By Maureen Briare
Pink cherry blossoms falling like snow; far away laughter floating across campus; the fragrance of those bushes by the entrance to the Library; smoothies being made; the Bon Appétit smoke house smokin'; bold squirrels; unabashed singing with the iPod; flip-flops in the rain; friends arm in arm...
Spring at UP is a gorgeous awakening of new life, a feast for the senses, beauty at its best! Certainly, too, a reason to rejoice!
We find ourselves now in the holiest week of the year for Christians ... the time of year when we remember and celebrate through sacred story, song, prayer, rituals and symbols the mystery of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. WOW! A lot to cover in three days!
In the Chapel of Christ the Teacher TODAY we begin the Triduum Liturgy (means "three days") Consisting of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil. (Please reference the Holy Week schedule for times of the liturgies).
Little Tidbits about each liturgy:Holy Thursday: we hear the sacred story of Jesus at the last supper, initiating the celebration of the Eucharist, "Do this, in memory of me." Also the ritual of the washing of the feet: Jesus empowering us to serve each other, to love each other just as he loved us. At the end of the liturgy, there is a procession to the Christie Hall chapel, where a vigil of Eucharistic Adoration and prayer continues until midnight.Good Friday: This day is called "Good" Friday because we remember the salvation that God brought for the whole world through the death of Jesus. We venerate the cross of Jesus to show that this cross is ours as well as Jesus' - that our "old selves" were crucified with Christ so that the "new self" that God wishes for us might have life.Easter Vigil: We begin with fire, "Christ our Light," we hear the beauty and poetry in the Exsultet, listen to sacred texts and psalms, (and my personal all-time favorite): see the baptismal font in action! There will be six UP students baptized! The "Alleluia" is restored, lilies decorate the church, "smells and bells" galore!Easter Sunday: We continue our praise on Easter Day, to conclude Triduum, which carries us into the 50-day Season of Easter - a time for us to reflect on what happened not just to Jesus, but us too, over the Passover celebration.
Just as we can find an awesome "reason to rejoice" in the celebrating the story of salvation this Easter, take moments of pause to find little reasons to rejoice every day ... maybe peeps and jelly bellies might fall into this category! Happy Easter ... may "Alleluia!" be your song.
