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For it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. A prayer attributed to St. Francis Easter is the greatest celebration of the Christian community, the climax of the church year, and the focal point of our faith. But to enter fully into Christ s Resurrection, we must first follow him in his passion. Observing Holy Week the week preceding Easter Sunday is an invitation to do so. Palm Sunday Holy Week begins on the day best known as Palm Sunday, though it is also called the Sunday of the Passion. The service begins with the Liturgy of the Palms, when the gospel of Jesus entry into Jerusalem is read. In most congregations, palm fronds or palms folded into crosses are distributed, and the people process into the worship space singing. This also marks the entry of the people of God into a new Holy Week pilgrimage. As we joyously celebrate with palms, Jerusalem is brought to life for us, 2
allowing us to commemorate this most sacred week for Christians. The triumphal tenor of the beginning of the service fades as the service continues. Depending on the lectionary year, the gospel is a reading of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark, Matthew, or Luke. This tells the story of Jesus final hours, ending with his crucifixion and death. It is traditional in most congregations for this to be a dramatic reading, with different members of the congregation reading different parts. All join in taking the part of the crowd that cries out Crucify him! reminding us that we are all sinners. Had we been there on the first Good Friday, we might well have joined in: denying, betraying, and crucifying him. Going to church on Palm Sunday and then skipping right to the morning of Easter Day is a bit like going to a movie and watching only the opening and closing credits. The rich liturgies and commemorations of Holy Week invite us to experience more fully the range of Jesus human experience in his final hours. Throughout the week, we contemplate the mysteries 3
of God s work in the world through joy, friendship, betrayal, solitude, suffering, grief, hope, and ultimate triumph. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday in Holy Week After Palm Sunday, we spend the week revisiting Jesus final days and hours more slowly and reflectively. On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday in Holy Week, the church typically gathers for Eucharist. The readings are the same each year: Monday s gospel is the story of Mary anointing Jesus in Bethany (John 12:1-11). Tuesday, he speaks to his disciples, foreshadowing what is to come in the days ahead his death like a grain of wheat that dies to give life to all, and his glorification (John 12:20-36). On Wednesday, Jesus identifies Judas as his betrayer (John 13:21-32). Tenebrae At some point during Holy Week, many congregations commemorate the suffering and death of Christ using the ancient liturgy of Tenebrae. Tenebrae is a Latin word that means shadows. Dating from the eighth century, this service was origi- 4
nally celebrated on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of Holy Week. It represents the darkness that fell over the earth as the Son of God was crucified. Candles symbolize Christ, the Light of the World. That Light which was born at Christmas slowly fades as seven anthems are read. With each meditation, candles are progressively exinguished. One small flame remains burning, signifying that death only appears to triumph over Christ, thus pointing towards the Resurrection. The depleting light and increasing shadows of this liturgy mirror our experience of Holy Week, where we begin in triumph with Jesus entrance into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and move toward the grim reality of Good Friday. The Triduum Then comes what is called the Triduum, a Latin word meaning a period of three days. This refers to the period beginning with sundown on Maundy Thursday and extending until sunrise on Sunday. It includes the Maundy Thursday Eucharist, the Good Friday liturgy, the Great Vigil of Easter, and services on Easter Day. The fact that there is no dismissal in the Maundy 5
Thursday and Good Friday liturgies suggests that these services are a single liturgical act, culminating in the Great Vigil of Easter. Maundy Thursday Maundy Thursday is when we commemorate Jesus final evening with his friends: the last supper, the foot-washing, Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, and his arrest. Maundy is from the Latin word mandatum meaning commandment. It was in the context of this final evening with his friends that Jesus said, This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you (John 15:12). The Maundy Thursday liturgy is complex, consisting of several different ancient rituals. It is foremost a celebration of the supper that Jesus ate with his friends the night before he was crucified. The service represents a celebration of the institution of the sacrament of the Eucharist. Yet the joy in this celebration is melancholy, tinged with hints of Good Friday which follows soon after. According to the Gospel of John, on the same night Jesus ate bread and drank wine 6