April 17, 2025

The Sacred Triduum—Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil—is the summit of the liturgical year. These three days are not just a series of solemn liturgies; they are one great mystery unfolding in time, drawing us into the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

On Holy Thursday, we commemorate the Last Supper, where Jesus gave us the gift of the Eucharist and instituted the priesthood. The washing of feet reminds us of Christ’s command to serve one another in humility. At the end of the Mass, the Blessed Sacrament is taken in procession to the Altar of Repose, where we are invited to stay and keep watch with Him in the garden.

Good Friday is a day of silence, fasting, and deep reverence. We gather to venerate the Cross, to listen once again to the Passion, and to pray for the Church and the world. No Mass is celebrated on this day. Yet the Cross is not a sign of defeat. It is the very means of our salvation. “By His wounds, we are healed.”

Then, on Holy Saturday, in the stillness of the night, the Easter Vigil begins. A fire is kindled, light pierces the darkness, and the ancient hymn—the Exsultet—proclaims the victory of Christ. Scripture recounts God’s saving work through history, culminating in the Resurrection. New Catholics are welcomed through the Sacraments of Initiation, and all of us renew our baptismal promises. Christ is risen. He is truly risen.

This Triduum is not a reenactment—it is a participation. We do not merely remember the events of salvation history; we enter them. Let these holy days be a time of silence, prayer, and reverence. Come to the liturgies. Bring your family. Invite a friend who has been away. Walk with Jesus through the Upper Room, to the Cross, and into the glory of the empty tomb.

Together, let us journey from death to life—and celebrate the mysteries of our redemption.