Holy Week:
The Sacred Triduum
Our long journey to the font culminates in the Easter Triduum. These three days draw us into the mystery of our salvation. Whatever we are doing these days, these prayers and resources can help us be open to the graces the day offers. Each morning, we can pause to acknowledge the meaning of the day ahead. Each night, we can give thanks.
Even if we can't celebrate these days liturgically, we can reflect upon the symbols and rituals, and let the prayers of the liturgies draw us in. All, that we might know the depth of the love being offered us, and power of the gift of life won for us.
Good Friday
Daily Prayer
"Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall declare your praise."
Painting Diega-Velazqez, "Christ on the Cross" c.1632-Museo del Prado, Madrid
The Readings Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Psalm 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-17, 25; Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9; John 18:1-19:42
Daily Meditation: This is the wood of the cross,
on which hung the Savior of the world.
Come, let us worship.
This is a very special day of intimacy with our Lord.
It is a day to pray the Stations of the Cross.
A day of fasting and abstinence, in order to sharpen our awareness and openness.
A day to stand at the foot of the cross as a forgiven sinner -
to stand there side-by-side with everyone else who is forgiven.
It is a day of profound gratitude.
My people, what have I done to you?
How have I offended you? Answer me.
Good Friday Reproaches
Today's Daily Reflection
Intercessions:
For our sake our Redeemer suffered death and was buried, and rose again. With heartfelt love let us adore him, and pray:
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ our teacher, for our sake you were obedient even to accepting death,
- teach us to obey the Father's will in all things.
Christ our life, by your death on the cross you destroyed the power of evil and death,
- may we die with you, to rise with you in glory.
Christ our King, you became an outcast among us, a worm and no man,
- teach us the humility by which you saved the world.
Christ our salvation, you gave yourself up to death out of love for us,
- help us to show your love to one another.
Christ our Savior, on the cross you embraced all time with your outstretched arms,
- unite God's scattered children in your kingdom of salvation.
Closing Prayer:
My Lord,
your son has suffered so much, shed so much blood.
I was born with so many faults
and my nature is so full of weakness,
and yet your son Jesus has died on the cross.
For me.
I know your grace has the power
to cleanse me of my many sins
and to make me more like your Son.
Thank you for your goodness and love for me.
I ask you, Father, to watch over me - always.
May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
Holy Saturday-Easter Vigil
There is no liturgy on Holy Saturday. We spend the day reflecting upon the powerful reality of Jesus' death. In addition to the Daily Reflection and the Preparing for the Easter Vigil Liturgy pages, we offer a page with each of the readings for the Easter Vigil and a page with each of the prayers that are said after each reading. These pages are inter-linked, so that is it possible to go back and forth, easily, just following the links.
What is important is that we keep this day holy, and let our "sense" of the mystery of death shape our reflection, and our longing to celebrate the Easter gift of Jesus alive, for us and with us.
If we are able to celebrate the Easter Vigil, we can renew our Baptismal Promises in a way the completes our Lenten journey to the font. We offer a renewal of our Baptismal promises here, which we might do, in these or similar words, which any of us might make as we keep a vigil of readings and prayer Saturday night, or early Easter Sunday Morning.
Genesis 1:1-2:2
The Story of Creation
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
The earth was barren, with no form of life;
it was under a roaring ocean covered with darkness.
But the Spirit of God was moving over the water.
The First Day
God said, "I command light to shine!" And light started shining. God looked at the light and saw that it was good. He separated light from darkness and named the light "Day" and the darkness "Night." Evening came and then morning - that was the first day.
The Second Day
God said, "I command a dome to separate the water above it from the water below it." And that's what happened. God made the dome and named it "Sky." Evening came and then morning - that was the second day.
The Third Day
God said, "I command the water under the sky to come together in one place, so there will be dry ground." And that's what happened. God named the dry ground "Land," and he named the water "Ocean." God looked at what he had done and saw that it was good.
God said, "I command the earth to produce all kinds of plants, including fruit trees and grain." And that's what happened. The earth produced all kinds of vegetation. God looked at what he had done, and it was good. Evening came and then morning - that was the third day.
The Fourth Day
God said, "I command lights to appear in the sky and to separate day from night and to show the time for seasons, special days, and years. I command them to shine on the earth." And that's what happened. God made two powerful lights, the brighter one to rule the day and the other to rule the night. He also made the stars.
Then God put these lights in the sky to shine on the earth, to rule day and night, and to separate light from darkness. God looked at what he had done, and it was good. Evening came and then morning that was the fourth day.
The Fifth Day
God said, "I command the ocean to be full of living creatures, and I command birds to fly above the earth." So God made the giant sea monsters and all the living creatures that swim in the ocean. He also made every kind of bird. God looked at what he had done, and it was good.
Then he gave the living creatures his blessing -- he told the ocean creatures to live everywhere in the ocean and the birds to live everywhere on earth. Evening came and then morning that was the fifth day.
The Sixth Day
God said, "I command the earth to give life to all kinds of tame animals, wild animals, and reptiles." And that's what happened. God made every one of them. Then he looked at what he had done, and it was good.
God said, "Now we will make humans, and they will be like us. We will let them rule the fish, the birds, and all other living creatures." So God created humans to be like himself; he made men and women. God gave them his blessing and said:
Have a lot of children! Fill the earth with people and bring it under your control. Rule over the fish in the ocean, the birds in the sky, and every animal on the earth. I have provided all kinds of fruit and grain for you to eat. And I have given the green plants as food for everything else that breathes. These will be food for animals, both wild and tame, and for birds. God looked at what he had done. All of it was very good! Evening came and then morning - that was the sixth day.
So the heavens and the earth and everything else were created.
The Seventh Day
By the seventh day God had finished his work, and so he rested.
Prayer after the first reading about the creation:
Genesis 1:1-2:2:
Let us pray.
Almighty and eternal God,
you created all things in wonderful beauty and order.
Help us now to perceive
how still more wonderful is the new creation
by which in the fullness of time
you redeemed your people
through the sacrifice of our passover, Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Luke 24:1-12
Jesus Is Alive
Very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, carrying the spices that they had prepared.
When they found the stone rolled away from the entrance, they went in. But they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus, and they did not know what to think.
Suddenly two men in shining white clothes stood beside them. The women were afraid and bowed to the ground. But the men said, "Why are you looking in the place of the dead for someone who is alive? Jesus isn't here! He has been raised from death. Remember that while he was still in Galilee, he told you, 'The Son of Man will be handed over to sinners who will nail him to a cross. But three days later he will rise to life.' "
Then they remembered what Jesus had said.
Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and some other women were the ones who had gone to the tomb. When they returned, they told the eleven apostles and the others what had happened. The apostles thought it was all nonsense, and they would not believe.
But Peter ran to the tomb. And when he stooped down and looked in, he saw only the burial clothes. Then he returned, wondering what had happened.
Holy Thursday
Prayer
"Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall declare your praise."
Opening Prayer:
God our Father,
we are gathered here to share in the supper
which your only Son left to his Church to reveal his love.
He gave it to us when he was about to die
and commanded us to celebrate it as the new and eternal sacrifice.
We pray that in the Eucharist
we may find the fullness of love and life.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit
one God, for ever and ever.
The Readings: Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14; Psalm 116; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-15
Daily Meditation:
You gave us an example to imitate.
Holy Thursday is one of the truly marvelous days in our faith community.
We celebrate the gift of the love of Jesus,
given to us for our nourishment -
given to us as an example of self-less love.
In our prayer today, we let our Lord wash our feet - love us unconditionally -
and we let Jesus be broken and given for us.
We pray that we might be faithful to the one commandment of Jesus -
that we might love others in the same way that we have been loved.
Where charity and love are found,
there is God.
Holy Thursday Antiphon.
Today's Daily Reflection
Intercessions:
The Father anointed Christ with the Holy Spirit
to proclaim forgiveness to those in bondage.
Let us humbly call upon the eternal priest:
Lord, have mercy on us.
You went up to Jerusalem to suffer and so enter into your glory,
- bring your Church to the Passover feast of heaven.
You were lifted high on the cross and pierced by the soldier's lance,
- heal our wounds.
You made the cross the tree of life,
- give its fruit to those reborn in baptism.
On the cross you forgave the repentant thief,
- forgive us our sins.
Closing Prayer:
Loving Provider,
you gather me in this upper room with your son,
to be fed by your love.
At that supper, Jesus told us to "love one another"
and I know that is the heart of his gift,
his sacrifice for me.
I ask that I might find the source of my own heart,
the meaning for my own life,
in that Eucharist.
Guide me to the fullness of your love and life.
May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.