April 2, 2023

PAlm Sunday

by Fr. Boniface Endorf, O.P

Dear St. Joseph Parish Family,

Holy Week is here! Today starts the holiest week of the year, when Our Lord won our salvation. Let us enter into this grace-filled time and encounter Christ anew. Let us meditate upon our salvation in Christ and join our hearts to His. The events we relive this week are the center of human history: the most important actions even taken in the universe, for Christ’s victory on the cross is our victory over sin and death. Evil, sin, and even death itself no longer have the final say in our lives; rather, we take joy in Christ’s having defeated them all and given us a share in His triumph. This week we relive Jesus’ victory: His facing down death on the cross and His triumph at the resurrection. Let us mourn the cost Christ paid this Good Friday, and let us marvel at the victory He achieved this Easter.

I encourage everyone to take part in as many of the Triduum liturgies as possible. They confer great graces upon us and help us enter into these special days. Here is the schedule for this week:

Triduum & Easter Sunday Schedule:

Holy Thursday–
9am: Matins & Lauds in Church

8pm: Mass of the Lord’s Supper

Adoration in chapel of repose (McGuire Hall) until midnight

Compline just before midnight

Good Friday–

9am: Matins & Lauds in Church

Noon: stations of the cross with confessions

3pm: Celebration of the Lord’s Passion

8pm: Tenebrae

Holy Saturday–

9am: Matins & Lauds in Church

8:30pm: Easter Vigil

Easter Sunday–

no confessions Easter Sunday

9am: Easter Mass

11:30am: Easter Mass

6pm: Easter Mass

Mass Tidbit:

During the Triduum there are a number of unique liturgies. Triduum means ‘3 Days,’ which are the 3 high holy days of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. During this time is Lord’s Passion, and on Easter we celebrate His resurrection.

The Mass the Lord’s Supper, Holy Thursday night, celebrates the Last Supper and the ordination of the 12 Apostles to the new priesthood instituted by Christ through His sacrifice on the Cross. After the mass, we process to the chapel of repose (in McGuire Hall) where we can adore Christ until midnight, which represents Christ in Gethsemane with the apostles just before His arrest.

There are many unique elements to the Holy Thursday Mass. It is only in the evening, the bells are rung during the Gloria, which we normally don’t hear during Lent, and the bells we will not hear again until the Easter vigil. Normally the bells are rung at the epiclesis and the elevation of the Precious Body and Blood, but here they are rung during the Gloria, and at the other times a clacker is struck, something only heard at this Mass. The Eucharistic prayer also has many unique additions because it is on this evening that original mass took place.

From Holy Thursday evening until the Easter Vigil, Holy Saturday night, there are no Masses. There is the Passion of the Lord on Good Friday where we adore Christ on the Cross, at the time of His crucifixion, but that service is not a Mass. Instead, it’s a liturgy of the Word, adoration of the Cross, and a communion service all put together. There is no Eucharistic prayer at the liturgy, but instead a server goes to the where the Eucharist is reserved from Holy Thursday’s Mass and brings it to the church for a communion service.

Good Friday night we celebrate Tenebrae, which means ‘darkness.’ This service has some of the most moving music heard all year and is very powerful. It is prayer while Christ is in the tomb. 

On Saturday evening we celebrate the biggest Mass of the year—the Easter Vigil. But more on Easter next week!

Have a blessed Holy Week,
Fr. Boniface