Holy Thursday evening is technically the end of Lent (although in a wider sense it continues until the Easter Vigil) and the beginning of the highest holy days of the church year – called the Sacred Triduum. The Triduum begins at one specific moment on Holy Thursday, with the singing of the Gloria – the ancient hymn of praise to God that has not been heard in church for over six weeks. Silenced throughout Lent, the Church now bursts out in praise. “Glory to God in the highest…” Lent is over. The church bells are rung and then fall silent until early Easter Sunday morning.  As we remember the events of that first Holy Thursday, the Lectionary focuses on the Last Supper as recounted in John’s Gospel. Here we listen to the Last Supper discourse and the washing of the feet of the disciples. The symbolic acting out of this in the Liturgy will be omitted this year due to continuing concerns about close contact.  The Holy Thursday liturgy ends in silence after we carry the Body of the Lord to the Altar of Repose and the church is left open until 10.00 p.m. for those who choose to “watch and pray” with Jesus in Gethsemane.

Then on Good Friday at 3:00 p.m., the Church gathers again in silence. After the Passion is read  and Cross venerated again all will exit in silence.  After sunset on Holy Saturday, at 8.00 p.m., the Church gathers in silence once again, in the dark. In ancient times, Christians would read from the Old Testament stories of salvation history all night long, and then celebrate resurrection with the dawn.  Our stamina may have cooled a bit, as the Lectionary offers only seven readings, but that can last over an hour. These are usually read in a dark church, with a psalm and a prayer between each reading. Then, finally, after the last reading, all the lights go on in the church, and the church bells ring out again as the Church raises its voice in the Gloria – Glory to God in the highest! The Gospel of the Resurrection is read and the Church rejoices. Lent is over and the Easter Octave has begun. One day is certainly not enough to celebrate the most important moment of our faith, so for the following eight days, from Easter Sunday to the following Sunday, the Church celebrates the Easter Octave.