By Father Alex Fry
Special to The Texas Catholic
What if three days could change your life? The paschal triduum —Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil — is the heart of the Church’s liturgical year. These three sacred days are not separate events, but one great unfolding mystery: the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. To walk with the Lord through the triduum is to enter deeply into the story of our salvation. Each liturgy builds upon the last, drawing us closer to the triumph of Easter. If you’ve never experienced the triduum as a whole, this could be the year to keep those days set apart — and allow them to transform you.
Holy Thursday: The Last Supper and the Garden of Gethsemane
The paschal triduum begins on Holy Thursday with the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, commemorating the institution of the Eucharist and the ministerial priesthood. The Gospel that evening recounts Jesus washing the feet of His disciples — a powerful sign of humble service at the heart of the priesthood. After Mass, the Blessed Sacrament is placed at an Altar of Repose for silent adoration, recalling the Lord’s agony in the garden. In many cultures, the faithful visit seven churches that night in a tradition of prayerful vigil with Christ at the start of His Passion. After celebrating Holy Thursday Mass at our parish, you might consider visiting, as a family or with friends, another nearby parish’s Altar of Repose to continue your time of prayer. Another meaningful practice is to share a candlelit meal together, echoing the intimacy of the Last Supper.
Good Friday: The cross
On Good Friday, the Church remembers the death of Jesus. Many parishes offer Stations of the Cross or Living Stations earlier in the day, followed by the Celebration of the Lord’s passion in the afternoon — traditionally held at 3:00 p.m., the hour of Christ’s death. In our family practice, this day should be unlike any other. To the best of our ability, we try to maintain a spirit of prayer and silence throughout the day. We observe the Church’s call to fast and abstain from meat, and we also turn off electronics to enter more fully into the stillness and sorrow of the cross. At home, we often pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet or the Seven Sorrows Chaplet — both powerful ways to meditate on the suffering of Jesus and the sorrows of His mother.
Easter Sunday: Living in the Resurrection
The Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night is the most solemn and breathtaking liturgy of the entire Church year. It begins in darkness with the lighting of the Easter fire and the proclamation of the “Exsultet,” then moves through a sweeping retelling of salvation history, the joy of baptisms and confirmations, and finally the triumphant celebration of the Resurrection. If you’ve never attended the Easter Vigil, consider going this year — it’s long, yes, but rich with beauty, drama, and awe. Easter Sunday continues the joy with music, flowers, and alleluias echoing through the Church. Many families already have beautiful Easter traditions — festive meals, egg hunts, dressing up for Mass — but consider adding something spiritual to make the day even more meaningful: reading the Resurrection accounts from the Gospels together, lighting a candle before breakfast, or praying a short litany of thanksgiving as a family.
Pope Francis has said that “the Easter triduum is the commemoration of a drama of love which gives us the certainty that we will never be abandoned in life’s trials.” This is the heart of what we celebrate: a God who enters into our suffering, dies for love of us, and rises to bring us the hope of eternal life. This year, let’s enter into the whole triduum — fully and prayerfully — and let the love we encounter there renew us, change us, and carry us into the joy of Easter.
Father Alex Fry is the parochial vicar of Christ the King Catholic Church.
Cutline for featured image: Members of the Ukrainian community in Sacramento, Calif., attend an Orthodox Easter service at St. Andrew Ukrainian Catholic Church April 24, 2022. This year, churches both Catholic and Orthodox, despite having different calendars, will celebrate Easter on the same date: April 20, 2025. (OSV News photo/Carlos Barria, Reuters)
