Walking with Jesus thru the Triduum
/Thursday, April 9, 2020: Holy Thursday
This day recalls the Last Supper when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. It reminds us that we are called to serve one another.
SONG Remembrance by Matt Maher
READ John 13:1-15
REFLECTION
Today’s Gospel describes how Jesus transformed the Jewish Passover into the Eucharistic celebration. First, he washed His Apostles’ feet - a tender reminder of his undying affection for them. Then he commanded them to do the same for each other. The incident reminds us that our vocation is to take care of one another as Jesus always takes care of us. Washing the disciples’ feet symbolizes the ultimate service Jesus is about to give to them by giving up his life on the cross. It serves also as a model for how the disciples are to love one another.
It means, for us, to serve one another in radical forms of love. It means to wash one another’s feet with small acts of service toward our friends and family. To wash the feet of others is to love them, especially when they don't deserve our love, and to do good to them, even when they can’t or don't return the favor. It is to consider others' needs to be as important as our own.
Finally, he gave his apostles his own Body and Blood under the appearances of bread and wine as Food and Drink for their souls, so that, as long as they lived, they'd never be without the comfort and strength of his presence. Thus, Jesus washed their feet, fed them and then went out to die. This Gospel episode challenges us to become for others Christ the healer, Christ the compassionate and selfless brother, Christ the humble “washer of feet.”
DID YOU KNOW
During the Passover celebration, four cups of wine are given to the guests. With the presentation of each cup, the host leads a prayer:
Cup of Sanctification: Given to guests shortly after they arrive. This cup is offered to remember the enslavement of the Israelites.
Cup of Righteousness: Given to guests during appetizers. This cup is offered to remember how God delivered them from slavery.
Cup of Blessing: Given to guests during the main course. This cup is offered in thanksgiving to God. This is the cup that Jesus used to institute the Precious Blood.
Cup of Consummation: Given to guests at the end of the meal. This cup is offered as a mark that it is finished.
Following the third cup, Jesus says:
“Amen, I say to you, I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God” (Mk 14:21).
And then Jesus left! He did not give the apostles the fourth cup. The Passover was not finished! Yet we know that Jesus’ last words on the cross were, “It is finished” (Jn 19:30). Jesus is the fourth cup. It is his sacrifice that marks the completion of God’s promise of salvation.
TO DO
LiveStream Mass: The Holy Thursday liturgy marks the beginning of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. At the end of Mass, spend some time in front of a crucifx, reflecting on the sacrifice.
Help someone: Do something special for someone in need. How can you “wash the feet” of a family member or neighbor by doing a small chore or task.
Have a simple foot washing ceremony with the family. Read John 13: 1-15. Wash each other’s feet. Share with your family different ways that you can continue the challenge of Jesus to “go and do the same” by creating list of “feet washing activities” you can do as a family.
Spend time with Jesus in the Garden by reading and reflecting on the four different Gospel accounts of Jesus’ Agony in the Garden. Matthew 26:36-50, Mark 14:32-46, Luke 22:39-49, John 18: 1-14
TALK/THINK ABOUT IT
The Eucharist is the central sacrament in our Catholic faith. Talk or reflect about our Catholic belief that we receive the real presence of the risen Jesus in holy Communion. How does this encounter with Jesus change us?
Friday, April 10, 2020: Passion of the Lord (Good Friday)
On Good Friday, we commemorate the death of Jesus in part by reading the Passion according to John
SONG Death Was Arrested by Seth Condrey and North Point Worship
READ John 18:1-19:42
REFLECTION
Today is all about the cross and Jesus’ journey to Calvary. We hear in the Gospel, again, the Lord’s Passion and the story of God condemned by those He loves and was sent to save. There is irony in this selfless act as the very act of dying on the cross is that which brings us to life…for ETERNITY.
As Jesus is crucified, he is flanked by two criminals. One of them, the “good thief” in a profession of belief that Jesus is truly the Son of God, states, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Not only should we make this same petition to Jesus, but we should also return the sentiment by actively remembering Jesus suffering and death in a real and tangible way. One of the best ways to do this is through the Stations of the Cross.
“The Way of the Cross is not only a great testimony to an inner depth and maturity, but it is in fact a school for interiority and consolation. It is also a school for the examination of conscience, for conversion, for inner transformation and compassion—not as sentimentality, as a mere feeling, but as a disturbing experience that knocks on the door of (our) heart, that obliges (us) to know (ourself) and to become a better person.” Pope Benedict XVI
DID YOU KNOW
The specific “mighty works” that we remember during the Good Friday liturgy are:
● the Lord’s death on the cross,
● our redemption from sin,
● the gift of Mary as our Mother
This Liturgy begins with the prostration of the celebrant on the floor, the proclamation of the Lord’s Passion, a series of prolonged prayers called “Solemn Intercessions”, the veneration of the cross, and a communion service, in which hosts which have already been consecrated are distributed in Holy Communion.
TO DO
Pray the Stations of the Cross
Watch the Good Friday liturgy, which includes the reading of the Passion, Veneration of the Cross, special prayers and holy Communion.
Set aside some prayerful family time between 12 noon and 3 p.m
Encourage family members to imitate Jesus by forgiving someone who has hurt them.
Prepare a sacred space at home.
TALK/THINK ABOUT IT
It is OK to feel sad on Good Friday. Jesus’ death on the cross is a sacrifice like no other; he died to teach us about everlasting life. Talk about friends and family who may have died and how we believe that, because of Jesus, we hope to rise to new life in heaven.
Saturday, April 11, 2020: Holy Saturday
This day commemorates the time of darkness and waiting when Jesus was in the tomb. It is also a day for final preparations before Easter.
SONG Resurrecting by Elevation Worship
READ Matthew 28:1-10
REFLECTION
On Holy Saturday the Church waits at the Lord’s tomb in prayer and fasting, meditating on his Passion and death and on this descent into Hell, and awaiting his Resurrection.
Holy Saturday is a silent day. The Roman soldiers are positioned outside Christ’s tomb. The apostles and Our Blessed Mother are in mourning while in hiding out of fear of the Roman soldiers.
When Jesus cleansed the temple just a few days ago, he said: “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they came to believe the Scripture and the word Jesus had spoken.
On Holy Saturday, the world waits…anticipating the meeting of Jesus, who has robbed the grave, and encourages us to “not be afraid” to proclaim Him to the world!
TO DO
· Take a video tour of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This is the site where Jesus’ passion took place.
· Invite family members, friends and neighbors — especially people who have strayed from the Church — to watch mass with you for the Easter Vigil or for Mass on Easter morning.
· Gather the family around a bonfire in the backyard to commemorate the fire of Jesus’ glory…listen to Christian music and roast marshmallows as a sign of “keeping vigil” until Jesus rises.
PRAY
My Jesus,
you have died for me,
how can I doubt your mercy?
And if I can believe in that mercy with a faith
that teaches me that God has died for me,
how can I not risk everything to return such love?
For me…
Words that wipe away the solitude of the most lonely
and give divine value
to every person despised by the world.
Words that fill every heart and make it overflow
upon those who either do not know
or do not remember the Good News.
For me.
For me, Jesus, all those sufferings?
For me that cry on the cross?
Surely, you will never give up on us.
You will do everything imaginable to save us
if only because we have cost you so much.
You gave me divine life
just as my mother gave me human life.
In every moment
you think of me alone,
as you do of each and every person.
This—more than anything in the world—
gives us the courage to live as Christians.
For me. Yes, for me.
And so, Lord,
for the years that remain,
allow me also to say:
for you.
Servant of God Chiara Lubich