Rev. Gus Puleo: Observing the Sacred Triduum, a solemn and glorious week
The Sacred Triduum occurs during Holy Week which is the most solemn and glorious week in Christianity, the pinnacle of the liturgical year. The Easter Triduum is during this week from sundown on Holy Thursday to sundown on Easter Sunday and it is considered the most solemn part of the liturgical year. The term “triduum” is from Latin and essentially it means “three days” being “tri” (three) and “dies” (days). This term was used at the Second Vatican Council when the revised liturgical calendar was finally set moving Holy Week apart from Lent. Previously, these three days were a time of silence, and known as “the still days.” During Mass, music was not played and church bells were silenced.
On the evening of Holy Thursday, the Church celebrates the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, which commemorates Christ’s Passover meal with his apostles the night before he died. Thie Mass celebrates the institution of the Eucharist, the sacramental gift of the Church of Christ’s Body and Blood presented in the transformation of bread and wine. Also, in this Mass there is the institution of the priesthood which took place before Jesus was crucified. This occurred in the Upper Room at the Last Supper, which was the first Mass, when Jesus said, “Do this in memory of me.” At that precise moment the Apostles were transformed into the first priests as well as the first Bishops.
During the Mass of the Lord’s Supper and after the homily, the priest washes the feet of members of the congregation, remembering Christ washing the feet of his apostles. This washing of the feet signifies the priest’s role as a servant, just as Jesus did with his disciples — “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 should also do.”
In the time of St. Ambrose in Milan, those who were baptized also had their feet washed, because of Jesus’s words to Peter: “Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed” (John 13:10). Many theologians see a baptismal reference in these words. Extra hosts are consecrated at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper to be used on Good Friday when no Mass will be celebrated. Holy Thursday is often called “Maundy Thursday” which comes from the Latin word “mandatum” which means “mandate.”
So, on this day Christ gave us this new mandate: “I give you a new commandment love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.” The Mass does not end. There is no dismissal or final blessing. After the Mass on Holy Thursday, the altar is stripped and all decorations are removed. The Blessed Sacrament is taken from the tabernacle on the main altar and processed to the “altar of repose,” a place where the consecrated Hosts are kept, away from the main altar where Mass is normally celebrated. The sanctuary candle or paschal candle is extinguished and darkened and not relit until the Easter Vigil. Many parishes will allow people to stay and pray before the reposed Eucharist at this altar of repose late into the night, remembering Jesus’ request in the Garden of Gethsemane for someone to “watch and pray” with Him. Also, in some churches images of the saints are either kept hidden or veiled until the Easter Vigil. Votive lights before these statues are not lit. Crucifixes are hidden and those that are not movable are veiled until the Easter Vigil.
On Good Friday Catholics remember the Passion and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It is a mandatory day of fasting and abstinence. Mass is not celebrated on this day. The ceremony is a communion service since Good Friday is the only day of the year during which no Masses are offered. However, Holy Communion, which is reserved in the tabernacle on the altar of repose is distributed at the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion. The celebration traditionally occurs at 3 pm, about the death of Jesus, and consists of three parts: the Liturgy of the Word, the Veneration of the Cross and Holy Communion.
During the Liturgy of the Word the Passion account of the suffering and crucifixion of Christ is given. The second part is the Veneration of the Cross, which is honored individually by each parishioner during which the priest and the faithful kneel before a cross and kiss it. The third part is Holy Communion and the Eucharist given had been consecrated at the Mass on Holy Thursday. At the conclusion the priest and people depart in silence and the altar cloth is removed, leaving the altar bare.
On Holy Saturday there are no daytime Masses. It is a day of fasting, mediation and sorrow before the Easter Vigil begins that evening. On this day Christ is in the tomb. In the Apostles Creed we pray “He descended into hell” which is translated “hades” which is the temporary abode of the dead, not the eternal lake of fire. During this time Jesus between the time of his burial and Resurrection descended into this realm of the dead to save the righteous souls such as Adam, Eve and the Old Testament Patriarch who died before the crucifixion. This was the last phase of Jesus’s messianic mission during which he opened the gates of heaven for the just who had gone before him.
On this day our thoughts and hearts should be with the Blessed Mother reliving what had happened on Good Friday. We should enter into the Sorrowful Heart of Mary, who stood at the foot of the cross and relived the Passion, suffering and death of her son, Jesus Christ. During Good Friday and Holy Saturday it is recommended that the priest and parishioners have a communal celebration of the Office of Readings and Morning Prayer. The Office, formerly called “Tenebrae,” was a special devotion of the faithful who meditated on the passion, death and burial of Christ, awaiting the announcement of the Resurrection. The word “Tenebrae” means “shadows, gloom and darkness.”
On the Easter Vigil which is held after nightfall of Holy Saturday, is the anticipation of the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus. This Mass consists of four parts. The first is the Service of the Lights as the Mass begins outside the church around a large fire. This fire signifies the radiance of the Risen Christ dispelling the darkness of sin and death. The Paschal candle is blessed and lit. This Paschal candle will be used during the Easter Season, remaining in the sanctuary of the church during the Eater Season and then it is removed and used throughout the rest of the year at baptism and funerals, reminding all that Christ is the light of life.
Once the candle has been lit, there follows the ancient rite of the Lucenarium, which is the candle carried by the priest throughout the dark church stopping three times to chant an acclamation as “Christ is our Light” to which the parishioners respond, “Thanks be to God.” As the candle proceeds throughout the church, the baptized light their candles from the flame of the Paschal candle. Once the procession has reached the sanctuary of the altar, with the church lit only by candle light, the “Exultet,” which is the “Easter Proclamation” is intoned.
The second part of the Vigil consists of the Liturgy of the Word in which seven readings from the Old Testament are read. Each reading is followed by a psalm and a prayer which relate what has been read in the Old Testament to the Mystery of Jesus Christ. After the readings, the “Gloria” is sung for the first time since before Lent, with the exception of Holy Thursday, which is the only time it is heard in the 40 days of Lent. The opening prayer is read. Then there is the Epistle to the Romans followed by the chanting of Psalm 118. The “Alleluia” is sung for the first time since the beginning of Lent before the Gospel is read. Then, the Gospel of the Resurrection is proclaimed.
The third part is the Rite of Christian Initiation during which people, who desire to be full members of the Church and have completed their formation, become members of the Church. The Initiation celebration consists of the Baptismal Liturgy, Confirmation and renewal of Baptismal vows of all present. Then, later during the Liturgy of the Eucharist some receive their First Communion. On Easter Sunday there are many Masses celebrating the Resurrection of Christ. Many people attend Mass celebrating the Victory of the Cross in which we are saved by the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Try to attend some or all of these liturgies during this holy time of the three days before Christ’s Resurrection.
The Rev. Gus Puleo serves as director of the English as a Second Language (ESL) program and the Spanish Department at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, where he also teaches English and Spanish. He is a graduate of Norristown High School and attended Georgetown University, where he received B.A. and B.S. in Spanish and linguistics. He has master’s degrees in Spanish, linguistics and divinity from Middlebury College, Georgetown University and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. He holds a Ph.D. in Spanish from the University of Pennsylvania. He is the former pastor of St. Patrick Church in Norristown.
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