St. the Parish Church John Beloved

W NEEKLY BULLETI1 April 2012

Holy Week is the final week of Lent. It commemorates the events of our Lord's last week before His

death. The chief festivals of Holy Week are Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the

Great Vigil (Holy Saturday). Holy Week, together with Easter, is the most sacred part of the Christian

calendar -- the celebration of the death and resurrection Jesus

Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

WHAT IS PALM SUNDAY?WHAT IS PALM SUNDAY?WHAT IS PALM SUNDAY?WHAT IS PALM SUNDAY?

Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, the Sunday before

Easter. On this day, Jesus, accompanied by His disciples, en-

tered the city of Jerusalem in triumph (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark

11:1-11; Luke 19:29-44; and John 12:12-19). An enthusiastic

crowd greeted Jesus by spreading palm branches along the

road and shouting Hosanna, a Hebrew expression meaning

"save us." The throng hailed Jesus as the "Son of David," the

Messiah promised long ago by God. Services on Palm Sunday

traditionally begin with a joyful procession into the sanctuary.

Worshipers often carry palm leaves or wear crosses made of

palm.

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WHAT IS THE SUNDAY OF THE PASSION?WHAT IS THE SUNDAY OF THE PASSION?WHAT IS THE SUNDAY OF THE PASSION?WHAT IS THE SUNDAY OF THE PASSION?

Palm Sunday is sometimes called the Sunday of the Passion because our Lord's triumphal entry into

Jerusalem marked the beginning of His great and final humiliation -- His suffering and brutal death on

the cross to atone for the sins of the world. When Palm Sunday is observed as the Sunday of the Pas-

sion, worship services traditionally feature the reading of the entire passion narrative from one of the

synoptic gospels (Matthew 26:14-27:66; Mark 14:1-15:47; and Luke 22:1-23:56). The passion account

from the gospel of John is customarily reserved for Good Friday. The reading of the long passion text is

sometimes divided into parts and separated by hymn responses or short homilies.

WHAT IS THE TRIDUUM?WHAT IS THE TRIDUUM?WHAT IS THE TRIDUUM?WHAT IS THE TRIDUUM?

The most solemn and joyful celebration of the Chris-

tian calendar is the period from Maundy Thursday

through Holy Saturday. Worship services on these

days or evenings are traditionally considered to be parts of a single extended liturgical event called the

Triduum (Latin for "Three Days"). In the earliest days of the Christian church, the events we commemo-

rate in the Triduum were celebrated in one day and night's continuous worship service called the Pas-

cha (from the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew word for "Passover").

WHAT IS MAUNDY THURSDAY?WHAT IS MAUNDY THURSDAY?WHAT IS MAUNDY THURSDAY?WHAT IS MAUNDY THURSDAY?

The first part of the Triduum begins on the evening of

Maundy Thursday (also called Holy Thursday), during

which Christians recall the events that took place the

night Jesus was betrayed. The gospels of Matthew,

Mark, and Luke concentrate on the institution of the

Lord's Supper (Matthew 26:20-30; Mark 14:17-26; and

Luke 22:14-35). The gospel of John focuses instead on

the Lord's final teachings to His disciples, dramatically

punctuated by His washing of their feet (John 13-17).

The word "maundy" is derived from the Latin phrase

mandatum novum, meaning "new commandment." It

refers to the Lord's words to His apostles as recorded

in John 13:34: A new command I give you: love one

another.

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Some congregations reenact the foot-washing ritual on this evening. However, the true climax of

Maundy Thursday worship is the celebration of the Lord's Supper. This night is the "anniversary" of the

sacrament and therefore a memorable event, even in churches that celebrate Holy Communion every

Sunday. After the sacrament has ended, the stripping of the altar takes place. The ministers and sev-

eral assistants remove all vessels, crosses, books, candles, linens, paraments, banners, and other deco-

rations from the altar and chancel area. This ancient ritual is a powerful and dramatic reenactment of

the Lord's humiliation at the hands of the Roman soldiers. As the altar is being stripped, Psalm 22 -- a

portion of the Old Testament containing clear prophecies of Christ's suffering -- is chanted or read. The

altar, left bare or adorned only with black paraments, is transformed from the communion table of

Maundy Thursday into the tomb slab of Good Friday.

WHAT IS GOOD FRIDAY?WHAT IS GOOD FRIDAY?WHAT IS GOOD FRIDAY?WHAT IS GOOD FRIDAY?

Good Friday, the second day of the Triduum, is the solemn

remembrance of Jesus' death on the cross. The English des-

ignation of "Good Friday" is apparently a corruption of "God's

Friday," although the term is a very fitting one since the

Lord's death was for our eternal good.

Good Friday worship is marked by austerity and silence. The

music of keyboards and other instruments is minimized or

eliminated altogether. The altar, completely stripped of ap-

pointments, is normally not used. Instead, one or more lecterns or reading desks serve as the focal

points of the service. The passion narrative from the gospel of John (John 18:1-19:42) is traditionally

the appointed text for this day.

In spite of the solemnity of Good Friday worship, it is not a funeral service for Jesus. It is rather a time

of quiet and serious contemplation on His great saving work.

WHAT IS THE GREAT VIGIL OF EASTER?WHAT IS THE GREAT VIGIL OF EASTER?WHAT IS THE GREAT VIGIL OF EASTER?WHAT IS THE GREAT VIGIL OF EASTER?

The third and final day of the Triduum is Holy Saturday, known from antiquity as the Great Vigil. The

Great Vigil was for many centuries the most important festival of the entire church year. Although it

has more or less been maintained in Roman Catholic and Anglican traditions, the Vigil all but disap-

peared from the liturgical practices of other denominations. Thankfully, it is being rediscovered by

many church bodies.

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The Great Vigil is made up of four separate but

connected worship services. The first of these is

the Service of Light. The congregation gathers in

the darkness outside of the church. All are given

unlighted candles. The presiding pastor kindles a

small fire, a symbol of the pillar of fire that guided

the Israelites out of Egypt by night (Exodus 13:21-

22). From this fire, the paschal candle, a large

white candle symbolizing the presence of the

risen Lord, is lighted. The worshipers light their

candles from this candle. A candle bearer then

takes it up and places it in its stand by the altar.

All follow in a slow procession into the dark church

to the pews. A cantor, standing next to the baptismal font, chants a beautiful and ancient song known in

Latin as the Exsultet. Choirs and congregation often join in singing parts of this joyful canticle. When the

song is finished, the worshipers extinguish their candles and the Service of Light concludes.

The Vigil continues with the next liturgy called

the Service of Readings. The ministers and lec-

tors read several portions of the Old Testament

that tell of God's wonderful acts of deliverance in

the history of Israel. A responsorial psalm or

hymn and brief prayer follow each reading. Tra-

ditionally, twelve texts are read, but this is not

always done in some places due to time con-

straints. However, it is important to read a suffi-

cient number of texts because this service is the

Vigil proper, the period of watching and waiting

for the coming of the risen Christ. The story of

Israel's miraculous rescue at the Red Sea (Exodus

14:10-15:1) is always read because it is a pivotal episode in the history of Israel that prefigures the sacra-

ment of Holy Baptism. The Service of Readings concludes with the singing of another ancient and joyful

canticle called the Benedicite Omnia Opera.

The Service of Baptism is the third part of the Great Vigil. Historically, adult converts who have been

instructed in the faith during Lent were baptized at this service. The liturgy begins as the candle bearer

carries the paschal candle and places it near the baptismal font. Candidates for baptism with their fami-

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Bishop Doug Kessler (Diocese of the West-CEC)

celebrating Easter Vigil

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lies and sponsors gather around the font to be baptized. Whether

baptisms of newborns or converts takes place or not, all assembled

worshipers recite the Apostle's Creed, the creed associated with the

sacrament of Holy Baptism. In some traditions, the presiding minis-

ter will use a perforated globe called an aspergillum to lightly sprin-

kle the worshipers with water as a reminder of their baptisms.

The climax of the Great Vigil is the Service of Holy Communion. The

paschal candle is returned to its stand near the altar. The altar can-

dles and other candles in the sanctuary are lighted from it. The pre-

siding pastor then greets the congregation with the ancient greet-

ing: Alleluia! Christ is risen! The congregation replies: He is risen

indeed! Alleluia! All join in singing the Gloria in Excelsis ("Glory in

the highest"), a hymn that has not been sung in church since the last

Sunday after Epiphany. During the hymn, the altar may be deco-

rated in flowers and white (or golden) para-

ments. More candles are lighted and all the

sanctuary lamps are illuminated. The Great Vigil

ends with a simple but joyful Eucharist.

The Great Vigil can be adapted to the needs of

the congregation. Some churches observe it as

a true vigil, worshipping late on Holy Saturday

so that the service ends on Sunday morning

after midnight. Others celebrate it as the first

service of Easter Sunday, beginning in the pre-

dawn hours and culminating at sunrise. Still

others celebrate the first three liturgies as the

sunrise service and reserve Holy Communion for

the later Easter services. Regardless of how or

when it is commemorated, the Great Vigil is the

richest and most powerful liturgy of the Chris-

tian year. It and the other Holy Week festivals

are wonderful and unique services that gather

God's people together to celebrate the great

paschal mystery -- Jesus Christ's passage from

death to life for our salvation.

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Emmie N. Ibeas 9 Danielle Adia 18

Jairus Rosales 11 Rose Gamban 23

Chris Paulin 16 R-cis Navea 25

Imelda Capitan 17 Joshua Cambel 29

Daniel Laranga 17 Wally Dela Cruz 29

Michael Angelo De la Cruz 17 Rashael Ryan Amarante 29

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The SJTB Weekly Bulletin is a publication of the Word Studio, the media ministry of the SJTB composed of the following staff :

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TODAY! PLEASE COORDINATE WITH YOUR COMMUNITY LEADER.

Activities: Easter Parade, Easter Egg Hunt, Easter Egg Painting

Easter Card Making, Egg Games

Assembly at the Sanctuary. See you there!!!