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Memorial of love
archived from: 2005-03-18
by: Chuck Moody

The seasons of Lent and Easter comprise 90 days that involve rituals, traditions and celebrations.

During these seasons, Christians reflect on their lives and experience conversion through fasting, charity and prayer in preparation for the climax of the whole liturgical year in the Easter triduum. Lent ends on the evening of Holy Thursday and the Easter triduum begins.

“Triduum” is Latin for three days. The Easter triduum is the name for the three days from the evening of Holy Thursday to evening on Easter Sunday.

The triduum celebrates the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Christ, and it is the highest point of the liturgical year.

Priests and representatives from each parish in the diocese go to the Chrism Mass at St. Paul Cathedral in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood on Holy Thursday morning. During the Mass, Bishop Donald Wuerl blesses sacred oils that will be used throughout the upcoming year in the celebration of the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, holy orders and anointing of the sick.

The Chrism Mass is concelebrated by priests of the diocese with the bishop as a sign of their unity in the priestly service of God’s people, to which service they renew their ordination commitment following the Liturgy of the Word.

The triduum begins with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday. All Masses without a congregation are forbidden on this day, and the only Mass celebrated in parish churches is the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper.

The “Ceremonial of Bishops” describes the Mass as “first of all, the memorial of the institution of the Eucharist, that is, of the institution of the memorial of the Lord’s Passover.” It is also “the memorial of the institution of the priesthood, by which Christ’s mission and sacrifice are perpetuated in the world.”

The Mass also is the “memorial of the love by which the Lord loved us even to death.” This dimension is manifested in a dramatic way by the foot washing that follows (optionally) the Liturgy of the Word.

The evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper may begin with the solemn reception in the parish church of the holy oils blessed previously by the bishop during the Chrism Mass. The foot washing may follow the homily, which explains the three themes mentioned above.

Enough hosts are consecrated at the Mass to provide for the people’s Communion on Good Friday. At the end of the Mass, the Blessed Sacrament is borne in solemn procession to the place of repose, where solemn adoration follows for a suitable period of time until midnight.

Many parishes organize pilgrimages to follow the tradition of visiting seven churches during the evening after the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, stopping briefly at each church.

Good Friday commemorates the passion and death of Jesus Christ for our sins.

The liturgy of the Lord’s Passion often occurs at 3 p.m., which is the traditional time of Christ’s death on the cross. The liturgy begins with a silent procession and includes readings from the sacred Scriptures and prayers.

The afternoon liturgy on Good Friday is the “Celebration of the Lord’s Passion,” which originates from the early Christian understanding that the day was “in passione Domini” (the passion of the Lord), with the understanding that the passion included both suffering and redemptive death.

The Good Friday liturgy contains three parts: Liturgy of the Word, veneration of the cross and holy Communion.

Beginning with the condemnation of Jesus before Pilate, Stations of the Cross follow Christ’s journey as he carries the cross through the streets of Jerusalem to his crucifixion, burial and resurrection.

The Easter Vigil is an ancient liturgy that anticipates the celebration of Christ’s resurrection on Easter Sunday, and it is held after sunset on Holy Saturday.

The Easter Vigil begins with the blessing and lighting of the Easter fire. Christians adapted this pagan tradition to celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ.

The candle lit at the Easter Vigil symbolizes the resurrected Christ. An alpha, an omega and a cross are cut or traced into the candle. A grain of incense sealed with wax nails is inserted into each of the ends of the crossbars and where the crossbars meet.

The candle is lit throughout the Easter season and during baptisms and funerals throughout the year.

Newly initiated Catholics who enter the church at the Easter Vigil are called “neophytes.” After being baptized and confirmed, the new Christians put on white garments symbolizing that they have “put on” Christ. A candle lit from the Easter candle then is presented to them.

After entering the church at the Easter Vigil, the newly initiated continue to learn about the faith through the period of mystagogy, which occurs during the 50 days of the Easter season.

The triduum culminates with the Easter Vigil and closes with evening prayer on Easter Sunday.

(Information contained in this article came from “Journey to Freedom in Christ,” the diocesan Lent and Easter pastoral resources project, and the “Catholic Encyclopedia.”)

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