BIBLE STUDY #84
THE TRIDUUM AND EASTER
April 5 – April 8, 2012

Readings:

Holy Thursday:
First Reading: Exodus 12:1-8
Second Reading: Corinthians 11-23-26
Gospel: John 13:1-15

Good Friday:
Isaiah 52:13-53:12
Second Reading Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9
Gospel: John 18:1 – 19:42

Easter Vigil
Genesis 1:1 – 2:2
Genesis 22:1 - 18
Exodus 14:15 – 15:1
Isaiah 55:1 – 11
Ezekiel 36:16 – 17a, 18-28
Romans 6:3-11
Gospel: Mark 16:1-7

Easter Sunday:
First Reading: Acts of the Apostles 10:34a, 37-43
Second Reading: Colossians 3:1-4
or: 1Corinthians 5:6b-8
Gospel: John 20:1-9

Reflection

Reproducing all of the readings for the Triduum and Easter would be too cumbersome, so I have listed scripture references for each day. You can look it up. The readings for the Easter Vigil are the ones we chose from the options available.

We hear the word ‘Triduum’ a lot this time of year. What does it mean? It is a fancy word that means 3 days and it begins on Holy Thursday and ends on Easter Sunday. But, isn’t this 4 days? Yes, but it depends on when you begin and end. The Triduum begins with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper in the evening on Holy Thursday and concludes with evening prayer on Easter Sunday, which is actually only 3 days. The high point is the celebration of the Easter Vigil.

If you are fasting during Lent and wondering when Lent ends, it ends on Holy Thursday evening. However, there are some who continue their fast until the Easter Vigil.

We tend to split up all the events of Holy Week, from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, into individual ‘events’, as if they were no connection between them. We also tend to think in the sense of history, that we are re-enacting these events. For example, we do this with the Living Stations of the Cross. Another example is having a Seder.

Sometimes we try to identify ourselves with a certain character. Am I like Judas? Do I betray friendships and those I love? Am I like Peter? Can I be trusted? Am I like the women and the Beloved Disciple who follow Jesus all the way to the cross? What would I do if I were in the Garden of Gethsemane with Jesus when the Romans arrived? Would I flee?

Instead of looking at the Holy Week events as history, or even placing ourselves in this history, I ask you to look at them as mystery. In my mind, it’s not enough to know what Jesus did in the past; more importantly, what is he doing for me now and what will he do in the future? How is God’s mysterious love changing and affecting my life?

HOLY THURSDAY

There are 3 principal mysteries contained in this celebration that should be included in the homily: the Eucharist, the priesthood, and love.

Eucharist

Jesus gave us this great gift of Eucharist the night before he died to strengthen us on our own pilgrim journey through life. He left us his body and blood, his soul and divinity in the form of bread and wine. We receive this special gift at communion. The Lord is also present in other ways at Mass: 1) we believe that God is present in the proclamation and hearing of God’s holy and living word in scripture; 2) we also pray that God touches the hearts of the preacher so that he brings God’s presence to others; 3) we believe that God is present in the community. Jesus says that where 2 or 3 are gathered in my name, he is present.

We need to accept and believe as a matter of faith that the bread and wine we receive at Mass is the body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus. When we do this, I think we realize what a great gift we have in the Eucharist, and we come to a better understanding of God’s great love for us. Personally, I feel closer to God and strengthened in my faith and Christian commitment when I receive communion. While personal prayer is important, I think sacraments are the essence of our ongoing relationship with Christ. I have been to services in other Christian churches. They can be lively and faith filled, but as a Catholic, I prefer the Eucharist.

One of the reasons I like doing this internet bible study is that it puts me much more in contact with the meaning and the blessing of scripture. The more I study it, the more I see God in the words of scripture, and feel God in my heart. Scripture is a living word, and sometimes I am blessed to see passages in a different light. I hope this bible study opens you up to God’s presence in scripture, if only in a little way.

Questions to ponder: What do you believe about the Eucharist? When have I felt God’s love through the Eucharist? Am I fully committed to weekly Mass attendance? When at Mass do I fully participate? Do I pray with Scripture?

Priesthood

The night Jesus instituted the Eucharist, he also instituted the priesthood. He told his apostles to ‘do this in memory of me’. We priests stand in the place of Jesus to mediate God’s presence in word and sacrament. We not only bring God to people, I hope we also bring people to God. It is both a tremendous responsibility and a tremendous joy to be able to serve people in this way.

God will not be outdone in generosity. He promised to repay us 30, 60, and 100 fold for whatever we do. I certainly have felt God’s many blessings in this way, as priests usually do. I feel that I get back much more than I give. That’s why I’m astounded that there aren’t more vocations. I think if young men realized what a powerful and grace filled life comes with a vocation, there would be more vocations than we need.

We priests need all of you to pray for us so we can carry out our mission to spread the good news.

Questions to ponder: How has a priest touched my life in the past? Do I pray for priests? Have I ever encouraged someone to consider a vocation?

Love

This theme of love is dramatized in the washing of the feet. Imagine the Son of God, the Christ, the Messiah, getting down on his hands and knees and washing feet, which was the job of a slave. Jesus shows us that, in its basic and truest form, love is an action. What a great example to us: loving each other through humbly serving each other.

Questions to ponder: Do we grow in our love of God through prayer and sacraments? Do we let our inflated ego get in the way of loving each other? What are other ways I can ‘wash the feet’ of others? Am I a good steward of my time, talent, and treasure?

GOOD FRIDAY

Suffering is a part of everyone’s life; it just can’t be avoided. It’s not a matter of if, but of when, how much, and how long. Jesus certainly had his own share of suffering, his passion being the biggest of his sufferings. It also must have hurt when those closest to him didn’t understand him; when those who opposed to him tried to get him; and when people came for physical healing but ignored the spiritual healing.

But think about these things: Jesus had his own share of illnesses; it must have pained him to live in an occupied country; he must have suffered when work was scarce; and he must have suffered when those he loved became sick and/or died, like his foster father (and our patron) Joseph.

Even in the midst of life’s troubles, Jesus remained true to his vocation. He only asked for relief from suffering if it was his Father’s will. Even knowing the terrible death he was to endure, he kept going out of love for his Father and love for us.

One of the reasons Jesus is believable to me is because he understands. He has been through the same things as we have and then some. Faith tells us that all is not lost, that we can find hope in the midst of even great suffering.

When I was the catholic chaplain at Chilton Hospital, I had been visiting this one man whenever he came in for chemo and radiation. He would be in the hospital for a few days at a time to receive his treatment. I made it a habit to stop and talk for a few minutes.

As we became friendlier, he opened up to me about his illness. He told me one day that he was prepared for whatever lay in store for him, we prayed together for God’s will.

One day I went to visit him and his wife and adult daughter were in the room. His wife looked at me, smiled, and said, “We get to take him home today.” He looked at me, rolled his eyes, and said in a loud voice, “I’m going home to die.” It turns out that there was nothing further the doctors could do.

His wife and daughter were speechless. They looked to me for a reply. I said, “Well, when you get to heaven, would you pray for that priest who visited you all those times?”
He looked at me, smiled, and said, “OK.”

This man was facing the biggest crisis of his life in a calm and faith filled way. He looked to God in his trouble and was rewarded with God’s grace and peace. I have no doubt that this man is in eternal life. Not because of anything he did, but of what Jesus did for him and for us.

Whenever things get tough, I think of this man and his memory is greatly inspiring.

Did you ever think that the cross Jesus died on was meant for Barabbas? Jesus willingly took up that cross and Barabbas was set free. Barabbas represents all of us and all the sins we commit. Jesus willingly took up our crosses and died for our sins so that we can be set free from the power of sin and death.

When Jesus said “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do” from the cross, he said it for the Romans, for the Jewish leadership, for those who turn away from him, for Barabbas, for those who try and fail, for you, for me, for all. He is pleading with the Father to accept his sacrifice for the remission of our sins. He is suffering so we may live.

In the book “The Messiah”, author Marjorie Holmes looks at Jesus life through the eyes of Judas. This is all speculation, but she writes that Judas believed in Jesus but mistook his mission as an earthly mission in the style of King David, and not a spiritual mission to free us from sin and death. Judas didn’t think he was betraying Jesus, but forcing him into action against the Romans. He was devastated by Jesus suffering and death, which is the reason he hung himself. His mistake is to presume that he knew Jesus mission better than Jesus. He let his ego get in the way of listening and following Jesus. He thought he knew better. It seems that the difference between a saint and a sinner can just be a matter or ego.

Questions to ponder: When things get tough, do I turn to God? Can I join my sufferings to those of Christ for the salvation of the world? Am I a faithful follower of Jesus regardless of the cost? Do I recognize my sinfulness and seek forgiveness? Do I listen to God or tell God what to do?

READINGS FOR EASTER:

READING 1
ACTS 10:34A, 37-43

Peter proceeded to speak and said:
"You know what has happened all over Judea,
beginning in Galilee after the baptism
that John preached,
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
with the Holy Spirit and power.
He went about doing good
and healing all those oppressed by the devil,
for God was with him.
We are witnesses of all that he did
both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.
They put him to death by hanging him on a tree.
This man God raised on the third day and granted that he be visible,
not to all the people, but to us,
the witnesses chosen by God in advance,
who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
He commissioned us to preach to the people
and testify that he is the one appointed by God
as judge of the living and the dead.
To him all the prophets bear witness,
that everyone who believes in him
will receive forgiveness of sins through his name."

The Word of the Lord

READING 2
COLOSSIANS 3:1-4

Brothers and sisters:
If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.
For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ your life appears,
then you too will appear with him in glory.

The Word of the Lord

OR 1 CORINTHIANS 5:6B-8

Brothers and sisters:
Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough?
Clear out the old yeast,
so that you may become a fresh batch of dough,
inasmuch as you are unleavened.
For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed.
Therefore, let us celebrate the feast,
not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness,
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

The Word of the Lord

GOSPEL
JOHN 20:1-9

On the first day of the week,
Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
"They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don't know where they put him."
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
For they did not yet understand the Scripture
that he had to rise from the dead.

The Gospel of the Lord

Reflection

In all four Gospels, Jesus rises on the first day of the week, that is, on Sunday, which is why for us Sunday is the Lord’s Day and the day we celebrate the Eucharist. Mary of Magdala comes to the tomb “early in the morning while it was still dark” (signifying that the light of Jesus is absent); in Matthew’s Gospel “Mary Magdalene and the other Mary” come “at dawn”; in Mark, “Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome” come to the tomb “very early when the sun had risen”; and in Luke,” the women who had come from Galilee with Jesus” went to the tomb “at daybreak”.

In al 4 Gospels the women arrive at the tomb and finds the stone rolled back. Matthew’s Gospel is a little more dramatic, “there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, approached, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it”;

Notice in today’s (John’s) Gospel that Mary did not see the empty tomb just that the stone was rolled back. She runs away from the tomb of her own accord. The Synoptics have her sent by an angel or a young man.

Mary goes to Simon Peter, who is the recognized leader of the apostles. Notice that it’s Simon Peter, not just Peter. He hasn’t made the transition totally to being Peter yet, and doesn’t until Pentecost.

Mary tells Simon Peter that "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him." The noun ‘We’ indicates that probably other women went to the tomb with Mary. This statement also shows their lack of understanding in the resurrection. They think someone has taken the body of Jesus; this is perfectly understandable, because who would believe until Jesus appeared to them (see the last verse)? There is also a profound sense of sadness that the Lord has been ‘taken away’.

Peter and the ‘other disciple’ (whomever that is, maybe John?) ran to the tomb. The other disciple arrived first and waited for Simon Peter, showing his deference to Simon Peter’s leadership and authority. Luke has Peter going to the tomb by himself. There is no mention of any apostle going to the tomb in Mark and Matthew. Instead, the apostles and disciples are to meet Jesus in Galilee.

When Peter arrived, they went in to the tomb, and saw the burial cloths and the cloth that covered Jesus’ head was ‘rolled up in a separate place. Why Did Jesus fold the cloth covering his head?? The following explanation from an email I received gives a beautiful explanation

The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes.

The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed separate from the grave clothes.

When Simon Peter arrived and went inside, he noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the napkin that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying to the side.

Was that important? Absolutely!

Is it really significant? Yes!

In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition.

When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it.

The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not dare touch that table, until the master was finished.

Now if the master were done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table.

The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, 'I'm done'.

But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, because.....

The folded napkin meant –

''I'm coming back!''

He is Coming Back!
In fact, he is already here. He comes to us whenever we open our hearts to his transforming love.

Another significance of the burial cloths being in the tomb is that it would be highly unlikely that thieves would steal Jesus’ body and leave the wrappings behind. This would help to explain why the ‘other disciple’ saw and believed; there was something about these cloths that made him believe that Jesus had risen.

Jesus is risen! Alleluia! The tomb is empty. The price of our sins is paid. Death is conquered. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb. She didn’t recognize him in his resurrected body. He still had a physical body, he could eat (but didn’t have to), he had flesh and bones, but he was different: he wasn’t bound any longer by space and time.

The power of the resurrection transformed Jesus and he appeared in all his glory. He is alive and never to die again. He suffered died, and rose from the dead, for each one of us individually. He wants us to die to our sins and rise to new life; through his grace we can be changed bit by bit into a holy person.

I saw a very moving skit at a youth retreat about Calvary. The soldiers marched Jesus up to Calvary, and couldn’t find the nails. Jesus joins in the search for the missing nails. He is the first to find them. What does he do? Throw them away or hide them? No, he gives them to the soldiers.

That’s how much God loves us and wants to be a part of our lives. He is patiently waiting for us to turn to him so he can transform our lives.

Easter gives us hope. As believers, we never despair because of what God has done for us. He offers us a better way to live, gives us his grace in difficult times, and gives us peace and meaning. These are things we can’t get anywhere else. You can try, but in the end everything and everyone else will eventually fail us. No matter how much we love someone, we will eventually fail them, not because we don’t love them, but because we are sinful human beings. The Lord is the only one who will remain forever true to us.

On that first Easter morning, the women who went to anoint Jesus found an empty tomb. Some of the Apostles, upon hearing this story, went to the tomb and also found it to be empty. But was it really empty? A tomb is a place to bury something permanently so we don’t see it anymore. I like to think that the risen Jesus left our sins hidden and buried in the tomb; not just the sins we have already committed, but all of our future sins. Jesus paid the penalty for our sins, which are dead and buried, no longer to be a bother and a nuisance in our lives. They are gone – we also need to let go of what is dead and buried. This is the great hope of our faith, what we proclaim on Easter: that life in abundance (in this life and in the next) is possible because of Jesus saving work. When our hearts are filled with God’s love, there is no room for anything else! Embrace God’s saving love and forgiveness, and watch His happiness, love, meaning and peace fill your life.

On this Easter Sunday, this great day of salvation, I ask you to simply turn your life over to the Lord. It doesn’t matter how long you have been away, it doesn’t matter if you are lukewarm in your faith, it doesn’t how much or how often you have sinned, it only matters if you accept Jesus into your heart.

No fancy prayer is needed. No theology is required. You can do this on your own. He is waiting. Just pray something simple: “Jesus, I’m sorry for all the things I have done wrong and ask you forgiveness. I pray that the saving, transforming, and healing power of your love can be a part of my life to transform me to be the disciple you want me to be. Amen. “

No matter who you are, we invite you to be a part of our faith community. God accepts us for who we are, and it is only his love that can transform us into saints. We accept you too and want you to worship with us and be a part of church. Come, join us, and let God transform your life into something you just can’t imagine.

Only one question left to ponder: Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior?


Fr. Phil