with Him. Lord, be close to these loving people and take care of them as they take care of others. Amen. 

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40 Days for Life  It's still hard to believe it was snowing on Palm Sunday in Richmond, Virginia! We are continuing to pray for all around the world and in our town who are celebrating the wrap-up of another successful 40 Days for Life campaign. There were 601 children whose lives were spared (and whose parents were spared) from the tragedy of abortion, and those are just the ones we know about thus far. God is good! www.40daysforlife.com

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Christ Renews His Parish & Sisters Last Saturday evening, one of my CRHP sisters hosted a going away party for another member of our group who is returning to her home in Eastern Europe with her adorable baby daughter.  As is often the case when we gather, there was lots of talking, laughing, sharing, plenty of good food to eat, lots of hugs, more laughing, more food, and some tears in there, too.  We will miss our CRHP sister, but we're praying she and her beautiful daughter will soon be rejoicing with family members eagerly awaiting them. 

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Prayer Warriors  I felt very honored when one of my spiritual mentors asked me to pray for someone she knows who has been very sick and close to death.  Through the grace of God, this man has taken a turn for the better, so he's no longer in hospice.  God always hears our prayers, but it's such a joy to hear when they've help other be open to the Perfect Physician and Wonderful Counselor.    

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Consider it done! One thing we can offer others no matter what is going on in our lives is prayer.  When someone gives me someone to pray for or God places someone on my heart who He knows needs some extra prayer cover, I lift the person and their family up numerous times throughout the day.  I have to smile when my mom asks me to say some extra prayers for her or one of my sisters, since they are the very people who are often on my mind and heart, and therefore several times a day are in my prayers.  Actually, prayer requests are one of the reasons I check Facebook. 

I pray you and your family have a wonderful Triduum and a glorious Easter!

  

Check out Jen Fulwiler’s tradition of 7Quick Takes Friday at her tremendously popular blog Conversion Diary.

Two Minutes Holy Week Explanation on Youtube

Many people, including many practicing Catholics, don't realize that Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday are the three holiest days in the year.  These three days known as the Holy Triduum give us a wonderful opportunity to pray and reflect on Christ's Passion, death, and Resurrection.  This is a great video to explain the who, what, when, where, why, & how of Holy Week: