|
|
|
|
From Fr. Fran:
The Paschal season Begins!
OK. So what is the “Paschal Season” you may say? No, it’s not the time between the end of the Patriot’s season and the first pitch at Fenway Park. It’s the time of the liturgical year in which we celebrate the core of our faith together. The Paschal season actually consists of three seasons or in theatrical terms, three acts. In baseball terms (remember spring training is about to begin!) there is the warm-up, Lent – the pitch – Triduum and the home run – the Easter Season.
Lent , the season leading up to Easter, originated as a period of intense preparation for the catechumens as they readied themselves to be baptized at the Easter Vigil. After generations of seeing how these folks deepened their relationship to God and the Church during the weeks leading up to Easter, the Church called all the faithful to the same intense preparation creating what we know as Lent. Eventually this season was stretched out to the symbolic number of 40 days and nights. (Remember that Jesus was alone in the desert for 40 days and the Israelites traveled in the desert for 40 years.) What better way to mark the feast of Easter than to prepare for it than with this period of renewal, self examination and recommitment to Baptism!
For the math majors among us you might notice that the time from Ash Wednesday until Holy Thursday, when Lent ends, is actually more than forty days. At various points in the history of the church the days between Ash Wednesday and the First Sunday of Lent were not seen as Lent proper. They were the preparation days for the season of preparation. Go figure! The beginning of Lent was seen as the First Sunday in Lent. At other times the days from Ash Wednesday to the First Sunday in Lent were considered part of the forty days of Lent but the Sundays were not! Sunday was considered such a joyous day in the Church that, for a time, Sunday rest included a break from the rigors of the Lenten disciplines. Any penitential acts, such as those traditionally practiced in Lent, (as well as kneeling) were prohibited on Sunday as it was seen as a weekly Easter. So, are you confused as to when Lent starts? Let’s say that on Ash Wednesday the church begins the journey toward Easter regardless of the math!
The primary focus in Lent is on baptism. Surprised? Most of us grew up thinking the primary focus of Lent was on fasting, prayer, and good works. These are still an integral part of Lent but they are means to an end. Lent is all about our readiness to renew our baptismal promises at Easter. Lent is about assessing how well we are living out our baptismal call to love and serve the Lord. A focus on fasting, prayer and works of charity truly helps us to center our lives and get in touch with the things we need to do in order to walk more closely in Jesus’ footsteps. Lent is really more about giving than about giving up something. The giving up of something is great if it helps us to change our habits and lives not just for Lent but for good.
As we move to the last days of Lent we enter into Holy Week. Palm Sunday begins the week with a celebration that has two distinct movements to it. First there is the commemoration of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem with palms waving and supporters cheering. Then there is the solemn proclamation of
the passion which moves us into deep reflection for the week to come. On Tuesday of Holy Week the Holy Oils used in each parish throughout the archdiocese will be blessed in a Mass presided over by Cardinal Sean at the Cathedral. At the beginning of Mass on Holy Thursday these Holy Oils will be presented to the parish as the Triduum begins.
Lent quietly ends on Holy Thursday afternoon. We then celebrate the second act of the Paschal Season; in fact it is the central act of the entire liturgical year. We celebrate the Easter Triduum. The word Triduum simply means “three”. So, we are celebrating the Easter “three days”. These three days are counted in the ancient way of beginning a day at dusk rather than at midnight as we do now. The Easter Triduum is considered one celebration played out over 3 days, a three act play if you will. On the first day of the Easter Triduum, dusk Thursday until dusk Friday, we experience the first two acts of this three act celebration. We gather twice on this first day, once on Holy Thursday evening with the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper and then again during the daylight hours of that same day (now Friday) for the liturgy of the Lord’s Passion and the Veneration of the Cross. You may remember that the Good Friday service was always at 3:00 p.m. on Good Friday and is still encouraged to be so. (This would give us our two acts on the first day of the Triduum.) In recent years there has been the permission to have the service in the evening so more working folks can participate.
From dusk Friday until dusk Saturday, (the second day of the Triduum) we have one of the most unique days in our liturgical calendar. This is a day without sacraments. We rest with Jesus in the tomb in anticipation of the resurrection. Then we begin the great Easter Vigil after dark at the beginning of the third day (dusk Saturday to dusk Sunday).
You may wonder why the Easter Vigil begins so late, not at dusk but at nightfall (about an hour after dusk). This is because the liturgy calls us to gather in total darkness to participate in the church being reborn. We start with the Easter fire, from which the Christ candle or Paschal candle is lighted. Then we enter the darkened church and spread that light around. Christ, our light, is piercing the darkness. We hear some of the greatest stories from the Scriptures, we often witness the baptism of adults or children and we renew our own baptismal promises as we celebrate the first Mass of Easter.
The Triduum continues on Easter Sunday with the festive Masses of the Resurrection of the Lord. The Triduum ends with many places celebrating Evening Prayer as the sun goes down on day three of the Triduum.
Then comes the great 50 days of Easter. That’s act three. It’s the home run if you will. It’s the crowd glorying in this incredible happening of Christ rising from the dead. We run the bases during this fifty day season as we baptize, confirm, and welcome youngsters to the Eucharistic table for the first time. It’s all about new life and the renewal of our baptismal commitments.
Whew! I’m exhausted just writing about what’s coming up. I hope each of you will plan now to celebrate this great Paschal Season at St. Matthias through the many prayer, liturgical, social and outreach opportunities that are described elsewhere in this week’s bulletin. Together may this great time bring us to deeper faith and a stronger commitment to love and serve the Lord.
OK. So what is the “Paschal Season” you may say? No, it’s not the time between the end of the Patriot’s season and the first pitch at Fenway Park. It’s the time of the liturgical year in which we celebrate the core of our faith together. The Paschal season actually consists of three seasons or in theatrical terms, three acts. In baseball terms (remember spring training is about to begin!) there is the warm-up, – the pitch – and the home run – the . , the season leading up to Easter, originated as a period of intense preparation for the catechumens as they readied themselves to be baptized at the Easter Vigil. After generations of seeing how these folks deepened their relationship to God and the Church during the weeks leading up to Easter, the Church called the faithful to the same intense preparation creating what we know as Lent. Eventually this season was stretched out to the symbolic number of 40 days and nights. (Remember that Jesus was alone in the desert for 40 days and the Israelites traveled in the desert for 40 years.) What better way to mark the feast of Easter than to prepare for it than with this period of renewal, self examination and recommitment to Baptism! For the math majors among us you might notice that the time from Ash Wednesday until Holy Thursday, when Lent ends, is actually more than forty days. At various points in the history of the church the days between Ash Wednesday and the First Sunday of Lent were seen as Lent proper. They were the preparation days for the season of preparation. Go figure! The beginning of Lent was seen as the First Sunday in Lent. At other times the days from Ash Wednesday to the First Sunday in Lent considered part of the forty days of Lent but the Sundays were not! Sunday was considered such a joyous day in the Church that, for a time, Sunday rest included a break from the rigors of the Lenten disciplines. Any penitential acts, such as those traditionally practiced in Lent, (as well as kneeling) were prohibited on Sunday as it was seen as a weekly Easter. So, are you confused as to when Lent starts? Let’s say that on Ash Wednesday the church begins the journey toward Easter regardless of the math! . Surprised? Most of us grew up thinking the primary focus of Lent was on fasting, prayer, and good works. These are still an integral part of Lent but they are to an end. Lent is all about our readiness to renew our baptismal promises at Easter. Lent is about assessing how well we are living out our baptismal call to love and serve the Lord. A focus on fasting, prayer and works of charity truly helps us to center our lives and get in touch with the things we need to do in order to walk more closely in Jesus’ footsteps. Lent is really more about than about something. The giving up of something is great if it helps us to change our habits and lives not just for Lent but for good. As we move to the last days of Lent we enter into Holy Week. begins the week with a celebration that has two distinct movements to it. First there is the commemoration of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem with palms waving and supporters cheering. Then there is the solemn proclamation of the passion which moves us into deep reflection for the week to come. On Tuesday of Holy Week the Holy Oils used in each parish throughout the archdiocese will be blessed in a Mass presided over by Cardinal Sean at the Cathedral. At the beginning of Mass on Holy Thursday these Holy Oils will be presented to the parish as the Triduum begins. Lent quietly ends on Holy Thursday afternoon. We then celebrate the second act of the Paschal Season; in fact it is the central act of the entire liturgical year. We celebrate the . The word Triduum simply means “three”. So, we are celebrating the Easter “three days”. These three days are counted in the ancient way of beginning a day at dusk rather than at midnight as we do now. The Easter Triduum is considered celebration played out over 3 days, a three act play if you will. On the first day of the Easter Triduum, dusk Thursday until dusk Friday, we experience the first two acts of this three act celebration. We gather on this first day, once on Holy Thursday evening with the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper and then again during the daylight hours of that same day (now Friday) for the liturgy of the Lord’s Passion and the Veneration of the Cross. You may remember that the Good Friday service was always at 3:00 p.m. on Good Friday and is still encouraged to be so. (This would give us our two acts on the first day of the Triduum.) In recent years there has been the permission to have the service in the evening so more working folks can participate. From dusk Friday until dusk Saturday, (the second day of the Triduum) we have one of the most unique days in our liturgical calendar. This is a day without sacraments. We rest with Jesus in the tomb in anticipation of the resurrection. Then we begin the great Easter Vigil after dark at the beginning of the third day (dusk Saturday to dusk Sunday). You may wonder why the Easter Vigil begins so late, not at dusk but at nightfall (about an hour after dusk). This is because the liturgy calls us to gather in total darkness to participate in the church being reborn. We start with the Easter fire, from which the Christ candle or Paschal candle is lighted. Then we enter the darkened church and spread that light around. Christ, our light, is piercing the darkness. We hear some of the greatest stories from the Scriptures, we often witness the baptism of adults or children and we renew our own baptismal promises as we celebrate the first Mass of Easter. The Triduum continues on Easter Sunday with the festive Masses of the Resurrection of the Lord. The Triduum ends with many places celebrating Evening Prayer as the sun goes down on day three of the Triduum. Then comes the . That’s act three. It’s the home run if you will. It’s the crowd glorying in this incredible happening of Christ rising from the dead. We run the bases during this fifty day season as we baptize, confirm, and welcome youngsters to the Eucharistic table for the first time. It’s all about new life and the renewal of our baptismal commitments. Whew! I’m exhausted just writing about what’s coming up. I hope each of you will plan now to celebrate this great Paschal Season at St. Matthias through the many prayer, liturgical, social and outreach opportunities that are described elsewhere in this week’s bulletin. Together may this great time bring us to deeper faith and a stronger commitment to love and serve the Lord.
|
|
Last Updated ( Friday, 30 March 2007 )
|
|
|
