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A Holy Week reflection from an archived edition of Shared Visions (Volume 15, Number 3).



"The Christian tradition celebrates Easter as the high point and fulfillment of its entire liturgical year, even more important than Christmas. Our tradition encourages us to see Easter not so much as a single Sunday, such as March 27, 2005, but rather, as an experience lived throughout the whole year.

How do we know this? From a theological perspective, Lent’s forty days of preparation end when we begin the triduum which celebrates the final three days of Jesus’ life. His last supper on Holy Thursday, with his crucifixion on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter are a single process of passion, death and rebirth. So Easter points to more than simply a holiday. The Church holds up Easter as a many-faceted jewel, and encourages us to pursue how its many themes play out in our personal or communal lives. These themes celebrated during the triduum shed light on and bring hope to the struggles of daily life. Use the suggestions below to help you explore how you can make this happen. Begin by thinking about or talking with others about your understanding of the various biblical themes. Then ask: how are they similar to the volunteers’ experiences such as those listed as examples? Write any response you feel called to as a result of discussion.


The Holy Thursday Experience
Be attentive to the story and read: 1 Cor. 11:23-26
Be smart in understanding the themes: Sharing Passover meal, breaking bread/self for others’ sake, Exodus’ escape from slavery, communion with God.
Be decisive in recognizing similar themes in your life: Sharing a special meal with friends? Sacrificing for another’s benefit? What’s your experience of slavery? When do you feel close to God?
Be persistent as to which is your concern: Is there a slavery you want or need to escape? How will you live out your Passover from slavery to freedom and to communion?


Good Friday Experience
Be attentive to the story, read: John 18:1-19, 42
Be smart in understanding these themes: Dealing with violence, issues of life and death, sacrifice for others.
Be decisive in recognizing similar themes in your life: Where have you seen injustice? What has enabled it to happen? Who has been the victim?
Be persistent in your response: Are your clients victims? What can be done to bring them justice?


The Easter Sunday Experience
Be attentive to the story, read: Mark 16: 1-8
Be smart in understanding these themes: Changing death to life, to resurrection
Be decisive in recognizing similar themes in your life: When have you seen new life in your own life or your clients’ lives? Gone from despair to hope?
Be persistent in your response: Where is new life needed in your or your clients’ lives?