When you think about and reflect on the Easter Triduum (which I pray you will do AND participate in the liturgies of the Triduum), I would hope that the first image that comes to your mind is THE CROSS on which Jesus died for our redemption and salvation.
The song we use to begin the Paschal Triduum on Holy Thursday evening, "Glory In The Cross" reflects the Entrance Antiphon of the Mass that evening. It says "We should glory in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom is our salvation, life and resurrection, through whom we are saved and delivered." The first reading on Holy Thursday retells the story of "Passover" when the people of Israel were ordered by God through Moses to slaughter a lamb and spread its blood on the doorposts of their homes so the destroying angel would passover their homes on the night that the firstborn of the land were killed. With this first reading, we are already reminded of the blood that Jesus willingly shed on the cross that we might one day pass over death to life eternal. The second reading from Paul's first letter to the Corinthians (11: 23-26) is the oldest scriptural account of the Last Supper in which Jesus speaks of the "new covenant in my blood" which points to the blood that he was to shed on the cross. While the liturgy on Holy Thursday evening gives us plenty more to ponder, namely the institution of the Eucharist, the call for followers of Jesus to have a servant mind and heart that translates into action (through the ritual of the Washing of The Feet) and the institution of the ministerial priest-hood (when Jesus said to the apostles "Do this....in remembrance of me." (I Cor 11:25), what Jesus did for us on and through the cross is primary. This is clearly reflected in the third verse of the verses of "Glory In The Cross" Holy Thursday which says "Let us tell the story of the cross of Christ, as we share this heavenly feast. We become one body in the blood of Christ, from the great to the very least. When we eat of this bread and drink of this cup, we honor the death of the Lord."
You could say that Holy Thursday evening, among other things, prepares us for the highpoint of the Good Friday liturgy when we come forward and individually express our love for Christ crucified AND RISEN by a gesture of reverence towards the Cross.
While an argument could be made that the main visual focus of the most beautiful liturgy of the Church Year is on the Paschal or Easter Candle, the Epistle from Paul's Letter to the Romans (6: 3-11) speaks strongly (though indirectly) about the Cross when it says "Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death." (Rms. 6:3). Even the most well-known Easter Hymn "Jesus Christ Is Risen Today" speaks strongly of the cross when it says, "Who did once upon the cross, suffered to redeem our loss." PLEASE come to all of the Triduum with the Cross of Christ and what it means to and for us firmly in your mind and heart!
The song we use to begin the Paschal Triduum on Holy Thursday evening, "Glory In The Cross" reflects the Entrance Antiphon of the Mass that evening. It says "We should glory in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom is our salvation, life and resurrection, through whom we are saved and delivered." The first reading on Holy Thursday retells the story of "Passover" when the people of Israel were ordered by God through Moses to slaughter a lamb and spread its blood on the doorposts of their homes so the destroying angel would passover their homes on the night that the firstborn of the land were killed. With this first reading, we are already reminded of the blood that Jesus willingly shed on the cross that we might one day pass over death to life eternal. The second reading from Paul's first letter to the Corinthians (11: 23-26) is the oldest scriptural account of the Last Supper in which Jesus speaks of the "new covenant in my blood" which points to the blood that he was to shed on the cross. While the liturgy on Holy Thursday evening gives us plenty more to ponder, namely the institution of the Eucharist, the call for followers of Jesus to have a servant mind and heart that translates into action (through the ritual of the Washing of The Feet) and the institution of the ministerial priest-hood (when Jesus said to the apostles "Do this....in remembrance of me." (I Cor 11:25), what Jesus did for us on and through the cross is primary. This is clearly reflected in the third verse of the verses of "Glory In The Cross" Holy Thursday which says "Let us tell the story of the cross of Christ, as we share this heavenly feast. We become one body in the blood of Christ, from the great to the very least. When we eat of this bread and drink of this cup, we honor the death of the Lord."
You could say that Holy Thursday evening, among other things, prepares us for the highpoint of the Good Friday liturgy when we come forward and individually express our love for Christ crucified AND RISEN by a gesture of reverence towards the Cross.
While an argument could be made that the main visual focus of the most beautiful liturgy of the Church Year is on the Paschal or Easter Candle, the Epistle from Paul's Letter to the Romans (6: 3-11) speaks strongly (though indirectly) about the Cross when it says "Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death." (Rms. 6:3). Even the most well-known Easter Hymn "Jesus Christ Is Risen Today" speaks strongly of the cross when it says, "Who did once upon the cross, suffered to redeem our loss." PLEASE come to all of the Triduum with the Cross of Christ and what it means to and for us firmly in your mind and heart!