Now we begin the Paschal Triduum — three sacred days of celebration: The Mass of the Lord’s Supper today, tomorrow the celebration of the Lord’s Passion, and on Saturday the Vigil Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord. We’re celebrating this year online, each of us in our own home. How can we best do this? Here are some hints and tips.

During our Masses and services, we pray not only with our voices, but with our gestures, with our body: making the sign of the cross with our hand; standing, sitting, kneeling — as we would if we were in church.

We make our responses out loud: ‘The Lord be with you’ ‘And with your spirit’. I celebrate the liturgy usually alone in our temporary chapel in St Alphonse; I can only do so feeling that you are responding from your own homes.

This evening, for Mass: why not have some bread in your sacred space, and some (red) wine? At Communion time, you can eat and drink (of course it’s not Holy Communion, but expressive of your desire to receive. I will have grapes and bread and wine on the altar, symbolising the blessing of the fruits of the earth that we ask the Lord to bless during each Eucharist.

Tomorrow, Good Friday, the cross is the focus of attention. Put a cross in your sacred space, whether it’s the one you made for Palm Sunday, or another one. This will be the focus of our meditation on the Suffering and death of Our Lord.

Holy Saturday, we begin at 10:00 with the Blessing of the Baskets (Święconka). Even if you don’t normally do this, why not prepare a basket/dish with hard-boiled eggs, vegetables, bread, salt (you can find plenty of suggestions online). I will bless the baskets during our Morning Prayer.

On Holy Saturday evening at 19:00 we have our Vigil of the Lord’s Resurrection: candles, flowers, crémant (for afterwards!) — anything that symbolises joy. And the same for Sunday morning, when we gather again at 11:15. Don’t forget that you can find the Mass-sheets with readings on catholic.lu under the Masses tab. I’ll send out hymn sheets each day so you can sing along also.

Please send photos of your altar/sacred space/family celebration to the parish office — the pics of Palm Sunday were beautiful, and showed our solidarity in prayer, even though we could not be together in church.

Thank you!

Fr Ed