The Holy Triduum

A lot of times, I feel like non-catholics don’t quite get the Catholic fascination with Lent, and, by extension, the Holy Triduum. Jesus rose from the dead, after all. Why focus on the Passion when you can focus on the obviously “more important” event of the Resurrection? Right? As one of my Protestant friends once said, when discussing her aversion to the crucifix and why she didn’t feel the need to celebrate Jesus’s rather horrific death, “My Jesus came down from the cross.”

Why exactly do Catholics feel the need to spend an entire three days meditating on the death of our Lord? Are we really that dark and sadistic? Do we enjoy pagan rituals and nighttime jaunts around the bonfire?

Here’s a secret — the answer to all of the above is no. Would you like another secret? The three days of the Easter Triduum are my absolute favorite of the year.

The Triduum

According to about.com, “Triduum is a Latin word, formed from the Latin prefix tri- (meaning three) and the Latin word dies (day). A triduum is a three-day period of prayer, usually in preparation of an important feast or celebration.”

The three days before Easter are known as the “Easter Triduum,” “Holy Triduum,” or the “Paschal Triduum.” The Triduum is not actually a part of Lent. Rather, it is its own separate church season — the shortest season of the year.

According to the USCCB, “the Easter Triduum begins with the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, reaches its high point in the Easter Vigil, and closes with Evening Prayer on Easter Sunday.” In layman’s terms, the Easter Triduum consists of three days: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.

Holy Thursday

The Triduum is sort of like a three-day long reenactment. The topic of interest on the first day of the trio — Holy Thursday — is the Last Supper.

Perhaps the most notable part of the Holy Thursday Mass, it the washing of the feet. This event refers directly back to the actions of Jesus himself when he washed the feet of his disciples.

According to John 13:2-10, “During supper, fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God, he rose from supper and took off his outer garments. He took a towel and tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel around his waist.

“He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Master, are you going to wash my feet?’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘What I am doing, you do not understand now, but you will understand later.’ Peter said to him, ‘You will never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me.’ Simon Peter said to him, ‘Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed, for he is clean all over; so you are clean, but not all.'”

During the Holy Thursday Mass, the washing of the feet follows the priest’s homily. This practice looks a little different in different parishes. Generally, the priest will take off the outer layers of his vestments — the stole and the chastuble — so that he is only wearing a long white tunic called an alb, belted around the waist by a simple cord or cincture. After doing this, he ties a towel around his waist. At this point, the priest will then begin to wash the feet of the congregation. As with everything that occurs during Mass, these actions are not arbitrary. They are meant to call attention to Jesus’s actions and to remind us of the importance of humility and service. 

“When he had washed their feet [and] put his garments back on and reclined at table again, he said to them, ‘Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do. Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it.'”

Good Friday

Good Friday is the only day of the year on which no Mass is held. When I think of Good Friday, I think of rich purples, bright reds, a stripped altar, the scent of incense, and slow old hymns. I think of a procession, where a cross is carried down the aisle in imitation of when Jesus carried his own cross on his back. I think of the Veneration of the Cross, where people kiss the wood of that cross, whispering ‘thank you’ and ‘I love you’ to the dying body of their Savior.

It is on Good Friday that we remember the death of Christ. We hear phrases such as, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” We hear the cries of a crowd, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” We hear Pilate’s desperation, “What is truth?” And we hear the salvation of a dying thief, “On this day, you will be with me in paradise.”

No music is played during the procession at the end of Mass. The people leave in silence.

Holy Saturday

Holy Saturday has always felt like a day of emptiness to me. Empty hearts, empty churches, empty hopes. It is a day that represents the brokenness and hopelessness of mankind because on Holy Saturday, the one thing that is not empty is the tomb of Christ. Jesus himself lies in the grave, and the whole world mourns his loss.

Is it any wonder then, that not much is celebrated on this day? The women of the Gospels have put away their oils to rest for the Sabbath — we put away our candles, our incense, our missalettes and our congregations. Instead, we wait, lost in the pools of our brokenness and failure, at the grave side of our Savior.

Easter Vigil

A light shines in the darkness, and the darkness shall not overcome it (John 1:5).But then, a light appears in the darkness. On the night of Holy Saturday, bonfires are lit outside of Catholic churches around the world. According to the USCCB, “In a suitable place outside the Church, a “blazing fire” is to be prepared so that the people may gather around it and experience the flames dispelling the darkness and lighting up the night.” The fire and candles of Easter Vigil are not a part of a strange pagan ritual. Rather, they are meant to serve as a powerful, visible symbol of Christ’s light coming into the world.

The Easter Vigil Mass, though infamous for being very long, is perhaps one of the most beautiful Masses of the year. After the Paschal Candle is lit from the bonfire outside, it is brought back into the church — inside which all the lights have been turned off. Slowly, everyone processes inside, lighting hand-held votive candles all from the original flame. Then, in a darkness filled only by the light of candles, the congregation sits and listens to the Word of God.

Easter Vigil is a time of celebration, and of great joy. It is a time of new life, and salvation. The symbols and events present within the Mass itself are supposed to remind us of that.

Why is The Triduum Important?

One of the things I love about my faith is how steeped in symbolism it is. Nothing that occurs within a Catholic Mass is without purpose. Every gesture, every word, is meant to add depth and meaning — meant to help us understand the teachings of Christ, as well as give us a beauty we can soak in through our pores.

Ultimately, the Triduum is important because it reminds us that Easter Sunday does not come without a price. The three days of the Triduum serve to remind us just how much we are loved by Christ (so much that he would endure the crucifixion again and again for our sakes) — and also reflects something of our own suffering souls. The Passion reminds us that Christ was one of us — even in our deepest suffering.

Without the Passion of Christ, his Resurrection has no meaning — just as without his Resurrection, his sufferings would be pointless. Jesus suffered for our sins — dying the death we were meant to die. He took our sins upon his back — bearing them for us — and when he was crucified, they died with him.

In the end, we as Catholics focus the Passion of Christ not because we don’t care about the Resurrection, but because we understand that the Resurrection is only a part of the story. Jesus could have died at an old age, or of sickness, an accident, or a less brutal way of execution and still have been resurrected from the dead. But he didn’t. He suffered. That suffering should not be brushed aside.

For more resources about Holy Week and the Easter Triduum:

Check out this awesome infographic by Focus Ministries

And this from the USCCB

Let’s talk! Do you have anything to add about Holy Week and the Triduum? What is your favorite part? Is there something you still don’t quite understand, or that I forgot to address? Leave your questions and comments in the comment section below. I’d love to get a conversation going!