The Sacred Paschal Triduum TRIDUUM TRIDUUM Holy Thursday THE SACRED INTERCESSIONS R/ Lord, hear our prayer. PASCHAL • For all the priests of the world, that they may renew their commitment to Christ with joy and gratitude on this feast day. R/ , that they may always seek to serve their neighbors. R/ Remember that you are in the presence of the Lord: • For all Christians In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. • For each one of us who receive the body of Jesus, that we may deeply feel his presence as he comes to dwell in us. R/ • For my own personal intentions: . R/ Today, it is Thursday of Holy Week. As night falls, churches around the world will fill with Let Us Pray worshipers and take on a festive air. It is tonight that Catholics celebrate the last meal of Jesus, a meal they will remember at each “Our Father...” Eucharist. Jesus is about to enter the last hours of his Passion. He announces that he came to “Hail Mary...” serve men to establish an eternal covenant. In the name of the Father, A reading from the holy Gospel according to John: and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. efore the feast of Passover, Jesus…rose from supper and took of his outer B garments. He took a towel and tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel around his waist. He [said to them:] “Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me My small step toward Easter through alms ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and Today, I will try to carry out a discreet and humble service that will be my way of teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you “washing the feet” of someone else. It will be an effort that may cost me because it will not be very pleasant or easy, such as cleaning up a mess at home or at school a model to follow, that as I have done for you, you should also do.” (John 13:4-5, 12-15) instead of letting someone else do it. But it will be worth it, for I will be obeying the command Jesus gave on that first Holy Thursday: as I have done for you, you should This is my body; this is my blood. These words, by which Jesus promises to make himself also do. present under the forms of bread and wine, are at the heart of tonight’s Mass. Yet the Gospel of Holy Thursday recalls another gesture of Jesus during the Last Supper; and the priest reproduces this gesture during the Mass by bending down before twelve people to wash their feet. In becoming a servant, Jesus revealed the secret of God’s love. A symbol of service and humility, the washing of the feet has been an example to all the baptized for two thousand years. www.magnifikid.com TRIDUUM TRIDUUM Good Friday THE SACRED INTERCESSIONS R/ Lord, hear our prayer. PASCHAL • For all people who are suffering, that they may know that Jesus is holding their hands. R/ , that the grace of God will Remember that you are in the presence of the Lord: • For people insensitive to the suffering of others In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. soften their hearts. R/ • For each one of us, moved by the death of Jesus, that this sadness will help us Today, Friday of Holy Week, we will begin always to fight injustice and wickedness. R/ . R/ the prayer with a minute of silence, because • For my own personal intentions: there are no words strong enough to express what is happening. Fixing our eyes on a crucifix, we will find Mary, the mother Let Us Pray of Jesus, and John, his disciple, who stand without speaking at the foot of the cross. Then we will read the Gospel below. Let’s “Our Father...” go into silence. [Pause for a minute of silence.] “Hail Mary...” A reading from the holy Gospel according to John: arrying the cross himself, [Jesus] went out to what is called the Place of the In the name of the Father, C Skull, in Hebrew, Golgotha. There they cruciied him, and with him two others, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. one on either side, with Jesus in the middle. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews.” Now many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was cruciied was near the My small step toward Easter through fasting and prayer city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews On Good Friday, the Catholics of the world try to live in the greatest seriousness. In said to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that he said, ‘I am the King communion with them, I will sacrifice by not eating meat, and if my parents agree, of the Jews.’” Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.” (John 19:17-22) I will be satisfied with small meals, such as a bowl of rice at noon and of soup in the evening. I will not watch television. I will follow a “Way of the Cross,” the prayer Calvary Hill is a summit of injustice and sorrow. Yet the sacrifice of the Son of God that traces Jesus’ journey from the end of his trial to his death on the cross. is not in vain. On the cross, Jesus gives his life for all men. The Son of God chooses to give himself totally to all people, even those who refuse the love of God! At Pentecost, the Apostles will proclaim: “This Jesus who was crucified, God raised him from the dead!” The cross of Jesus will no longer be an instrument of torture but a sign of salvation! This is why today is Good Friday, even though we feel such sadness. www.magnifikid.com TRIDUUM TRIDUUM Holy Saturday THE SACRED INTERCESSIONS R/ Lord, hear our prayer. PASCHAL • For all Christians in the world, that they may be united in the joy of the Resurrection, gathered together in one prayer. R/ , that the Remember that you are in the presence of the Lord: • For all those baptized at the Easter vigil, everywhere in the world In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Alleluia sung on the night of their baptism will strengthen them to live and share their faith. R/ • For our families, especially those who are far from us, that Easter joy may fill their hearts and homes. R/ • For my own personal intentions: . R/ Today, Saturday of Holy Week, there is silence in the churches! The bells are silent because Let Us Pray Jesus died. But tonight, a tremendous elation, an incredible light, and the joyous ringing of bells will put an end to this mourning. At last, the “Our Father...” long wait of Lent will give way to immense joy. “Hail Mary...” A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew: fter the sabbath,…Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. A And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended In the name of the Father, from heaven, approached, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it. His appearance was like and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. lightning and his clothing was white as snow….Then the angel said to the women in reply, “Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the cruciied. He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go My last big step toward Easter quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and he is going before If I have not had the opportunity to do this before during the Lenten season, I you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ Behold, I have told you.” (Matthew 28:1-3, 5-7) will ask my mom or dad to take me to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Confessions are probably available in my parish or at a different church nearby. It At the beginning of the Easter Vigil, several readings of the Old Testament follow one will be a great way to end my Lenten journey: asking the Lord for a pure, new heart another, recounting the sacred history of the long, passionate relationship between for the great Easter party tonight! God and men that started with the creation. We recall the main stories of God’s love for us, to prepare ourselves to finally hear the Gospel. “Gospel” means good news in Greek. Here we are at the heart of the Good News: the Resurrection. Jesus is alive, ALLELUIA! And this Good News is shared, like the light of the Paschal fire lit in the night just outside all the churches in the world. www.magnifikid.com Easter Sunday ALLELUIA! INTERCESSIONS R/ Lord, hear our prayer. • For the members of the Church worldwide, that they will rejoice to receive the great papal blessing for the Church worldwide on this Easter Sunday.