THE HOLY WEEK AND THE SACRED
PASCHAL TRIDUUM

The Paschal Mystery refers to the way Christ’s actions continue to save us: by dying he destroyed our death, and by rising he restored our life. The Sacred Paschal Triduum celebrates this Mystery, making this the most important time of the liturgical year. Our Triduum begins  with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday evening and concludes with Evening Prayer on Easter Sunday.

April 2: Holy Thursday

The Solemn Lauds and Mass of the Holy Chrism for the Diocese of Paranaque will be held at the St Andrew’s Cathedral at 7 AM. Priests of the diocese will gather   for the year’s Chrism Mass, when the Bishop blesses the Holy Oils  to be used sacramentally for Baptism, Confirmation, and Anointing of the Sick in the diocese. The oils will then brought to each parish and formally presented during the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper on the same day. The Chrism Mass is also the time when the priests renew  their solemn commitment to the priestly life.

The Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, 6 PM

On the feast of Passover, Jesus celebrated the Last Supper in which he gave his disciples his Body and Blood when He said, “Do this in memory of me.” This meal we make present in our celebration of every Mass. The Entrance hymn will be Lift High the Cross. The Gloria will be sang and the bells will ring. The psalm that follows, “Our blessing cup is a communion with the blood of Christ,” link  the Exodus reading with the new covenant of Christ’s passion and death. The Second Reading is the Pauline account of the Last Supper institution. The Gospel from St John narrates the command to love and the service (washing of the disciples’ feet) that flows from this command. The Washing of the Feet will have our  parish priest washing the feet of selected parishioners. This gesture reiterates Jesus’ command and our recommitment in serving one another. This then complements the Eucharist. The Holy Oils, blessed at the Chrism Mass earlier, will be  presented.  After Communion, all unconsumed consecrated hosts will be transferred to the Altar of Reposition designed for this purpose. The hymn, Pange Lingua accompanies the transfer  and the Tantum Ergo will be sang when the Blessed Sacrament is reposed. This then begins our vigils where we may spend time in silent prayer and adoration until midnight. The altar table will then be stripped.

April 3: Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion

In the morning, the Village Way of the Cross begins at the Main Gate. This will pass by Phases 1 and 2, and Greenvale.  In the afternoon, the community gathers  for the  Novena to the Divine Mercy  at 2:30 PM and will be  followed by the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion at 3:00 PM. The liturgy of the day is marked with  sobriety, starkness and quiet reflection. In silence, the priest enters the sanctuary and prostrates on the floor, signifying both the abasement of humanity and the grief of the Church. We will listen to the Suffering Servant oracle and will be one in spirit as we recall  the last words of the Lord on the cross during the responsorial psalm. In listening to St John’s Passion account, we refresh  our memories with the events that led to our Lord’s passion and death. We will hear the Solemn Intercessions and will venerate the cross by making some kind of tangible sign of our gratitude for Christ’s selfless action. The hymns, “Reproaches”, “Faithful Cross” will be  sang with other solemn Good Friday hymns. Holy Communion will then be distributed to the community. The liturgy ends and the Solemn Procession of Good Friday begins. We will walk with Jesus to Calvary, meditating on his passion and death, and with his friends, bury  Him to the Sepulcher. This will be followed by the Silent Veneration of the Santo Entierro in the church.

April 4:  Easter Vigil of the Lord’s Resurrection

On the most holy night of the year, the community gathers  for the “Mother of all vigils,” the Easter Vigil of the Lord’s Resurrection.

At 7:45 in the evening, we gather for the second day of our novena to the Divine Mercy afterwhich the Solemn Vigil for the Resurrection of the Lord will be  celebrated. The Vigil service is the high point of the Sacred Paschal Triduum, and therefore of the entire liturgical year. We start  in the church courtyard, where the blessing of the fire takes  place and where the Paschal Candle, symbol of the Risen Lord, will be  lit. We shall proceeded to a dark church, where light from the Paschal Candle will be passed  to everyone present. The Exultet, the Church’s most joyful proclamation, will be chanted. We then listen  to the story of salvation history in the Liturgy of the Word, with readings and their accompanying psalms and prayer. The Gloria will once again be sung; the majestic Alleluia will once again be intoned. The homily will be delivered by our parish priest. We will welcome a new member into the faith in the Liturgy of Christian Initiation, and the community will renew our Baptismal Promises. We will then celebrate a joyful Paschal meal together in the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

April 5: The Easter Salúbong

Easter Sunday of the Lord’s Resurrection is the highlight of our liturgical calendar. The Resurrection is the basis of our Christian faith. Jesus’ Resurrection is the triumph of good over evil, of life over death. The Salubong is the traditional dramatization of the meeting of the Risen Christ and His mother. Though not found in Scriptures, Holy Mother the Church affirms the great love the Son had for his Mother when, even at the most important event in His life, Jesus must have shown himself to Mother Mary. The Salubong or the Encuentro fixes our gaze on this wonderful mystery.

The Salubong processions starts at 4:30 AM at the Phase 5 and Phase 8 gates.  This will be highlighted by the unveiling of the black veil of the Blessed Mother and the singing of the Regina Coeili. The first Easter Sunday Mass will then be celebrated at the church.

Xristos anesti! Alithos anesti! Alleluia! Alleluia!