"Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."
We are quickly approaching the Church's observance of the days of which
our Lord spoke -- the days of His betrayal, crucifixion, and resurrection. This
sacred three-day period, the Triduum, is the kernel of the entire
liturgical year. It begins on the evening of Holy Thursday and concludes on the
evening of Easter Sunday. It is packed and overflowing with ancient symbolism
and themes for profound meditation, not the least of which is the infinite
dignity of human life.
The Triduum happened, after all, because of human life. God loves human
beings, and the crucifixion and resurrection of God-in-the-flesh ushers
human beings into eternal life. The "gates of heaven" are not made of silver or
gold, but rather of human flesh and bones. Jesus brings to heaven the very same
nature that all of us, born and unborn, share. The events of the Triduum are
very physical: His Body given at the table, nailed to the cross, laid in the
tomb, risen from the dead. These days give meaning to the human body. We
are not free to neglect the body: we must feed the hungry, shelter the homeless,
tend to the sick, and protect the unborn from the abortionists' forceps.
On Holy Thursday, Mass is not permitted without a congregation. It is the day
on which the Lord gave the commandment of brotherly love, and gave us the
Eucharist, which establishes communion among brothers and sisters. The
washing of the feet reveals the meaning of the Eucharist and the cross: He
laid down his life for us; so we must lay down our lives for one another.
The Triduum teaches us, then, that it is our business when someone is
unemployed, or discriminated against, or about to have an abortion. It is our
business, because the business of a Christian is love.
No Mass is permitted on Good Friday, or during the day on Holy Saturday. The
tabernacle is empty. The Church experiences the strange silence and emptiness of
the first Good Friday. The Lord has been taken away. To love one another,
we must be able to enter the other's emptiness. How deep, indeed, is the
loneliness of the empty womb for those who have experienced abortion. It is a
haunting emptiness, enduring through life, and crying out for our compassionate
care.
Good Friday is also the day that the Lord gave us the greatest example of
forgiveness. And He was a victim of capital punishment. It is a day to renew our
determination to work for alternatives to the death penalty and alternatives to
war.
The Day of Days is Easter. The Easter Vigil cannot begin before dark, because
the Church wants to dramatize the fact that darkness (symbolizing sin and
death) is conquered by light (symbolizing the Risen Christ). "Christ our
Light!" the deacon proclaims. "Thanks be to God!" the people respond. Thanks,
indeed, because the victory belongs to Life! Don't let anything take that
Easter joy from you!
