Hello to all the wonderful youth of HFP!
In just under two weeks, we will celebrate the Easter Triduum, the summit of our Christian faith, where we remember Jesus’s death and Resurrection. Over the course of these three days, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday (Easter Vigil), Catholics practice special traditions, which are largely rooted in Scripture. These traditions are outlined in the table below. Use this “Holy Cheat Sheet” to prepare for the Easter Triduum by using your Bible, spending time in prayer, and reflecting on Jesus’ Passion.
Holy Thursday
Remembering how Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples, washed their feet, instituted the Eucharist and the Priesthood, and then proceeded to the Garden of Gethsemane to prepare for His Passion. This is also the Feast Day of Priests.
Tradition:
1) First Reading
2) Second Reading
3) Gospel
4) Washing of the feet
5) Blessed Sacrament reposed in chapel; altar stripped bare
6) Parishioners stay to pray
Scripture Verse, “Songs”, Meaning
1) Exodus 12:1-8;11-14: Israelites celebrate the first Passover. This Old Testament account points to Jesus as the Paschal Lamb of the New Testament.
2) 1 Corinthians 11:23-26: Jesus institutes the Eucharist. This parallels the Old Testament Passover and creates an everlasting covenant in the New Testament.
3) Philippians 2:6-7: Jesus washes His disciple’s feet. Jesus demonstrates acts of humility and servanthood by washing His friends’ feet.
4) Father washes 12 parishioners’ feet. Listen for “The Lord Jesus."
5) Symbolizes how Jesus and His disciples went to Gethsemane (Luke 22:36-46) and how He was stripped of His clothes during His Passion (Matthew 27:28-30).
6) Matthew 26:40-41: Jesus’s plea for His disciples to stay awake and pray with Him during His agony in the garden.
Good Friday
The only day in the year where the Church does not have a Mass; while Communion is distributed, the Eucharistic Prayer is not said. Hosts blessed the night before are used.
Tradition
1) Mass begins in silence; priest lies prostrate on the ground.
2) Readings
3) Solemn Intercessions
4) Adoration of the Holy Cross
Scripture Verse, “Songs”, Meaning
1) This is done to evoke deep reverence and anguish for the suffering Christ endured for our sins.
2) 1st: Isaiah 52:13-53:12 The Suffering and Glory of the Son of Man, Paschal Lamb, and Obedient Servant. 2nd: Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 Jesus, the eternal high priest, took on humanity; He understands our weaknesses, and by His Passion was made perfectly obedient to God. Gospel: John 18:1-19:42: The Passion according to John
3) “For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world” (Divine Mercy Chaplet). We pray for the Church, the Pope, unity of Christians, the Jewish people, non-believers of Christ and of God, political leaders, and those in tribulation.
4) “Behold the Wood”, “Were You There?” are often sung. Jesus is inseparable from His sacrifice; by revering the Cross, we adore Christ. By kneeling, touching, and kissing the wood of His Cross, we pay Him the highest honour for suffering and dying for our sins.
Holy Saturday
Easter Vigil, the holiest night of the year, where we recount our Jewish history and celebrate Jesus’ Resurrection and triumph over sin and death. He is our Lord, Saviour, Redeemer, and King.
Tradition
1) Blessing of fire
2) Marking of Paschal candle
3) Procession of light
4) The Exsultet
5) Readings and Psalms
6) Confirmation and First Communion for RCIA Candidates (no Baptisms this year in our parish)
Scripture Verse, “Songs”, Meaning
1) The warmth, and light draw the congregation together; It evokes the purifying fire of God’s glory
2) Made of real wax, the Paschal candle represents the light of Christ and scatters the darkness in our hearts; the priest cuts an alpha, an omega, and the year on the candle (Revelation 22:13), as Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
3) The procession parallels Exodus 13:21; just as the children of Israel were guided by a pillar of fire, so Christians follow the Light of the World, the risen Christ.
4) “The Exsultet/Easter Proclamation”: based on an Old Testament ritual which invites both those in Heaven and Earth to majestically proclaim Christ’s Resurrection.
5) This year’s readings are described; there are a total of 7 Old Testament Readings and 1 New Testament Reading (The Epistle). 1st: Genesis 1:1-2;4a: God creates the Earth. 4th: Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21: God saves the Israelites from Pharaoh and the Egyptians. 7th: Ezekiel 36: 24-28: God assures the Israelites of their Restoration. Epistle: Romans 6:3-11: When Jesus conquered death, He made us Dead to Sin and Alive in Christ. “Gloria” and “Alleluia’: Now that Lent is over, we sing these songs with joyful praise to the risen Lord. Gospel: Luke 24:1-12: Jesus Rises from the Dead.
6) We welcome the newest members of the Body of Christ into the Church as they become Catholics.
In closing, after having learned about the traditions we celebrate during the Easter Triduum, I encourage you to reflect on Philippians 2:9-11: “Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in Heaven and on Earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father”.
May the you have a blessed and joyous Easter as you and your family celebrate Jesus’s triumphant Resurrection!
Blessings.
-Sarah, Youth Ministry Team Member
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