As I write this, it is the third week of Easter, but I find my mind going back three weeks to the three days before Easter – the Triduum.
At the Holy Thursday liturgy my feet were washed, dried and tenderly kissed in imitation of Jesus who, at the Last Supper, not only blessed and broke the bread, but also took on the role of a servant or slave to wash His disciples’ feet. This is a Eucharistic action of love that models for me how to live and be “bread gives life to the world” (John 6:32-33).
At an ecumenical Good Friday service I attended, the congregation sang a verse from the old spiritual “Were You There?” Long after we finished the verse and moved on to the next part of the service, a participant in the back of the chapel repeated words from the hymn in his deep, baritone voice: “Tremble. Tremble.” Several moments after finishing a verse of the “Stabat Mater” he again echoed words he heard: “Compassion. Compassion.” It was profound, and bears echoing even now. We should “tremble” at the “compassion” of a Savior who draws close and consoles us during our own “Good Friday moments.”
At the Easter Vigil a new fire of love broke through the darkness while healing waters washed away despair as the Good News was proclaimed that the tomb of Jesus empty – He is alive! Even the unfolding days of Spring seem to proclaim Easter hope and joy as daylight lasts longer and small, green shoots begin to break through the soil.
Because we are “in Christ” (Romans 6:5-11), we journey through the Paschal Mystery with Jesus in our own lives. Throughout our lives we will experience moments of betrayal from Good Friday; the grief of looking for what we lost and not finding it, as Mary Magdalene did at the tomb (John 20:11-13); the assurance of our loved ones’ constant presence and love through simple gestures like a shared meal or an act of service. Each day we are called to revisit those three days, because they remind us that we are Easter people on a journey home to the heart of God.
Alleluia!
Sister Ann Marie Wainright
Sister Ann Marie Wainright is a Benedictine Sister of St. Scholastica Monastery in Duluth, Minnesota. Originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, she worked as a CPA for many years before earning dual masters degrees in counseling and pastoral studies. Sister Ann Marie is interested how people encounter God in their daily lives and how they use their faith and spirituality in meeting difficult challenges.