EASTER TRIDUM
My favorite season in the church’s liturgical calendar is the season leading to Easter, especially the last three days prior to Easter Sunday. I have such wonderful memories of this season. In Latin it is called Easter Triduum, meaning “Three Days.” The Triduum includes Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Vigil or Holy Saturday. Many traditions include the Easter Sunday service as part of the Triduum.
My remembrance of Maundy Thursday is my Confirmation. My older brother, me, and a few others from the church were confirmed on this night. It felt special because this was the night that Jesus spent the last few hours with his friends. It is as if we were part of this most scared meal of Jesus with his closest friends. This is the night Jesus gave his disciples the new mandate – love one another even as I have loved you. The “new mandate” is where we get the word Maundy. “Maundy” comes from the Latin word “mandatum” meaning “command” or “commandment.” Jesus’s teaching to love unconditionally comes at a time when his friend Judas would betray him and his closest companion, Peter, would deny him and all others desert him. It is easy for us to love people who are kind to us but what do we do with friends who are rude and unfriendly to us. This is the one thing that Jesus taught his disciples beginning with the Sermon on the Mount – to love the enemy among us. I pray that you will think about this as you participate in that service on Maundy Thursday.
We listened to some good sermons on Good Friday. I still remember the pastor, Rev. Peter Miller at St. George’s Cathedral preaching all the 7 words of Jesus from the Cross. His heart was for social justice and peace in the world. Every sermon had a call to action for us to do something about the words of Christ. I believe every sermon must have a call to action but on this day, it is even more significant. When I look around the things that are happening, it seems like we are on Good Friday vibes.
Easter (Saturday) Vigil is not something that is significant in the Protestant church. In the first century Christian church, Saturday Vigil is a time when members seeking baptism and confirmation are invited to the altar for this most sacred ritual. Lent is often seen as a time of preparation of the Catechumens (a Christian convert under instruction before baptism). Easter Vigil in some context is called Holy Saturday. It is meant to be a quiet day, remembering the empty space, the silence that was present for the disciples of Jesus after his death and before his resurrection. They did not expect the resurrection and so were left in a place of grief.
I remember being a sponsor for a young person in my youth group who was preparing to be baptized on Easter Vigil. Baptismal services (for me) are significant because we not only hear the public confession of the person being baptized but we are called to remember our own baptismal covenant.
Our tendency is to rush to Easter after Palm Sunday service without going through the motions of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday. There is beauty in preparing, in waiting, in confessing, and renewing our own covenants and commitments. So, this year as you come to the Easter Triduum, don’t rush, take your time to prepare, seek the presence of the Holy Spirit to help you participate in the last few moments of the Lord Jesus on the earth. And when you have done this, your Easter will be the most meaningful time of your life.
Blessings on your journey toward Easter,
