Three Days

The past three days are what the Catholic Church calls the "triduum". These three days are Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil. Each day focuses on a different aspect of the events leading up to Easter. I, for one, can say that this year, I felt a renewal after these three days. Because my church is annexed to another church, we usually have a different priest than usual for Holy Week because of logistical ease. This year, we had a priest named Fr. Creider. He has been our "substitute" priest on a few occasions in the past year, and everyone really enjoys having him there. This week was no exception. We had wonderful homilies on Thursday and Friday. The best description I can give about these is that Fr. Creider took off his vestments and stood with his white alb on. He proceeded to give a homily from the perspective of the disciples, and it was emotionally moving. He talked about Peter, saying that he was the "gutsy one" of the bunch, talking about Judas, and the utter confusion that lay in knowing what the prophecies said would happen, but having a hard time understanding how they could possibly be fulfilled. It was a different way of looking at it, and it is one that I have never considered, perhaps giving me a better understanding/appreciation of everything that happened.

Personally, I have never had an easy time talking about spiritual matters. It's not that I don't know what I believe or that I have no beliefs; it's just that I know what I feel and I have a difficult time putting it into words, as I suppose is true when you have a deep love of something. Regardless, I have found a song that perhaps can do just that. It was played last night at the Easter Vigil, and I will include an audio of the song with lyrics. (I couldn't find the video I really wanted,but this one works also.) Enjoy, and Happy Easter to you and your families!

 Composed by Gustav Holst; Words by MD Ridge

 Three Days

Three days our world was broken; the Lord of life lay dead.

"Take up your cross," he told us who followed where he led.
Would we now hang in torment with thieves on ev’ry side,
our Passover shattered, our hope crucified?
Three days we hid in silence, in bitter fear and grief.
Three days we clung together where he had washed our feet.

Three days and on the third day, the women came at dawn.
His tomb, they said, was empty, his broken body gone
Who could believe the story? The dead do not arise,
yet he walks among us, and with our own eyes
we’ve seen him at this table; we’ve shared his bread and wine.
Hearts burning bright within us, we’ve seen his glory shine.

Three days our world was broken and in an instant healed,
God’s covenant of mercy in mystery revealed.
Two thousand years are one day in God’s eternal sight,
and yesterday’s sorrows are this day’s delight.
Though still Christ’s body suffers, pierced daily by the sword,
yet death has no dominion: the risen Christ is Lord!