The Easter Triduum is a period (of three days) in the calendar of the Catholic Church that spans from Holy Thursday through to Glorious Easter Saturday. These are the three days that immediately proceeds Easter Sunday, when the Church erupts with celebration over Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. There is great celebration as the Church remembers this event in the history of mankind because it is the realization of God’s plan of salvation for us all. It means that through the blood of Jesus, through His resurrection from the dead, God has made a way for us all to fulfil the real purpose for our existence; that is to live with Him forever.
The Easter Triduum is the celebration of the Holy Eucharist that starts on Holy Thursday and comes to a climax on Saturday. Unlike other Eucharistic celebrations where the priest will give the command “The Mass is ended. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord,” when the triduum starts on Holy Thursday, this command will not be given until after the end of Saturday night’s celebration. The Triduum marks the climax of Holy Week in the Catholic Church’s calendar.
“When I was a child, having four siblings, our parents would march us all to church for the triduum. The honest truth is that I did not understand what it all meant, and I certainly did not understand why I
had to go to church for three days in a row; added to which, the Saturday was so long. I could not understand why they had seven additional readings on Glorious Saturday. Most of the time, I struggled to stay awake through it all. But thank God, I now understand and very much appreciate what it all means. For me, it is the most joyful, the most uplifting time in my spiritual journey.”
It is my sincerest prayer that just as God opened my eyes, thus allowing me to see and enjoy the immense blessings of Holy Week and in particular the Easter Triduum, so too may He open your eyes to this wonderful Catholic truth in which the whole Church remembers the salvation of our God. (Source:—Editor, FullyCatholic.com)
So what is the wish or hope of the Church for this Holy Triduum? It is that each and every Catholic person and family will come to actually celebrate the Triduum and not just Good Friday and Easter Sunday; that we all can come to know the “whole story” of the passion, death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ and what it means not just for my life on earth—which is a great deal to consider—but what it truly and eternally means for my life in the Kingdom of Heaven.
On Holy Thursday we Catholics celebrate the institution of the Eucharist and the Catholic Priesthood. Our priesthood was created by Christ to celebrate the Sacramental life of the Church—to offer Baptism, hear Confessions, offer Holy Communion, Confirmation, to bring about Sacramental marriage, to continue Christ’s High Priesthood in Holy Orders, and Anoint the Sick and Dying for eternal life. Without the sacramental life of the Church we would all be without a significant conduit for God’s grace in our lives; and
Good Friday we celebrate the Passion of the Lord. In this we celebrate His suffering and death, which begins the final battle of unending death. As we recall what Christ did for all humanity, we reach deep into our faith and take place in a memorial of Calvary; and, on
Holy Saturday we celebrate the Vigil Mass with all of its components: the Service of Light and the singing of the Exultant, the readings of the Word of God which tells us of Salvation history, the Sacraments of Initiation and the welcoming of new Catholics; and, finally the Eucharistic meal—which nourishes us with His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity—and ending with the great Alleluia! From that wonderful experience of faith we enter into the Easter season. We begin it here at St. Catherine of Siena with our very own Alleluia Party! Come join us as begin a celebratory season that takes us right up to Pentecost and the sending of the Holy Spirit upon God’s beloved Church. This sending forth of the Holy Spirit is meant to be our Guide for the Church, The Magisterium—to keep us free from error in faith and morals, and to lead us to all the Truth of Christ. While all Truth has already been revealed by Christ, we may not understand all things yet—and the Holy Spirit is our helper and guide.
Happy and blessed Holy Week (Triduum) and Easter!