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Last week, we looked the many rich signs and symbols of Palm Sunday and saw that those "marks of Lent" and the liturgical drama of that day are there for a reason: They appeal to our head and our heart, to our thoughts and our imagination, to remind us in a powerful way of what God has done for us.

We also realized we are not meant to be passive onlookers or spectators as the liturgy unfolds in our churches. Rather, we are to become part of the drama.

This is also true of the incredibly deep and rich liturgy of what we call "the Triduum" (literally, "the three days"): Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. There are so many marks or signs or symbols during these days that it can all be a bit overwhelming.

However, before we reflect on each of the three days, we need to understand that they are actually one whole event or liturgy, parts of one mystery and one action: the paschal mystery of Jesus' passion, death and resurrection that bring us salvation.

That is one reason that there is no blessing or dismissal at the end of the evening Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday and, with the solemn liturgy of the Lord's passion on Good Friday, there is a prayer at the end that already points to Easter Sunday.

The first great event in our holy three days is the evening Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday. As with Palm Sunday, this liturgy has a particular focus that is expressed in the various marks or signs we encounter during the Mass.

We celebrate the institution of the "new covenant," above all in the sacrament of the Eucharist, as well as the institution of the ordained priesthood (those who are called to celebrate this sacrament on behalf of the Church).

Because we rejoice in this great gift of the Eucharist, the atmosphere during the Mass is one of joy and celebration: for example, with the use of white vestments and in the ringing of bells during the Gloria.

On the other hand, we'll notice as we come into the church on Holy Thursday that two familiar signs are missing: There is no holy water and the tabernacle is empty and open.

Our holy three days are about the birth of the Church and new beginnings; they also continue that Lenten idea of presence and absence, so we begin the three days with no holy water. The new, life-giving water of baptism will be blessed as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Since Holy Thursday is about the institution - the beginning - of the Eucharist, we begin this day with an empty tabernacle.

Our readings are also, in a way, marks or symbols. The readings have been specially chosen: They, too, point to the institution of the new covenant in the Eucharist.

In the first reading, the Eucharist is prefigured in the "passing over" (that is, Passover) of the angel when the Israelites were liberated from slavery in Egypt, and in the instruction to the Israelites to sacrifice a lamb (which puts us in mind of the Lamb of God).

There is a play on words, too: St. Paul, in the second reading, speaks of "handing on" what he has received (his account of the account of the Last Supper), but there is also the handing over of Jesus to betrayal and death.

The Eucharist, we are reminded, is the sacrament of Jesus' sacrifice for us that brings us life. Later on in the Mass, during the eucharistic prayer, another sign or mark echoes this reminder about the nature and purpose of the Eucharist. There are some words that are only included in the prayer on Holy Thursday: "On the day before He was to suffer for our salvation and the salvation of all - that is, today - He took bread...."

The washing of the feet is the sign or mark that many of us remember most about Holy Thursday. It is often a moving occasion as we see the feet of various parishioners being washed.

It is officially called the "mandatum," because it calls to mind the mandate or command of Christ to love one another. We are reminded that the Eucharist is intimately bound to love and service.

We should think of the Eucharist as a real presence of Jesus, who is lover and servant; we are commanded to imitate and live this mystery. As the famed author C.S. Lewis wrote: "Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest subject present to your senses. If he is your Christian neighbor, he is holy in almost the same way, for in him Christ...is truly hidden."

The washing of the feet is also linked to baptism, in terms of being washed clean, and to the cleansing action of Christ's sacrifice. The sacrifice of Jesus is made out of unconditional love and obedience: the Eucharist is a real and living sign of this, and we must imitate it in our lives.

After the Mass, there is a period of watching in silent contemplation. In the church, the altars are stripped and the candles removed or covered. This, for some, symbolizes the stripping of Christ for His crucifixion - but all our "marks" of Lent tell us that the Eucharist is a living and real symbol of the paschal mystery, the mystery of our redemption.

(Father Barratt is pastor of St. Ambrose parish in Latham. He holds a doctorate in theology and was a professor at St. John's Seminary in England before coming to the U.S. in 2004.)[[In-content Ad]]

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