“Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

“Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” So St. Paul says in his second letter to the Corinthians (6:2) and so we should say about this month of April. As Holy Week falls in the middle of this month, it makes it the most central time of our liturgical year. Where other feasts and celebrations commemorate and remember past events of Salvation History, these sacred feasts are actually made present in a unique way. Every time we celebrate the Mass, bread and wine are transubstantiated into the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. The Eucharist isn’t just his body and blood, it is his crucified and resurrected body and blood. Every time we celebrate Mass, we are mystically transported to the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection of Jesus through our participation in the liturgy that makes Christ present. It’s part of the reason that the words of consecration themselves are in the present tense: “this is my body… this is my blood.”

When we combine this mystical reality with the particular celebration of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, we get an especially tangible connection to the moment being celebrated. Indeed, every other time we celebrate Mass, the words immediately before the words of consecration say “on the day before he was to suffer… he took bread.” On Holy Thursday, however, it is the only time in the entire year that the priest says “On the day before he was to suffer for our salvation and the salvation of all, that is today.” Holy Thursday happened once 2000 years ago, but by the power of the liturgy, we step into that day every year. This “making present” continues throughout the Paschal Triduum.

The “Triduum” is the term describing the full liturgy of the Lords’ Supper on Holy Thursday, the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil after nightfall on Holy Saturday. What begins with the Mass on Holy Thursday - the “today” mentioned above - continues in one unbroken liturgy. Unlike every other Mass of the year, Mass of the Lord’s Supper usually doesn’t end with a blessing and a dismissal, but with a procession of the Eucharist and then a silent exit. We “open” the liturgy as usual but we don’t yet “close” it, so to speak. So, when we return to Good Friday’s celebration, the priest doesn’t “open” with a sign of the cross or a greeting. He simply enters in silence and then starts praying. The celebration of the Lord’s Passion is not a separate Mass - it’s not Mass at all - we’re basically just picking up where we left off the night before. 

The Easter Vigil does begin with a sign of the Cross as it is another Mass. Yet, the blessing of the fire leads up to the Exsultet, which is a long poetic hymn in praise of the night of the resurrection that several times cries out “this is the night.” It drives home the point that we are not just “remembering” what happened, we are participating in it. Sadly, not many people experience this reality because the Easter Vigil typically runs well over 2 hours long. Or, perhaps worse, many people are left with an overly truncated and rusher version of the Vigil in an effort to save time, which means it simply doesn’t have the weight and integrity it deserves, so it comes off as just a slightly longer than usual Mass at night.

Truly, one could spend a long time unpacking all the words and symbols and movements of the Sacred Paschal Triduum and still not know fully what it is they are participating in. That does not lessen the power of this liturgy, however. By participating with faith and attention, our hearts and minds are shaped in ways deeper than any explanation could accomplish. Often, priests hear the claim “I don’t get anything out of the Mass.” This is usually followed by complaints about bad preaching, bad music, difficult parishioners, or hypocritical leaders. Beneath the surface, there’s also some subconscious - or perhaps conscious - comparison to more exciting “services” offered at other churches or denominations. There’s usually some belief that “getting something” is equal to “feeling something” or “enjoying myself.” It’s not that feelings and stirrings and enjoyment are wrong! Really, they’re kind of a non-factor. What makes any liturgy good - especially the Paschal Triduum - is that it’s entered into with faith and love. Those who trust God and seek to serve him with love will certainly make the effort to do the liturgy well, to participate well, and will be well disposed to experience it more deeply, but the presence or absence of feelings is not really proof of anything. Even understanding is not required if faith and love are present, though of course we do want to grow in our understanding over time.

Indeed, the ancient Church had a habit of explaining almost nothing to the new converts before they participated in the liturgy. A major part of the “mystagogy” - the lessons converts get after baptism - was to explain what they experienced at the liturgy. The Church would have people experience the liturgy first and then only explain it after.

So, if you’ve participated in the Triduum before and didn’t get it, or even if you generally don’t “get” the value of most Sunday Masses, don’t think that means it was worthless! The liturgy is an incredibly sacred and powerful reality that intimately connects us to God himself. Our carelessness and imperfections at the liturgy have the potential to be deeply offensive to God. But do not fret! Do not worry so much about what you’ve missed or messed up. Instead, take comfort that Jesus prays for us in our ignorance: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” God does indeed forgive us our ignorance if we’re willing to accept our limitations but go to him anyway. As with other aspects of life, the Father will forgive our liturgical ignorance and mistakes if we approach him in sincerity.

That starts with not giving up. That starts with showing up. That starts with the humility and perseverance to say “I don’t have to get everything that’s going on, I just have to trust that God is at work.” So, go to as much of the Paschal Liturgy as you can. Bring this same attitude to every Sunday Mass, which is in fact a “mini-Easter” each week.

And while you’re at it, don’t forget that the Paschal Triduum is another one of the four annual feasts we’re focusing on for our Great Novena. Unlike the other feasts we’ve asked you to fast for, the Paschal Fast isn’t quite 3 days straight - you really should feast a little on Holy Thursday itself - so maybe consider a fast on Spy Wednesday or some modified version on Thursday. Then, try to let the sacrifice and the hunger stir up in you a greater desire for the less physical but ultimately more satisfying nourishment of the Church’s liturgy. Today is the day of salvation. Don’t miss out.