THE TRIDUUM

Did you know Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter are the three holiest days in the Catholic Church? They are one continuous movement from Thursday to Sunday. To understand how Jesus died on Friday and we celebrate his resurrection on Holy Saturday Night a day later, we must look at the Jewish Calendar. Unlike our calendar day from midnight to midnight, the Jewish Calendar Day runs from sunset to sunset. Thursday, the last supper roughly 6:00-8:00 p.m., roughly 9:00 p.m. Jesus and his disciples go to the Mount of Olives to pray, and roughly at 1:00 a.m. Jesus is arrested. The trials of Jesus run roughly from 2:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. where he is scourged and mocked by the Roman soldiers. From 9:00 a.m. to noon Jesus carries his cross through the city to Golgotha, the place of skulls, where he is nailed to the cross. Jesus dies on the cross at 3:00 p.m. and is taken down and placed in the tomb. We have journeyed with Jesus on these three most holy days of the church. We were present from the last supper to his resurrection. HE HAS RISEN! I wish you all a Blessed and Happy Easter.