The Easter Triduum is the center of the entire liturgical year and the heart of the Christian journey: there is no more important celebration for us Christians. Here is the sequence of the times: from the evening celebration of Holy Thursday through that of Good Friday inclusive comes the first day of the Triduum, the day of the institution of the Eucharist, and of the Lord’s passion and death; from Friday evening until the beginning of the Easter Vigil, exclusive, comes the second day, that of absolute silence and mourning, without any liturgical celebration because the Church, in fact, mourns the Bridegroom who is in the tomb; from the Easter Vigil to the Second Vespers of Easter comes the third day, that of victory over death and the glory of the risen Christ. These three days renew the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ and make its saving effects present. Through the celebration of the Easter Triduum, the event of our salvation becomes contemporary to us, and we to it. 

Holy Thursday

On the morning of Holy Thursday, each diocese gathers in the cathedral around its bishop to celebrate the Chrism Mass, during which the sacred chrism, the oil of catechumens, and the oil of the sick are blessed. These oils will be used for the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders, while the other three oils are used for Baptism, the Anointing of the Sick, and anointing catechumens; moreover, the priests renew the priestly promises they made on the day of their ordination.

The Triduum begins with the evening Mass of the “Lord’s Supper,” in which the memory of Jesus’ Last Supper with the apostles is celebrated, when he instituted the Eucharist and the ministerial priesthood and “gave” the commandment of fraternal love. 

Jesus washes his disciples’ feet as the ultimate expression of love and as an example of the new commandment of love: «I give you a new commandment: that you love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples: if you have love for one another» (Jn 13:34-35). 

Through this gesture, Jesus, the Son of God, says that human beings find fulfillment in service, which becomes the true identity of every person, a source of new life, and offers us the right key for interpreting the cross as the service carried out to set us free and restore our dignity as children of God, created in his image and likeness.
Holy Thursday concludes with Eucharistic adoration, commemorating Jesus’ agony as he withdraws in prayer before the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Good Friday

Good Friday is the day commemorating Jesus’ passion, crucifixion, and death. From the morning, the community gathers to pray the Office of Readings and Lauds. Then, around noon, it gathers to celebrate the Lord’s death by praying the Sext.
Beginning at 3:00 p.m., the “Celebration of the Passion of the Lord” takes place, commemorating the two aspects of the mystery of the cross: the suffering that prepares the joy of Easter, and the humiliation and shame of Jesus from which his glorification arises. Today is already Easter: Christ, who dies on the cross, «passes» from this world to the Father; from his side divine life pours forth for us: we «pass» from the death of sin to life in God.

The celebration takes place in three moments: 
1. Liturgy of the Word, consisting of readings from the Old and New Testaments, the Gospel of John, proclaimed in dialogue form, and the solemn Universal Prayer, through which we open our hearts together with that of Jesus and pray for the whole world.
2. Adoration of the Holy Cross. This rite will also undergo some changes: the faithful may come forward in procession, showing reverence to the cross with a simple genuflection or a profound bow, but without kissing the cross: the kiss is permitted only to the presider of the celebration. It should be noted what is stated in no. 19 of the Missal (p. 157): if a procession for adoration were deemed imprudent because of the large attendance, the celebrant, after personally adoring the cross, stands before the altar and invites the assembly to adore the cross, holding it up so that the faithful may contemplate it in silence.
Raising our eyes toward the Crucified One, we adore him who came to take upon himself the sin of the world and give us eternal life. We give thanks to God because, from a tree that had brought death, life has sprung forth anew.
3. Eucharistic Communion: the faithful may receive Eucharistic Communion with the bread consecrated on Holy Thursday. On Good Friday, in fact, Masses are not celebrated.
Usually, Good Friday evening is devoted to the practice of the Stations of the Cross, which originated precisely to recall Jesus’ sorrowful journey from the moment when he and his disciples, «after singing the hymn, went out toward the Mount of Olives» (Mk 14:26), until the Lord was led to «the place called Golgotha» (Mk 15:22), was crucified, and was buried in a new tomb carved into the rock of a nearby garden.

Holy Saturday

Holy Saturday celebrates the mystery of Christ’s burial: that empty tomb, which prepares the triumph beyond all appearances, underscores the importance of hope in Christianity.
It is a day devoted to recollection and prayer. From the morning, the community gathers to pray the Office of Readings and Lauds. 

All the faithful await the resurrection, which will be announced during the Easter Vigil. According to a very ancient tradition, Mass is not celebrated, and the altar remains bare, symbolizing Christ’s absence. 
The Eucharist may be received only at the point of death. 

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday concludes the Easter Triduum, celebrating the joy and triumph of the risen Jesus. The Easter Vigil, “the mother of all vigils,” as Saint Augustine calls it, in its rich symbolism gives us a sense of the mystery of salvation long prepared by God’s mercy.
On Easter Sunday, the announcement continues to resound joyfully: «Alleluia, Christ is risen». With Jesus’ resurrection, love has revealed itself to be stronger than death, stronger than evil. Pope Francis says: «The Resurrection of Christ is the principle of new life for every man and woman, because true renewal always begins in the heart, in the conscience. But Easter is also the beginning of the new world, freed from the slavery of sin and death: the world finally open to the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of love, peace, and fraternity.

Christ lives and remains with us. He shows the light of his risen face and does not abandon those who are suffering, in pain, or mourning. In the face of the many sufferings of our time, may the Lord of life not find us cold and indifferent. May he make us builders of bridges, not walls. May he, who gives us his peace, bring an end to the clamor of weapons, both in war zones and in our cities, and inspire the leaders of nations to work toward ending the arms race and the alarming proliferation of weapons, especially in economically advanced countries. May the Risen One, who flung open the doors of the tomb, open our hearts to the needs of the needy, the defenseless, the poor, the unemployed, the marginalized, and those who knock at our door in search of bread, shelter, and recognition of their dignity.

Dear brothers and sisters, Christ lives! He is hope and youth for each of us and for the whole world. Let us allow him to renew us! Happy Easter!».

Happy Easter!

All the celebrations of the Easter Triduum can be found in the book From Lent to Easter.