Easter - The Great Feast of God's Mercy

Preparing to celebrate Easter in this Jubilee of Mercy provides us with a beautiful motif through which to celebrate Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection – namely that of God’s mercy.

Image: iStock. Used under licence

On Holy Thursday, the first liturgy of the Easter Triduum , the first reading for the Mass of the Lord’s Supper tells the story of God’s mercy to the Israelites during their enslavement in Egypt when the angel of death passed over the homes of those whose doors were smeared with the blood of a sheep or goat.

The gospel for this night is John’s account of the Last Supper where the central event is not the supper action of Jesus but the unsettling act of washing his disciples’ feet followed by a mandate that they are to do likewise – an act in which God’s mercy is movingly evident. Apart from being a call to humble service of one another, the foot-washing could even be seen as a loving gesture of forgiveness by Jesus – a washing clean of whatever shame or guilt his disciples may have been carrying at that time.

The beautiful liturgy of Holy Thursday evening then flows seamlessly into the celebration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday afternoon, which opens with the moving passage from Isaiah about the ‘Suffering Servant’ whom we readily equate with the suffering Christ –‘a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering…and yet ours were the sufferings he bore, ours the sorrows he carried…’

Then follows the passage from Hebrews reminding us that since Jesus was tempted in every way that we are, though without sin, we can be very confident "... that we shal have mercy from him and find grace when we are in need of help". What a precious assurance to cling to in this Year of Mercy!

Regardless of whether it's Year A, B or C in the liturgical calendar, the gospel of Good Friday is always the passion narrative from John's gospel - a practice which goes back to very early times. However, on Passion (Palm) Sunday this year (Year C) we also hear the passion story from Luke's gospel (often called the Gospel of Mercy) which includes Jesus' promise to the good thief crucified with him - another instance of how readily God forgives.

The homily on Good Friday, while not expected to be lengthy, is still an integral part of this liturgy and a wonderful opportunity to link the readings with the Year of Mercy and its meaning, especially since our churches are filled to capacity on this day and many who come may not have heard of the Jubilee Year of Mercy.

The pivotal segment of the Good Friday liturgy is the Veneration of the Cross. While some people may not feel free, for whatever reason, to come to holy communion on Godd Friday, no-one should be excluded from the opportunity of approaching the cross. There is no stronger symbol of the unconditional love and mercy of God than the cross, and so it is very important that every effort be made to enable all to approach it, no matter how long it might take! This is an important time for singing, so choirs or cantors need to have a number of hymns on hand - both old and new.

The Easter Triduum (the 'three days that are one' reaches its climax with the Easter Vigil of Holy DSaturday night when we celebrate Christ's resurrection, listen to the unfolding story of God's saving love from the beginning of creation, baptise our catechumens into the life of the risen Christ, and finally with thank ful hearts, celebrate together the ultimate gift of God's love and mercy at the table of the Eucharist. No wonder St Augustine called it 'the mother of all vigils'!

 There are nine possibe readings in the Easter Vigil (seven from the Old Testament and two from the New). These are said the be 'the foundational element of the Easter vigil'. Each reading iin its own way speaks of God's loving faithfulness and mercy - a reason in this year of Mercy not to skimp on the number of readings proclaimed on this holiest of nights and summed up in the optional prayer following the seventh reading:

'O God, who by the ages of both Testaments instruct and prepare us to celebrate the Paschal Mystery, grant that we may comprehend your mercy, so that the gifts we receive from you this night may confirm our hope of the gifts to come...'

Messages to: Ilsa Neicinieks rsm - Liturgy Educator with the Office for Worship, Archdiocese of Adelaide, South Australia.

Reprinted with permission from the March 2016 issue of The Southern Cross, the official newspaper of the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide