Triduum: (From Fr. Tony)
April 2 Holy Thursday: Jn 13: 1-15: Holy Thursday evening Mass
Introduction: We celebrate three anniversaries
on Holy Thursday: 1) the anniversary of the first Holy Mass; 2) the anniversary
of the institution of ministerial priesthood in order to perpetuate the Holy
Mass, to convey God’s forgiveness to repentant sinners, and to preach the Good
News of salvation; 3) the anniversary of Jesus’ promulgation of his new
commandment of love: “Love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 13:34). First,
we remember how Jesus transformed the Jewish Passover into the New Testament
Passover. The Jewish Passover was, in fact, a joint celebration of two ancient
thanksgiving celebrations. The descendants of Abel, who were shepherds, used to
lead their sheep from the winter pastures to the summer pastures after the
sacrificial offering of a lamb to God. They called this celebration the “Pass
over." The descendants of Cain, who were farmers, held a harvest
festival called the Massoth in which they offered unleavened
bread to God as an act of thanksgiving. The Passover feast of the Israelites
(Ex 12:26-37) harmoniously combined these two feasts, in a ritual meal
instituted by God, to be celebrated yearly, thanking Him for His miraculous
liberation of their ancestors from Egyptian slavery, their exodus from Egypt,
and their final arrival in the Promised Land. (A homily starter anecdote may be
given)
Scripture lessons summarized: In the first
reading, God gives the Hebrews two instructions: prepare for the moment of
liberation by a ritual meal and make a symbolic mark on your homes to exempt
yourselves from the coming slaughter. In the second reading, Paul teaches that
the celebration of the Lord’s Supper was an unbroken tradition from the very
beginning of the Church, by which Christians reminded themselves of the death
and Resurrection of Jesus. Today’s Gospel describes how Jesus transformed the
Jewish Passover into the Eucharistic celebration. After washing the feet of his
apostles and commanding them to do humble service for each other, Jesus
concluded the Seder meal with its roasted Paschal lamb by giving his apostles
his own body and blood (under the appearances of bread and wine), as spiritual
food and drink. Jesus comes to us in four ways when we gather here for our
Eucharistic celebration: in the word of God, in the Eucharist, in the
congregation and in the priest.
Life Messages: 1) A challenge for
humble service. Our celebration of the Eucharist requires that we wash one
another’s feet, i.e., serve one another, and revere Christ’s
presence in other persons. In practical terms, that means we are to consider
others’ needs to be as important as (and some times more important than), our
own, and to serve their needs, without expecting any reward.
2) A loving invitation for sacrificial sharing
and self-giving love. Let us imitate the self-giving model of Jesus who shares
with us his own Body and Blood and who enriches us with his Real
Presence in the Holy Eucharist. It is by sharing our blessings – our
talents, time, health, and wealth – with others, that we become true disciples
of Christ and obey his new commandment: “Love one another as I have loved
you.”
3) An invitation to become Christ-bearers and
Christ-conveyers: "Go forth, the Mass is ended," really
means, “Go in peace to love and serve one another.’’ We are to
carry Jesus to our homes and places of work, conveying to others around us the
love, mercy, forgiveness, and spirit of humble service of Christ whom we carry
with us.
April 3 GOOD FRIDAY: Jn 18: 1- 19: 42: CHALLENGE TO
CARRY OUR CROSSES:
(A) The cross and the crucifix are meaningful symbols, as
the dove symbolizes peace and the heart symbolizes love. The crucifix and the
cross are the symbols of the loving and sacrificial offering of self for
others. 1) It is only in the cross that we see the face of God’s love. 2) the
cross is the symbol of the remission of our sins: “But he was pierced
for our offenses, crushed for our sins, upon him was the chastisement that
makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed.” (Is 53:5). 3) The
cross is the symbol of humble self-emptying for others. 4) the cross is the
symbol of the risen Christ who promises us a crown of glory as a reward for our
patient bearing of our daily crosses. Anecdote #2 The Soviet
premier’s cross:
(B) The Cross always means pain. But my pain is
Christ’s cross 1) when I offer my suffering with His on the cross for the
salvation of all of us. 2) when we share our blessings sacrificially with
others. 3) when we suffer pain in controlling our evil tendencies 4) when we
suffer pain and humiliation by standing with Jesus, his ideas and ideals.
(C) Our crosses come to us mainly from four sources.
Some of our crosses, like diseases, natural disasters and death, arise from
natural causes. We face other crosses when we do our duties faithfully. Our
friends and enemies supply a few of our crosses. Finally, we ourselves cause
many of our crosses as natural consequences of careless living and evil habits
and addictions.
(D) Why should we carry our crosses willingly? First,
cross-bearing is a condition for Christian discipleship. Jesus said: "Whoever
wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me”
(Mt 16:24). Second, it is by carrying our crosses that we make
reparation for our sins and for the sins of others related to us. That is why
St. Paul said that he was suffering in his body what is “lacking” in Christ’s
suffering. Third, it is by carrying our crosses that we become imitators of
Christ in his suffering for us. St. Paul explains it thus: “I have been
crucified with Christ; yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me.” (Gal
2: 19-20).
Life messages for Good Friday: (1) We should carry
our crosses with the right motives:Not like a lazy donkey, cursing its fate or
angry oxen protesting its load or hired worker working only for his wage. We
should carry our crosses like a loving wife who nurses her paralyzed husband or
sick child, with sacrificial love and dedicated commitment. (2) The carrying of
our crosses becomes easier when we compare our light crosses with the heavy
crosses of terminally ill patients or patients in emergency wards. We need to
draw strength and inspiration from Jesus Who walks ahead of us carrying his
heavier cross, while supporting us in carrying our crosses. (3) We should plant
the cross of Christ in our daily lives: We need to begin every day with a sign
of the cross, asking the blessing and protection of the crucified Lord in our
lives that day. A loving, prayerful touch on the cross we wear on our body will
encourage us to serve others selflessly.
April 4: HOLY SATURDAY: Mt 28:1-10:
I. A Day to remember the burial of Jesus. (The early Church
commemorated the death of Jesus on Good Friday, the burial of Jesus on Holy
Saturday and the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday)
II- Good Friday and Holy Saturday were days of full fasting
in the early Church.
III- A day for baptism. After A.D. 313 when the Church got
freedom of religious practice from Emperor Constantine, Holy Saturday was the
day to receive the catechumens to the Church, after three years of preparation.
It was considered as a ceremony reminding them that they become dead to their
former pagan, Gentile life by immersing themselves in water and that they
emerge in to a new life in Jesus Christ by rising up from the water.
IV- A day for blessing baptismal water. The catechumens
return the Book of Creed (catechism book) to the bishop in a morning ceremony.
In the evening the bishop blesses the Baptismal water.
V- A day of lighting the Easter candle. The bishop
re-ignites the fire extinguished on Holy Thursday and lights the Easter candle
to represent Jesus as the “Light of the world.” Imitating the Jewish custom of
the ceremonial lighting of Sabbath lamps on Friday evenings, the early
Christians lighted and displayed lamps on Saturday evenings to honor Jesus as
the “Light of the world”.
VI- A day to read I Peter 2:9 reminding the people of their
worth and dignity – as “the “chosen people of God”, sanctified, appropriated by
God, and honored with the royal priesthood.
VII- A day of renewing the baptismal promises. The people
were asked to repeat their Baptismal promises by rejecting Satan and his empty
promises, by accepting Jesus as the Lord and savior and revesting with the “new
man” after removing the vestments of the “old man.”
Messages:
1) Message of expectation, change of heart and new life.
2) Lead a new life with the Risen Lord by dying to sinful
life.
3) Live a new life recognizing the nobility of Christians as
children of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus and members of the mystical body
of Jesus.
