Triduum reflections

I’ve been spending a fair amount of time at Gesu these days. Our Holy Thursday celebration was beautiful in a kind of quiet way. But the main thing I want to share with you is our Good Friday service. Starting at noon, we have a devotional service based on the Stations of the Cross, followed by the Good Friday Liturgy at 1:30. This is the one day that a priest is not required to be the presider at a Roman Catholic liturgy, because it is not a Mass. So for all the years I have been coming to Gesu, the Good Friday liturgy has had two lay co-presiders, a man and a woman. What was different about yesterday, is that many of the key roles; for example, one of the presiders, the cantor, the readers for the reading of the Passion….were all members of our youth group. It was really something to see our young men and women taking such visible leadership roles - I was moved and proud. Now could some of our more mature parishoners have preached or proclaimed the scripture more eloquently? Probably. But what I love about Gesu is that we are a praying community, and that even though we are known for good music and liturgy, it’s never about performing. It really is about coming together in prayer…

So I’ll be in church for a few more hours tonight for the Vigil service, and I guess I’ll find out when I arrive what I’ll be playing tonight. (I might have a better idea if I went to choir rehearsals, but I’m really fine with going with the flow.) Tomorrow, my parents will be coming up from Ohio for the 10:30 Mass, and then I’m going to make brunch for us.

Spring is coming…could our three inches of snow yesterday be the last snow of the season?

Happy Easter to all!