Three Sacred Days

This article is being published on Wednesday of Holy Week. Tomorrow we enter the most sacred time of our liturgical year. We enter into the Sacred Paschal Triduum, into three sacred days. In these days to come, we will immerse ourselves into the dying and rising of Christ. The key thing about the Triduum is that we are not observers of these days; we are participants in what takes place. We enter into the Paschal Mystery. We die with Christ so as to rise with him.

I really do love the Triduum. I love everything about it. From the presentation of the oils before the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, to the veneration of the cross on Good Friday, to the roaring Easter Fire to the break the darkness of the night as we begin the great Easter Vigil, – I love what these sacred rites present to us. This love for the Triduum was born within me when I was growing up in my home parish of St. Mary of the Assumption in Elizabeth NJ. A wonderful priest at the parish, Msgr. Bob Slipe, was in charge of our liturgical life. My best friend, Fr. Joe Mancini of Kearny NJ, and I were altar servers, – and eventually became Masters of Ceremonies for the Triduum. Msgr. Slipe mentored us and instilled within us a great love for what the Church does over the course of these three days. That liturgical formation actually had a huge impact on my decision to respond to the Lord’s call to be a priest. The Church’s liturgy, especially the unfolding of the Triduum Liturgy, and my participation in it, led me in some ways to the priesthood. What a grace it was for me in 2003 when I was able to preside at the Triduum for the first time.

My hope over these days to come is that you, too, will plunge into what we do in celebrating the Triduum. Pay attention to all that goes on. Listen attentively to the sacred scriptures proclaimed in our midst. Watch as the washing of the feet takes place and think about how the apostles first felt when Jesus got down and washed their feet and gave them an example to follow. Approach the cross on Good Friday with all humility, –­ recalling the supreme sacrifice of Christ. As you go to the font at the Easter Vigil to bless yourself with Holy Water, recall all of the implications that come along with Baptism.

These Three Sacred Days to come are so important for us. Make the time to be here at church. The Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper will be celebrated bilingually at 7:00. On Good Friday the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion will be celebrated at 3:00 in English and bilingually at 7:00. The bilingual Easter Vigil will begin at 8:30.

I hope and pray that these days to come will be grace-filled for us as a parish community and that at the end we will be renewed and refreshed and share in the joy of Easter.