The Easter Triduum

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The three liturgies of The Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday, the Lord's Passion on Good Friday afternoon and the Easter Vigil Mass on Saturday night are interlocking. There's no dismissal at the end the Thursday, no sign of the cross to begin the Vigil, and the Lord's Passion begins in media res and has neither a start nor an end. They are really one articulation of the paschal mystery of Jesus spread across three days.

This year is I think the first time I've ever celebrated and preached all the Easter liturgies on my own. I even washed 12 feet this year (I've variously washed 3, 4 or 6 feet in years past depending on how many priests and deacons I had with me at the time).

So this is the first time that I've ever written homilies for the three liturgies which interlink, rather than alternating preaching with an assistant priest or deacon. I don't usually write my homilies out, as I can usually compose them mentally, rehearse and learn them by rote, and rely on a few powerpoint slides to keep me on track. But this is too much to keep in my head. And seeing as I've written them out, I thought I'd post them, which people have sometimes asked me to do.

I'd love to hear some feedback. I'm aware that I'm preaching to very committed Catholics on Thursday night, to a mix on Friday, and to a majority of less committed and likely unevangelised Catholics on Easter Sunday. In the spirit of Alpha I've tried to pose a question which can be answered in each homily, namely, Why eat and drink the Eucharist? How does Jesus death 2000 years ago affect me now? Did Jesus rise from the dead? What difference does it make to me? 

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