Easter does not happen without Good Friday. Conversely, the death of the cross leads to the resurrection without fail. The union of these two mysteries — death and resurrection — is not optional for the Christian. Their celebration together is at the very center of our faith and hope. Good Friday is not a dead end, and Easter’s new life comes only at the end of the pathway of the cross. The Sacred Triduum — the three days beginning Holy Thursday evening — should be considered one feast, not three distinct feasts. The passage of Jesus Christ through death to new life is the fulfillment of many death-life passages in the history of the Jewish Scriptures, and is in turn the pattern for our own death-life passage.

John’s Gospel does not give the narrative of the institution of the eucharist, but does tell the meaning of it in Jesus’ farewell words to his disciples (Jn 13-17). His crucifixion and death manifest his love of them "to the end" — and this very love is continued and shared through the eucharist. Jesus’ washing of his disciples’ feet serves as an introduction to his discourse — it is a summary which probes the heart of the eucharist: as I have done for you, you must do for others.

The paschal lamb, whose blood is a sign and cause of salvation to all who partake of it, foreshadows the sacrifice of Christ, who leads his people to life through his giving himself up to death.

This was the prayer of a faithful Jew who had recovered from a serious illness. The second part of the psalm speaks of how to return thanks concretely, and is an image of the eucharist (which means "thanksgiving"). Response: "Our blessing-cup is a communion with the blood of Christ." (See 1 Cor 10:16.)

In recalling the words of Jesus, Paul emphasizes that when we celebrate the eucharist as he commanded, we are proclaiming the death of the Lord by uniting ourselves fully to him in his sacrificial death. The way we live our lives in union with him makes his sacrifice present to the experience of others.

1. Reflect: often it is more difficult and challenging to allow oneself to be loved than it is to give love.

2. What does "remembrance" mean?

The Passion according to John. In his narrative of Jesus’ passion and death, John is less concerned with the details of Jesus’ physical suffering than with those things which reflect his divinity and glory. In each stage, Jesus is shown to be fully in control of the course of events, actively giving himself rather than passively submitting. (This is not true of the other Gospel accounts.) The water and blood from Jesus’ side represent the pouring forth of Jesus’ life and spirit sacramentally (19:34) in eucharist and baptism, and its continuation in the Church, represented by the beloved disciple and Mary (19:25-27).

The fourth and most important of the servant songs presents the paradox of salvation: it is in the "affliction unto death" of the servant (representing the nation of Israel, Jesus, and the Church as well) that the overwhelming power of God becomes evident.

This is a prayer of confidence in God’s power to save even in the midst of terrible distress when that salvation is nowhere evident. Response: "Father, I put my life in your hands" (Lk 23:46).

Jesus Christ is the perfect mediator with God the Father because he partakes of both natures. He fully stands for humanity, and so is able to act in our name. Yet he is also united with God the Father, and is able to draw us into that union.

1. In what ways can we say that we are healed by Christ’s sufferings?

2. How are we "set free" by the cross and resurrection of Christ? (Fourth memorial acclamation of the eucharistic prayer of the Mass.)

There are seven readings from the Jewish Scriptures, and it is strongly recommended that all be proclaimed in a leisurely and reflective liturgy of the word. However, a minimum of three must be chosen. All of these readings recall the great events of God’s saving power.

Since the heart of the Easter Vigil celebration is the sacramental initiation of new Christians into the Church, it is important to explore the baptismal connotations of these readings. God continues his creative and saving action now through immersion into the death and resurrection of Christ symbolized by immersion into the baptismal waters.

(1) Genesis 1:1-2:2 — God’s power is shown first of all in the creative act, which is depicted as a victory over chaos and darkness. In the center of creation are man and woman in the image of God, and they are given the charge to care for and continue the work that God has done. In observing the seventh day as the sabbath rest, God’s people imitate their Creator. This account makes no claims to be a scientific or historical description of the physical origins of the universe, but rather is a poetic celebration of God’s life-giving word.

(2) Genesis 22:1-18 — Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac is not an act of whimsy on God’s part, but rather a strong manifestation of Abraham’s faith than God is not capricious but is faithful to his word even in face of apparent contradiction. Note that God allows Abraham to go to the brink of the sacrifice before stopping him. Fidelity to God’s word and will is no guarantee of comfort or certitude every step of the way, but we can be assured that the final outcome will be life-sustaining and humanly fulfilling.

(3) Exodus 14:15-15:1 — The passage of the Israelites out of Egypt through the sea and into the land of promise foreshadows Christ’s passage through death to his risen life, as well as the Christian’s passage in faith from the darkness of sin though baptism to new life in Christ. (4) Isaiah 54:5-14 — The union of marriage is an image of God’s love for his people. Not even sin can change God’s love. God remains faithful, and sin evokes God’s compassion and mercy more than his anger. This reading embodies the particular character of this night — to rediscover the signs of God’s faithful and enduring love in the events of our heritage.

(5) Isaiah 55:1-11 — God’s gift of new life overwhelms us beyond our powers of comprehension. See the Eighteenth, Twenty-Fifth, and Fifteenth Sundays of Year A for a more detailed commentary on this reading.

(6) Baruch 3:9-15,32-4:4 — We do not earn the new life than is God’s gift, but we must live in accord with it. In knowing God, we touch the Source of all wisdom.

(7) Ezekiel 36:16-28 — Ezekiel was a priest as well as a prophet — a rare combination at a time when priests were mostly temple functionaries more concerned with making a profit off the externals of sacrifice than with authentic worship. His prophetic book is filled with concrete images derived from liturgical worship. Here a ritual cleansing, looking forward to baptism, is seen to express a new spirit.

Baptism is insertion into the death of Christ. It demands commitment in faith to live in union with his death, and is therefore the pledge of sharing the new life of his resurrection. (See the Thirteenth Sunday of Year A.)

Matthew’s telling of the resurrection of Jesus makes conscious use of the great manifestations of God in the Hebrew Scriptures — earthquake, angel, terror — and so emphasizes that resurrection is not merely survival after death, but a new order of being brought about by the renewing action of God’s power.

The Gospel accounts emphasize witness in describing the discovery of the resurrection. The early Church was faced with a need to express these events clearly to give an account of their faith in the risen Jesus. It could not be merely an invention of the women whose only purpose was to care for the corpse. The words of the formula of faith, "he has been raised up," are spoken by an angel, a messenger of God, in Matthew. (Other Gospels leave the identity of the messenger more mysterious.) Witness of this is carried to the disciples by the women, and they in turn carry it to the world (which in this account may be symbolized by Galilee, hence the instruction to go there).

Mark’s emphasis in describing the discovery of the resurrection is witness. The early Church was faced with a need to express these events clearly in order to give an account of their faith in the risen Jesus. It could not merely be an invention of the apostles, because the empty tomb was discovered by the women whose only purpose was to care for the corpse. The words of the formula of faith, "he has been raised up," are spoken by a mysterious, heavenly being. Witness of this is carried to the apostles by the women, and the apostles in turn carry it to the world. Peter is mentioned specifically in virtue of his call to be the "rock" upon which the Church is to be built.

The early Church was faced with a need to give clear witness to the event of the resurrection in expressing its faith in Jesus. Luke agrees with the other Gospel accounts that the discovery of the empty tomb was made by the women who went there with the intention of completing the preparations for burial, therefore the resurrection was not simply a story made up by the apostles. In fact, they were at first incredulous (v 11). In addition, Luke’s account has the formula of faith, "he has been raised up," spoken by two heavenly men (v 6) because legally the agreement of two witnesses was necessary to establish the truth. Finally, the inclusion of Peter as eyewitness underscores his position as foundation "rock" of the Church, and assures that the resurrection is at the heart of the faith of the whole Church.

1. How may the resurrection of Jesus be spoken of as a renewal of creation?

2. What is "passage"? Reflect on the meaning of this word for the events of your own life.