The Easter Triduum

( click for Pope Benedict XVI on the Triduum )

Dateline: Easter Sunday -  

"Christ redeemed us all and gave perfect glory to God principally through his paschal mystery: dying he destroyed our death and rising he restored our life. Therefore the Easter Triduum of the passion and resurrection of Christ is the culmination of the entire liturgical year." General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar, # 18

The Season of Lent has always been an important time in the life of the Christian. The special things that we participate in during Lent… personal sacrifice, communal prayer, fasting and abstinence, almsgiving… all remind us that this is no ordinary time for the Church. But Lent is not an isolated season. It doesn't exist just to give us something to do toward the end of winter and early spring. It is a time of focus, a time of preparation and a time of remembrance. It points to that which is central to the life of the Christian, and culminates in the celebration of Easter Triduum.

These "Three Days" are at the heart of the Paschal Mystery; they remind us of death and rebirth and are the most important days of celebration in the Catholic Church. We walk in joyful celebration along the road from betrayal and suffering, to death and resurrection with Jesus Christ who walked that way first - for us.

Lent exists so that we can prepare ourselves for the Easter Triduum. In the afternoon of Holy Thursday, Lent quietly comes to an end, almost unnoticed.

The Triduum liturgies are rich with experiences that we have at no other time during the Church year: the washing of feet, the veneration of the cross, the service of light, the singing of the Exultet, the baptism of the elect, the reception of candidates into full membership in the Catholic Church. During these three days, we focus on one event - the Passover of the Lord, our Easter.

We come together with all Christians to pray and keep vigil. We gather as the people of God to remember the saving act of Jesus, the miracle of his resurrection and to celebrate our faith and identity as Christians. Because Christ was willing to die for our sins and was raised from the dead, death is no longer the end of life for us. It is the beginning of a new life in Him.