Celebrating the Triduum

Holy Thursday is about Eucharist. It was at His last Passover that Jesus shared the Eucharist with his disciples. It was where He "took the bread, blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, 'Take, eat; this is my body.'" He gave us of Himself and provided a way for each of us to become a part of Him by partaking of His body. It is through us partaking of His body that we are united as one, one with Him and one with each other. We will never be alone again. He provided both for our spiritual and emotional needs.

It was also during this meal that "He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded." He called us to an availability of service to one another, to care for one another's physical needs.

Take time this Holy Thursday to reflect on these questions.

• How does the Eucharist provide for my spiritual, emotional, and physical needs?
• How does the Eucharist make me responsible for providing for others' spiritual, emotional, and physical needs?

Good Friday is a day of extreme suffering. Jesus is flogged, stripped, and crucified for all to see. We gaze upon the crucifix and shutter at the horrible humiliation that was done to Him. Yet, each day, many of our sisters and brothers experience comparable humiliations. Whether it's living under tyrannical regimes, being trafficked for another's sexual pleasure, being enslaved as forced laborers, or experiencing continual emotional and physical bullying, people are flogged and scared daily. They are being stripped of their human dignity and are being raised up for all to see their most broken selves. Crucifixions continue to happen daily.

This Good Friday, reflect on these questions.

• When I encounter modern day crucifixions, am I as horrified as I am when I see a crucifix or have I become callous?
• What are some steps I can take to be more aware of the suffering of my brothers and sisters who are victims of modern day crucifixions?

And on Holy Saturday, it's all over! Jesus has died and now lies lifeless in a tomb. What do I do now? Where do I turn? There is a heaviness, an unbroken silence, a shattering emptiness. Time stands still. There is nowhere to go, no one to turn to for help. Those of us close to Jesus have all come together and yet, we all are not really there for one another. All of us are living in this suspended state of numbness.

Reflect on these questions this Holy Saturday.

• Are there times in my life that have left me in this state of numbness?
• Can I appreciate the "Holy Saturday experience" without having actually experienced this phenomenon in my own life?
• What is my experience of Holy Saturday?

Written by Sister Kathleen Shannon, D.C.