The Lord is risen, alleluia, alleluia! May the Resurrection of Christ bring you new peace, joy and freedom today, and in the days of Easter to come. As promised, here is our final hymn of the Triduum: “Open, you eternal doors!”
Written by our Dominican brother Andre Gouzés, it celebrates Christ’s breaking down of the doors of death to free the captives held within. As an ancient author says in a homily on Holy Saturday, imagining the words Jesus spoke during the harrowing of hell:
“I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated.”
This call to freedom and new life was very much on our minds and in our prayers throughout the celebration of Holy Week. In our region, there had been a brief hope that public liturgies would be possible for the Paschal Triduum. However, a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations made this impossible. We walked with you in our prayers, especially around the Paschal Fire, and are looking forward to the day when we can be gathered in-person once more. In the meantime, here are a few pictures from our celebrations.
