Officially Lent ends with the beginning of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper this evening at 7pm. Then begins the shortest liturgical season of all, The Sacred Triduum, which concludes with the Easter Vigil on Saturday night.
Even though Lent ends this evening, the rules for Good Friday fasting and abstinence from meat still apply: the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards.
There is no medical excuse for people not being able to abstain from meat. Those who must take food with medicine should do so. Those who become ill or faint when fasting should be mindful of their condition when planning the menu for days of fasting.
The Triduum is one Mass broken into three parts over three days:
Tonight at 7pm we begin with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. The oils blessed by Bishop Boyea at this morning’s Chrism Mass will be presented. They will be used throughout the coming year for baptisms, Confirmations and anointing of the sick.
Tonight, we recall Jesus in the Upper Room on Mt. Zion the night before he went out to the cross. We will relive the washing of the feet of the apostles and the celebration of the first Eucharist. Then we process with the Blessed Sacrament over to the Altar of Repose in the school. This recalls Jesus’ time at Gethsemane, sweating tears of blood. The school gym will remain open until midnight for those wishing to come and pray.
Tomorrow, the Good Friday Service of the Lord’s Passion takes place at 12:30pm. You will notice the tabernacle is empty, the altar has been stripped, much of the church’s beauty will be put away, as we will be in mourning for the Son of God crucified. The Passion of John will be recited, the cross will be venerated, reminding us of our personal connection with the events unfolding. During the veneration, donations can be made to support the work of the church in the Holy Land, an important cause during the ongoing tensions between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Day 1 of the Divine Mercy Novena will be prayed together following the service.
The Saturday 9pm vigil starts outside in darkness. We bless a fire and have the newly prepared paschal candle carried by the deacon into the church, proclaiming Christ Our Light. If you’ve never been to the vigil, it is always very memorable to see the church bathed in candlelight as all the lights are turned out. We will listen to scriptures from both Old and New Testament taking us on a journey from creation to man’s fall into sin and our salvation in Christ. The highlight of the Vigil is the reception of sacraments by the elect and the candidates who have been preparing for months to received into the full Communion of the Catholic Church. We have a group of 11 finishing their initiation this year.
On Easter Sunday, everyone is invited to renew their baptismal vows and we are sprinkled with holy water as we celebrate God’s great triumph over darkness and death through Christ His Son. Whether you join us for all of this or just part of it, do recall that Easter is a season that will last until Pentecost on June 8th.
