Of Liturgical Yin and Yang

 

      The Triduum Sacrum or the “Sacred Three Days” are composed of the last three days of Holy Week: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. The Triduum Sacrum and Easter are the yin and yang of our faith; the dark and the light. There is no Easter without first the arrest, crucifixion and death of Jesus of Nazareth. We are duly obligated as Christians to participate fully in the Holy walk of Holy Week. The joy of the Resurrection is made more poignant by remembering also the evil of the cross, the evil that we are up against in our world; the martyrdom of our Lord at the hands of corrupt power, one such outward and visible sign. Our liturgy is the means by which we pay attention to our world and the means by which we envision the way to live in it….a sacred memory of the way ahead. As we live the liturgy, we are informed for living our lives with profound integrity. Make the commitment this Holy Week to walk the way of the Cross, that we may know again the gladdening light of the world’s salvation in Jesus’ resurrection…. a profound present reality.

The walk begins with Palm Sunday, in which we recount the story of Jesus’ coming to Jerusalem, putting himself and his followers at great risk for the sake of the Good News. We will read of his mock trial, fixed by the powers that be, and his consequent arrest. We will have only one service this Sunday so that we will have critical mass for the beginning of the Paschal drama. Having one service will also enhance our sense of community and unity at All Saints. The service will be followed by a brunch to raise funds for our special ministries campers.

On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Holy Week, the mood remains quiet. There will be Holy Eucharist in the Chapel at 7:30am Monday and Tuesday, and at 12:00 Noon on Wednesday. The readings for each day are particular to Holy Week.

The Maundy Thursday service will begin at 6:00pm in the church. This service of Holy Eucharist is more austere than most eucharists; the sanctuary is more bare than usual; some people will kneel on the cold, hard marble floor to wash each other’s feet, to remember and re-enact what Jesus did for his disciples on this night; after the Eucharist is over, the altar will be stripped bare in preparation for the day of crucifixion and the cross will be draped in black. We will leave the church in silence.

The Good Friday Liturgy will be held at 12:00 Noon and repeated at 6:00pm. There is no Eucharist on Good Friday. We will hear the Passion Gospel for the first time this week. We will pray the Solemn Collects. Silence is pervasive.

The Holy Saturday Liturgy, although quite brief, is also quite profound. It begins at 9:00am in the choir area of the church. Again, there is no celebration of the Eucharist. An anthem from the Burial Rite is said. It’s about waiting. And hope.

We will have two services for Easter. The Great Vigil of Easter begins at 7:30 on Holy Saturday. The service begins in the dark, only illumined by the light of the Paschal candle. We read of the history of salvation and sing God’s praises for God’s solidarity with us through the ages. There will be a baptism and Eucharist as we proclaim, as did ancient Christian worshipers before us, the resurrection of the Christ. There will be one service at 10:30 a.m. on Easter Sunday. Again we wish to combine both the early and late services so that we may know each other better as participants in the one community that is All Saints.

The death and resurrection story is our story, a story of our true identity, and a story of the way our world is, that death is forever being overcome by life. Please make every effort to make a meaningful Holy Week pilgrimage. It is the means by which we, as people of faith, bear witness to the hope within us. And it is that hope that changes the world.

1 Comment

  1. ‘The Testament of Mary’ by Colm Toibin. Great little booklet if you haven’t read it.

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