Spiritual Toolbox: What is the Triduum?

Holy Thursday marks the beginning of the shortest season on the Catholic Liturgical Calendar - The Triduum and the end of Lent. The term literally means "three days" and refers to the the three days of Christ's passion and death leading up to his glorious resurrection on Easter. The main lesson we can draw about this season is that we should experience it in its the totality. I recently wrote in a post on holiness, in which I argued that God provides us with all the tools necessary to answer the call to be holy. One of those tools is the liturgy. I cannot think of a richer liturgy than that celebrated on the three days of the Triduum.

Perhaps, like me, you found yourself lacking this Lenten season. Maybe you failed to practice all the good intentions of more prayer, daily Mass, or some other spiritual exercise. While all those practices are all important to our spiritual growth, we can still realign ourselves through the liturgy of the Triduum. It's not too late. Isn't incredible that the Lord is constantly giving us opportunities to reorient ourselves to Him?

Here is a video of Pope Benedict explaining the meaning of Triduum last year:

Here are some additional resources to use in reflection for the next three days:

• Holy Week Retreat, Father Pablo Straub
• The Easter Triduum: Entering into the Paschal Mystery, Carl E. Olson
• 18 Questions on the Paschal Triduum, USCCB

I still think Father Corapi's Triduum talks were some of the best on the subject. While he may no longer be in public ministry, that does not undermine the truth of what he taught. Regardless of what the real circumstances of his case were, he was never accused of teaching falsehood. If you do an Internet search (keywords: Father Corapi + Triduum), the talks can still be located.