For those in RCIA

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Here are three handouts we created for our RCIA.

#1
From Lent to Easter
The history of the Easter Triduum

The earliest roots of the Easter Triduum are found in the church of Jerusalem. The Christians of Jerusalem relived each event of the Gospel when and where it happened. The Easter Triduum spans three days from Holy Thursday to Holy Saturday.

Holy Thursday is actually in two different liturgical seasons. The first half is located in the season of Lent, the second half is located in the Easter Triduum. In the early Church before the 3rd century we see two Masses being celebrated. The first was the Lenten Mass and according to St. Jerome marked the reconciliation of penitents. The second commemorated the institution of the Eucharistic Sacrifice at the Last Supper. By the 7th century according to the Gelasian Sacramentary a third midday Mass was added in Rome during which the pope consecrated the Sacred Chrism and blessed the Holy Oils of the sick and catechumens. Pope St. Pius V prohibited the celebration of Mass after noon so what became known as the Chrism Mass and the Lenten Mass merged. This celebration of two Masses then became the norm at the end of the 7th century in most Cathedral churches and Easter day ceased to be part of the Triduum. In 1955 three changes took place. The first was the concelebration of the Chrism Mass in the cathedral church by the Bishop surrounded by his priests. The second was the addition of the washing of the feet by the celebrant at the Mass of the Last Supper in the evening. The third was the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in a place that is simply decorated from the end of the Mass until midnight by the faithful. The tabernacle is left open and empty and the Sanctuary lamp is extinguished.

Good Friday liturgical celebrations now known as the “Celebration of the Lord’s Passion” also started in Jerusalem. The Christian faithful offered prayers as they moved from the Mount of Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane, to the Upper Room and eventually ending on Calvary. At each “station” or stopping place the reading of the Gospel event and prayers took place. This is what later became known as the Stations of The Cross. It was at Calvary where the Local Bishop presented the wood of the cross to be venerated by the faithful. No Eucharistic Sacrifice takes place on Good Friday. However Holy Communion by the faithful, which was consecrated at the evening Mass on Holy Thursday began to be received by the faithful after the veneration of the cross in the 7th century. This began to be known in the 7th century Byzantine Rite as the “Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts”.

Holy Saturday reflects on Christ in the tomb and His descent into hell (the “Limbo of the Fathers”) to preach to the spirits there. 1 Peter 3:19-20 In the early Church the day began with the preparation Fast , the first stage of the Easter celebrations by the Catechumens. By the 4th century the Catechumens began to assemble in the morning to make their public Profession of Faith before the assembly of the faithful, what St. Augustine calls “giving back the creed” that they had been entrusted with earlier during Lent. No Eucharistic liturgy takes place during the day on Holy Saturday. The Easter Vigil was restored to Holy Saturday night in 1951 by pope Pius the XII.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Here are three handouts we created for our RCIA.

#2
**The Easter Vigil
We Rise With the Lord to New Life

The Easter vigil is primarily the celebration of Baptism. In which we die, are buried, and rise with Christ . In the early Church, Sunday or ”the Little Easter” was the primary day for administering the Sacrament of Baptism. After the “Edict of Milan” in 313 AD The Easter Vigil became the baptismal night of the entire Christian year. Since only adult catechumens could fully appreciate the complete meaning of the vigil baptismal liturgy it fell into disuse when adult baptisms became the exception, by the 11th century the baptismal rites had all but disappeared from the Easter liturgy.

The holiest night of the year could not be allowed to begin with out the solemn celebration of light, the blessing of the new fire, and the Easter candle as an image of Christ being the Light of the world. By the 7th century the Exsultet, an important part of the Easter vigil became universal.

The Christian Church has always been a Sacramental Church. Not only do we celebrate the Paschal Mystery as a commemoration of a historical event. We celebrate it and render it present, Sacramentally. We take part in the Easter mystery as members of the Mystical Body of Christ. We are reminded that the meaning of the vigil is to have our lamps ready and our wedding garments prepared, for the return of the Master. But by the end of the 7th century the whole meaning of the Easter vigil was all but lost.

In 1951, well before Vatican II, Pope Pius XII began a restoration of the Easter vigil as the high point of the Christian year. In 1955 he authorized the nocturnal celebration. Mass was not to begin before midnight, and he even made it obligatory, after it had remained forbidden for centuries by pope St. Pius V in 1556. Permission was eventually granted to allow the Easter Vigil to begin in the early evening. The rites were simple but organized. Beginning with the blessing of the new fire which took place outside the Church. The blessing and lighting of the paschal candle and the procession of light into the Church with each of the faithful carrying their own candle filling the Church with light. The Baptismal water was blessed and the Baptisms took place, each of the faithful was urged to renew their own baptismal profession of faith. After 1970 the readings, 7 Old Testament, 1 Psalm, 1 Epistle and 1 Gospel along with the homily were inserted before the Blessing of the water and the celebration of the Baptisms.

The newly Baptized put on white garments, are given a Baptismal candle, and they along with those candidates already Baptized, prepare for the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation, with the anointing with Sacred Chrism and the laying on of hands. Afterwards they take their place among the rest of faithful and prepare for the Eucharistic Liturgy and the reception of Holy Communion for the first time.

All are dismissed joyfully as they proclaim “Christ is risen from the dead! Alleluia!

**

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Here are three handouts we created for our RCIA.

#3
**Easter and the Easter Season
“The Lord is truly risen”

Easter Sunday is the first day of the Easter octave the first eight days of Easter Season, which consists of 8 Sundays.** which consists of 8 Sundays. In the second century Church Easter was the only liturgical feast and commemorates the Resurrection of the Lord. In 325 the Council of Nicaea established the date of Easter as the Sunday that follows the first full moon of the spring equinox. Easter Sunday is the first Sunday devoted to Mystagogical Catechesis, a reflection on the Rites of the Easter Vigil. Easter ends the nocturnal celebration of the Easter vigil, which must end before sunrise. Some Christian communities mark this point in time by a “sunrise service”. Originally the Triduum was Friday, Saturday, and Easter Sunday corresponding to, “Christ crucified, buried and risen.” Easter Sunday ceased to be part of the Easter Triduum in the 7th century.

The “second Mass of Easter” as it was known, was celebrated after sunrise. (The first Mass being the Easter vigil) The Gospel of Peter and John finding the empty tomb is read at this Mass. This begins the fifty-day period that was known as Pentecost, later after the Council of Elvira in the 300’s only the fiftieth day of this period was referred to by this name. Tertullian says that “these fifty days are to be celebrated with great joy”. The “Easter Octave” referred to as the eight “Sundays of Easter” not the “Sundays after Easter” when the newly Baptized are dressed in their white robes and receive a Mystagogical catechesis on the mysteries in which they had just participated. This is seen in both St. Augustine’s and Cyril’s Mystagogical sermons to the newly Baptized. In the early centuries the newly baptized returned to the Church every day during these fifty days and participated in the celebration of the Eucharist. The closing of these fifty days is marked by the feast of Pentecost. The feast of the Ascension was added into the fifty days of the Easter season in the 5th century.

Using the language of the early Fathers the season of Easter is celebrated as “one great feast”. This is seen in the unity of the readings from the book of Acts and the Gospel of John and the Sunday prayers, all of which have a Paschal focus.

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[Andruschak]

Three excellent handouts, and I hope they get wide distribution

 

[Elzee]

Brother Rich,

In RCIA our priest explains to the canddiates/catechumens that the Triduum services are actually one liturgy broken apart into 3 days. Has this always been the understanding?

I’ll admit I only skimmed your handouts (I printed them out to read and hopefully copy for our RCIA class if I’ll be allowed to) so if this is addressed in them I apologize.

 

[sasafr]

Thank you for sharing those handouts, they are very informative but not overly complicated or simplfied. I know that in my RCIA I will be given a simplified version of the days but it’s nice to know what they are in detail.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Brother Rich,

In RCIA our priest explains to the canddiates/catechumens that the Triduum services are actually one liturgy broken apart into 3 days. Has this always been the understanding?

I’ll admit I only skimmed your handouts (I printed them out to read and hopefully copy for our RCIA class if I’ll be allowed to) so if this is addressed in them I apologize.

That is correct. That however is not highlighted in these. We leave the Mass of the Last Supper without a dismissal, enter Good friday services and leave quietly and then spend Holy Saturday in prayer leading up to the new fire, procession of Lights and the prayers that take place actually before the Easter Vigil Mass begins.

Remember these were handouts not transcripts of my presentation, to some extent you have to read between the lines.

There was also another question that came up.

In some places the Church documents indicate the Triduum as Thu-Sat ending at sundown. Others indicate the the Easter vigil is part of the Triduum. Others indicate the the Easter Vigil is the first Mass of Easter and part of the Easter season not the Triduum. I’m working on that.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Thank you for sharing those handouts, they are very informative but not overly complicated or simplfied. I know that in my RCIA I will be given a simplified version of the days but it’s nice to know what they are in detail.

I felt that we needed to get across that this was not something new, but something very old, with very deep roots.