On Monday, March 30 in the Gentile Gallery, Rev. Patrick Whittle, TOR gave a talk on the symbolism and significance of the Holy Week liturgies on Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. The talk was the last of Whittle’s series on the liturgy, which began last semester.

“These days which we celebrate the Triduum,” Whittle began, “are the summit of the entire liturgical year. My hope is that through this talk tonight, you can be prepared to enter into what we’re celebrating and what we’re going to do to commemorate the mystery of our redemption in Christ.”

Throughout the talk, Whittle went in depth on each liturgy of Holy Week, explaining their history, significance, and particular aspects. He began with Holy Thursday, describing the night’s threefold commemoration:

“We commemorate three mysteries on the sacred night of Holy Thursday: The institution of the Eucharist, the institution of Holy Orders and Jesus’ command of fraternal love,” he explained. “It’s a little bit of a festive day, since we can celebrate the gift that is the Eucharist. The priest wears white vestments, the Gloria is sung, and bells are used, which will not be heard again until Easter. And at the end of Mass, the Blessed Sacrament is brought to a place of repose, where we are invited to keep watch with the Lord.” 

From there, Whittle moved on to Good Friday. He explained the significance of practices such as the empty tabernacle, the adoration of the Cross, and the lack of Mass on this day, emphasizing that the Good Friday liturgy is a liturgy, not a Mass. 

“On Good Friday,” Whittle said, “we meditate on the Passion of the Lord. We adore the Holy Cross. We commemorate our salvation from the side of Christ, asleep on the Cross. By ancient tradition, we do not ordinarily celebrate the sacraments on this day, rather, we spend this day in contemplative prayer.” 

The latter half of the talk focused on the Easter Vigil. Whittle mentioned the silence of Holy Saturday, a period of silence and waiting before the Easter celebration. On the Easter Vigil, Whittle analyzed each aspect of the Easter Vigil Mass, starting with the Easter fire and continuing to the lighting of the Easter Candle, the Exsultet, the seven Old Testament readings and the celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation.

“The symbolic actions of this night require that they be performed in their fullness and nobility so that their meaning may be truly understood,” he said. “Easter Vigil is the night of recalling Christ’s resurrection, in such a way that the power of the resurrection is alive here today. The whole Paschal Triduum is a time for the Church to enter into the mystery that we celebrate each day at Mass, culminating in the Resurrection, which we celebrate on this night.”

Following the talk, Whittle answered questions from those in attendance regarding the liturgies of Holy Week and their celebration. He ended with a prayer for his audience:

“I pray that, over Holy Week, the Lord transforms your heart and you’re able to enter into this time of sacredness and beauty, intentionally different than any other time of the year, because it draws our attention to Christ and all that he has done for us,” he ended.