Holy Week | Living the Faith | catholic family life
Lent is quickly coming to a close, and Easter is around the corner, but there is something in between that sometimes gets overlooked in the midst of egg dyeing and last-minute Easter basket shopping.
These three days, known as the Paschal Triduum, build a bridge from Lent to Easter and include some of the most richly symbolic and sensory liturgies of the whole year. They are often celebrated late in the evening and are sometimes lengthy, but if your family can make it to at least one of these a year, it is absolutely worth your while.
Holy Thursday Recalls the Last Supper
Holy Thursday celebrates the Last Supper and the institution of the priesthood. In a startling change from the sparse altar and purple vestments of Lent, the priests, and the altar are dressed in gold or white. In many parishes, you will smell incense and see extra candles this night. The holy oils (the Oil of the Sick, the Oil of the Catechumens, and the Holy Chrism Oil) are newly procured from the local cathedral and may be formally presented in the church. Some may be invited to come forward to be seated at the altar where the pastor washes their feet, remembering how Jesus humbly served His apostles.
It’s hard not to recall the Last Supper more powerfully as the priest prays the words of consecration on this night. There is great joy in the Eucharist, but then there is a turn of sadness. After Communion, the Mass ends with Jesus, in the Eucharist, being removed from the church altogether rather than being reposed in the usual tabernacle. Leaving in somber silence, we anticipate the memorial of His Crucifixion.
Good Friday Commemorates Jesus’ Crucifixion
On this day alone, no Holy Mass can be offered. There is a liturgy this afternoon or evening that is solemn and stark. The golds and whites of last night are once again hidden away and the priests are now vested in red. The altar is bare. There is no entrance procession. The priests enter quietly then lay prostrate before the altar for a period of silence. The passion readings of Palm Sunday are repeated, this time without the echo of the joy-filled entrance into Jerusalem. There is a heaviness in the air.
A cross is brought into the church for veneration. There is no consecration for the Eucharist as there would be in a Mass, but the Eucharist is retrieved from the temporary tabernacle and distributed to the people before they are sent out quietly.
The Church Waits on Holy Saturday
The world waits on Saturday. The sadness of Friday has lifted, but Sunday is not quite here, we are somewhere in between, waiting. Easter Vigil Mass commences after dark on this evening with the faithful gathered around a new fire outside the church. A paschal candle is lit from the fire and blessed with a long ritual that includes clergy carving into the candle and chanting about the Exodus, the crucifixion, and the generosity of bees.
Following closely behind a fragrant cloud of incense, the tall candle is then carried high into the darkened church, leading the people of God. The people follow in procession, carrying lit taper candles, and light fills the dark space, one flame at a time.
After the Liturgy of the Word, the Alleluia triumphantly returns and the altar is adorned in white and gold once again. Jesus has risen from the dead and the tomb is empty. New Christians are welcomed into the faith on this night, baptized, and confirmed. The celebration of Easter has begun.
Root Your Easter Traditions in the Traditions of the Church
These Triduum liturgies are beautiful and unique. There are many opportunities to ignite the faith of your children and open doors for catechesis as together you watch your pastor humbly remove his chasuble and kneel to wash the feet of the people on Holy Thursday. You can gain a new wonder at Jesus’ sacrifice when you bring your child forward with you to kiss the wood of the cross on Good Friday.
You can be reminded of the stories of the Israelites in the book of Exodus as you follow a cloud of smoke and a pillar of fire into the church. Your little ones won’t forget to carefully carry their tapers in procession, even if they do fall asleep before the Easter Vigil Mass ends.
Getting to these Masses can be a pretty big commitment, especially for a young family, but perhaps you can begin by choosing just one that works with your schedule this year.
This is a once-a-year opportunity to use the ancient traditions of the church to form the foundation of your own family’s traditions, keeping your own Easter celebrations rooted in the death and Resurrection of our Lord.
Copyright 2025 Holly Dodd
Images: copyright 2025 Frank Currall @Catholic_Lens, all rights reserved, used with permission