The Sacred Triduum

Webmaster • March 26, 2021

Sunset on Holy Thursday to sunset on Easter Sunday is considered the most solemn part of the liturgical year. This three-day period is referred to as the Easter Triduum, also known as the Sacred Triduum, or Paschal Triduum. The word ‘triduum’ comes from the Latin word triduum, which comes from tris (‘three’) + dies (‘day’). Basically, the Sacred Triduum is one great festival recounting the last three days of Jesus’ life on earth, the events of his Passion and Resurrection, when the Lamb of God laid down his life in atonement for our sins.

“Though chronologically three days, they are liturgically one day unfolding for us the unity of Christ's Paschal Mystery.”

It is known as the ‘Paschal Mystery’ because it is the ultimate fulfilment of the ancient Jewish Passover (or Pasch), which itself was a recollection of how God brought the Jews out of their slavery in Egypt. The spotless lamb was slaughtered at the Passover meal and consumed - that same night the destroying angel ‘passed over’ the homes marked with the blood of the Passover Lamb, and those covered by the Blood were saved. This was the Old Testament prefiguring of Jesus’ work at the Last Supper - where he inserted himself as the Paschal Lamb - and Calvary, where the sacrifice was offered to save us from our slavery to sin. With the Eucharist, we consume the victim that died for our sins. The Paschal Mystery is, therefore, God’s plan of redemption for our fallen human race through the passion, death, and resurrection of the God-man Jesus Christ. It is one marvellous event stretched out over three days.

The evening Mass on Holy Thursday is referred to as The Mass of the Lord's Supper. This is where the Church re-lives the institution of the Eucharist and the Sacrifice of the Mass at the Last Supper, as well as the institution of the priesthood, which took place on the evening before Jesus was crucified. Extra hosts are consecrated at this Mass to be used on Good Friday when Mass is not celebrated.

Good Friday is a mandatory day of fasting and abstinence. This is the day of the crucifixion, the day Jesus died for the sins of the world. The Parish altar looks very different on Good Friday: it is plain and bare. There are no consecrated Hosts in the tabernacle; it was carried away on Holy Thursday night to the ‘altar of repose’ to signify Jesus’ death. The candle by the tabernacle is not lit, and the tabernacle doors are open to show that it is empty. Jesus is gone. This is quite dramatic, reminding us that Good Friday is a solemn day of mourning and prayer.

The ceremony on Good Friday is not a Mass - it is a service of Commemoration using consecrated hosts from Holy Thursday. Good Friday is the only day of the year on which Mass is not celebrated.

There is no daytime Mass on Holy Saturday. It is still a day of fasting and sorrow before the Easter Vigil begins in the evening. We recall, with Mary and the disciples, that Jesus died and was separated from them for the first time as he lay in the tomb. The faithful often continue their Good Friday fast through Holy Saturday.

In the Apostles Creed we pray ‘He descended into hell’ (translated hades, that is, the temporary abode of the dead - not the eternal lake of fire) which describes what Jesus did in the time between his burial and Resurrection. Jesus descended to the realm of the dead on Holy Saturday to save the righteous souls - the Old Testament patriarchs, for example - who died before his crucifixion.

The Catechism of the Church calls Jesus’ descent into the realm of the dead ‘the last phase of Jesus’ messianic mission,’ during which he ‘opened heaven’s gates for the just who had gone before him.’ Before Holy Saturday, there were no souls enjoying the beatific vision of God in heaven! Christ’s work on Holy Saturday is also known as the ‘Harrowing of Hell.’

An Easter Vigil Mass is held after nightfall on Holy Saturday, or before dawn on Easter Sunday, in celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. This is called the Easter Vigil: the most glorious, beautiful, and dramatic liturgy for the Church. This vigil is divided into four parts: 1) the Service of Light, 2) the Liturgy of the Word, 3) the Liturgy of Baptism, and 4) the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

This is also the Mass in which many RCIA catechumens are brought into the Catholic Church.

Cobham Foodbank

By Webmaster • August 1, 2025
OUR PARISH SUPPORTS THE COBHAM AREA FOODBANK Please can you help local people in crisis by purchasing items on the list below and placing them in the Foodbank’s collection point in the narthex when to come to Mass at the weekend? 

SACRAMENTAL PREPARATION PROGRAMMES SACRED HEART CHURCH 2025/26

By Webmaster • August 1, 2025
Applications are now available for our Infant Baptism, First Reconciliation, and First Eucharist Preparation Programmes for the next academic year (Confirmation Applications will be made available once Bishop Richard provides a date for the celebration). PLEASE NOTE that these programmes are only for candidates from families who are Registered Parishioners who are actually regular members of our worshipping community - if this is not the case at present then talk to Fr Daryl about what can be done to rectify the situation for some point in the future.

Leave some for others . . ..(18th Sunday Ordinary Year C)

By Webmaster • August 1, 2025
Jesus’ Jewish listeners would have been immediately suspicious about the immense wealth of the rich farmer in the parable today. Any good Jew of the time would have known the common teaching in many Old Testament readings of the responsibility for land owners to share their excess produce with the poor, the widow, the orphans or the strangers. For example, Deuteronomy says “When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be left for the alien, the orphan, and the widow ... When you beat your olive trees, do not strip what is left; it shall be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow. When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, do not glean what is left; it shall be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt: therefore I am commanding you to do this” (Deut. 24: 19-22). Likewise, Leviticus teaches, “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien” (Lev 19:9-10). On top of these teachings were continual reminders that the first tenth of all produce should be tithed, or given back to God. So Jewish listeners probably understood Jesus’ parable as a warning against the greed of a farmer who may not have shared his excess with the poor as his religion required of him. The ending of the parable also reminds us that no matter how wealthy or comfortable we are in this life (maybe at the expense of the poor) we cannot take anything with us when we die. We’ll never see a hearse pulling a U-Haul! Questions of the week  What is your first reaction to this parable? How or what do you think about the rich man?  What are you attached to in an unhealthy way which you would like to find freedom from before you die?

St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) . . .

By Webmaster • August 1, 2025
A brilliant philosopher who stopped believing in God when she was 14, Edith Stein was so captivated by reading the autobiography of Teresa of Avila that she began a spiritual journey that led to her baptism in 1922. Twelve years later she imitated Saint Teresa becoming a Carmelite, taking the name Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. Born into a prominent Jewish family in Breslau, Germany - now Wroclaw, Poland - Edith abandoned Judaism in her teens. As a student at the University of Göttingen, Edith became fascinated by a branch of philosophy, earning a doctorate in 1916. She continued as a university teacher until 1922, when she moved to a Dominican school in Speyer; her appointment as lecturer at the Educational Institute of Munich ended under pressure from the Nazi regime. After living for four years in the Cologne Carmel, Sister Teresa Benedicta moved to the Carmelite monastery in Echt, Netherlands, in 1938. The Nazis occupied that country in 1940. In retaliation for being denounced by the Dutch bishops, the Nazis arrested all Dutch Jews who had become Christians. Teresa Benedicta and her sister Rosa, also a Catholic, died in a gas chamber in Auschwitz on August 9th , 1942. Pope John Paul II beatified Teresa Benedicta of the Cross in 1987 canonising her 12 years later.

Church Mouse Update 3rd August 2025

By Webmaster • August 1, 2025
The musings of one of God’s smallest creatures on events in and around the Parish over the past seven days . . . . A slightly less busy time around The Presbytery this week as more parishioners go off on their summer holidays . . . . After the 11.00 Mass on Sunday our Tea & Coffee Team were working in the Parish Centre for the last time until September - now taking a well-earnt rest during August. Fr D (after a quick change) went off to St Joseph’s in Epsom where he had ben invited to the Epsom Catenians’ Presidents Sunday Lunch. It was good to see many of our own parishioners who are members of the Catenian Circle present. Following on from Morning Prayer, Mass, and Exposition on Tuesday Fr D was off down to the diocesan offices in Crawley to continue his work on a Penal case that he has been working on for the bishop. He was delighted that he completed his work and it now waits for the bishop to return from the diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes. Staying later at the office than he would normally do to get the bishop’s case completed by the time he got home in the evening Fr D found himself falling asleep as he ate supper! Having celebrated Morning Prayer and Mass on Wednesday morning Fr D was delighted to hear that the ‘tree man’ had spoken to Sarah in the Parish Office and said that he thought he might be starting on the hedge removal on Tuesday of next week. This will require keeping all the parking spaces along the hedge free from vehicles so that he can get the necessary works done. Once he has done this the spaces can be used again until the fencing people need the spaces to erect the new fence. Fr D has also instructed the rebuilding of the car park wall where a car caused damage to it a couple of weeks ago. All of these jobs were not even on the horizon in June - but things do seem to sometimes change very quickly! In the afternoon Fr D began work on his parts of the newsletter, ready for Sarah to do hers. Fr D was off to the diocesan offices again on Thursday after celebrating Morning Prayer and Mass. Having got the bishop’s special case out of the way he was able to start work on the next marriage case to ‘hit his in-tray!’ Friday morning there was no celebration of Morning Prayer due to the requiem Mass of a parishioner taking place in the church.  Saturday Fr D had a young couple coming to see him for their next marriage preparation session . . . . . .

DIOCESAN FESTIVAL OF HOPE

By Webmaster • August 1, 2025
The Diocese is gathering on Saturday 20th September (10.00-16.30) to celebrate the Jubilee Year of Hope, the 60th Anniversary of the Diocese, and our continuing mission in these present times. The celebration will be taking place at the South of England Showground in Ardingly, which has a capacity for 1,200 people to attend. We have a number of guest speakers scheduled to inspire and uplift us during the day; topics covered include: • Communities of Hope - Michelle Moran (Sion Community) • Scriptures of Hope - Dai Woolridge (Bible Society) • Missionaries of Hope – Rev. Greg Bakker (Church Mission Society) We will also be joined by the ‘One Hope Project,’ a Catholic Worship Collective who will assist us with our music and those involved in our diocesan Schools Singing Programme will also be with us for the day. Families are encouraged to attend, as there will be a special ‘youth stream,’ allowing the younger members of our communities to engage with the virtue of hope in a way that is meaningful for them. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will also be available throughout the day. The day will finish with Mass. Tickets have been allocated proportionally to each parish according to Mass attendance; Sacred Heart Parish has 11. The festival is free to attend, members of the Parish attending are asked to travel by coach, leaving from the Sacred Heart (the cost of this is covered). Those people with disabilities/access issues will be able to travel independently and parking for this will be available on site.  If you would like to receive one of our Parish tickets to attend please get in touch with the Parish Office within the next two weeks (by 13.00 Monday 11th August) - first come first served (no additional tickets available).

What is our deepest desire . . .(17th Sunday Ordinary Year C)

By Webmaster • July 25, 2025
The theme of asking God with boldness for what one needs runs through the first reading and the Gospel today. As a Jewish boy growing up, Jesus would have learned the stories of the many Old Testament figures who were unafraid to ask God directly and boldly for what they wanted: Isaiah, Moses, Hannah, Jeremiah, and here, Abraham, to name just a few. Jesus internalized the message, came before his Father with honestly and boldness (“take this cup from me”), and taught his disciples they can ask with confidence for what they need too. For all Christians out there who believe it is selfish to pray for what they want and need, today’s Gospel reading challenges that. First, Jesus teaches his disciples, and us, some brief lines we can always use when we don’t know what to pray. The Lord’s Prayer is a brief summation of praise, openness to God’s will, request for what we need, and desire for forgiveness as well as a willingness to forgive. It is a perfect prayer to focus on or to fall back upon when we are otherwise at a loss for how to pray.  Jesus also gives us great freedom in not limiting us to the words of the Our Father. He gives us permission to ask, seek, and knock, without telling us what we can or can’t ask for. Fifteen hundred years later St. Ignatius taught that our deepest desires are also God’s deepest desires for us and it is okay to ask for them! The challenge is to identify the true desires beneath the superficial desires. Sometimes we desire food when we aren’t hungry, or mindless entertainment when we are lonely. In those situations, we can ask “What is the desire behind those desires?” and then bring that to prayer. “God, what I really want is a greater sense of meaning and fullness in life,” or “I want a friend, a partner, a companion.” God may not answer us with chocolate cake or a Netflix series, but Jesus assures us that we will find what we are really asking for. Questions of the week  When have you asked God for something and received it, even if it didn’t come in the form you imagined?  What are you asking God for these days? Or, what do you want to ask God for that might seem like a “big ask”?

St Alphonsus Ligouri . . .

By Webmaster • July 25, 2025
Moral theology, Vatican II said, should be more thoroughly nourished by Scripture, showing the nobility of the Christian vocation of the faithful and their obligation to bring forth fruit in charity for the life of the world. Alphonsus, declared patron of moral theologians by Pius XII in 1950, would rejoice in that statement. In his day, Alphonsus fought for the liberation of moral theology from the rigidity of Jansenism. His moral theology, concentrated on the practical and concrete problems of pastors and confessors. If a certain legalism and minimalism crept into moral theology, it should not be attributed to his model of moderation and gentleness. He founded the Redemptorist congregation in 1732. It was an association of priests and brothers living a common life, dedicated to the imitation of Christ, and working mainly in popular missions for peasants in rural areas. Almost as an omen of what was to come later, he found himself deserted after a while by all his original companions except one lay brother. But the congregation managed to survive and was formally approved seventeen years later, though its troubles were not over. He was made a bishop when aged 66 after trying to reject the honour, and at once instituted a thorough reform of his diocese. Alphonsus is best known for his moral theology, but he also wrote well in the field of spiritual and dogmatic theology. His Glories of Mary is one of the great works on that subject, and his book Visits to the Blessed Sacrament went through forty editions in his lifetime, greatly influencing the practice of this devotion in the Church.

Church Mouse Update 27th July 2025

By Webmaster • July 25, 2025
The musings of one of God’s smallest creatures on events in and around the Parish over the past seven days . . . . Things around The Presbytery are beginning to slow down a bit, with schools now all on holiday and Bishop Richard and around eight hundred people from around the diocese on pilgrimage to Lourdes . . . . . . . After our morning Masses on Sunday Fr D was visited by a parishioner from one of his former parishes who took him out for lunch locally. As always the parishioner brought a number of Mass Offerings that Fr D agreed to celebrate over the next month or so. On Monday Fr D’s Ministry to Priests Support Group arrived for midday and were in the church for an hour before the Blessed Sacrament. When they went into the house they celebrated Midday Prayer of the Church together before moving off to a local hostelry for lunch. In the evening, after the other priests had left Fr D found himself writing a list of ‘To Do’s’ that he wanted to get completed during the rest of the week. After celebrating Morning Prayer, Mass, and Exposition Fr D re-read the contract that we have with Euro Car Parks to administer the Car Park for us. This was because the Parish Priest of Horsham was due at midday to have a meeting with Fr Daryl, Sarah, and our Treasurer to find out how things operate; Horsham as a large car park that has become difficult to administer. In the afternoon Fr D was preparing for a requiem for a parishioner next Friday (readings, prayers, music etc.). Wednesday, after Morning Prayer and Mass Fr D Fr D continued with the preparations for the requiem before going off in the car to meet with Fr Ruslan (Walton-on-Thames) for lunch. When he arrived back home Fr D began his sections of the newsletter for the weekend. Following Morning Prayer and Mass on Thursday Fr D was off to the diocesan office in Crawley where he continued work on a current penal case he is working on. Arriving back home in the late afternoon Fr D worked some more on the requiem and completed his parts of the newsletter ready for Sarah to complete and print/publish.  After Morning Prayer and Mass on Friday Fr D was out visiting a parishioner to anoint them before getting back and going through the weekend events with Sarah to make sure that all was ready. In the afternoon he spent time getting his homiles for the Masses during next week . . . . .

SPUC ‘FIGHTBACK’ CAMPAIGN

By Webmaster • July 19, 2025
In recent weeks, those who care deeply about protecting the vulnerable have been dealt some devastating blows - with MP’s voting in June to legalise assisted suicide and to decriminalise abortion, allowing abortion up to birth. These are threats that we should all care deeply about. Pope Leo has already issued a call to action, saying: “No one is exempted from striving to ensure respect for the dignity of every person, especially the most frail and vulnerable, from the unborn to the elderly.” We are living in very dark times - but SPUC invites us all to join in the fightback, to make our voices heard and to stand up for the most vulnerable. If enough people stand up for the pro-life cause, politicians will have to take heed of our concern for those lives lost to abortion and assisted suicide. SPUC urgently needs all of us to join in the work to bring about real and lasting protection for unborn children and those at the end of life. If we do not fight back, we can only expect the culture of death to encroach even further on our society.  As a first step, please take and fill out one of the postcards in the narthex, and SPUC will send you information about what you can do for the cause. Take some away too, for family and friends. In times like these, we need to stand up in defence of life. PLEASE leave completed postcards in the basket on the table at the back of church so we can send them on.