Praying with the Triduum Liturgies

The words of the mass tell us that we celebrate the eucharist “with the angels and saints.” This is truly a time to learn to live in the communion of saints. We are in communion with those people we can see and those we do not. This is possible because of Christ, because he took us into His life at our baptism. In baptism we belong to a great visible and invisible reality.

SUGGESTIONS:

• Prepare a space to orient worship and prayer.

• A prayer table to face while you pray can be helpful. You can place a cloth on it of the appropriate color for each day (purple, red, no cloth, white). The suggestions for parents and children (See Living Holy Week with the

Heart of a Child on page 31 or click to download) are relevant to other adults too. • Place a crucifix or simple cross in a prominent place and two candles on either side. • If you have an image or icon of Our Lady, place it there as well.

• Participate in Holy Week Celebrations of the Word at home without streaming

• Perhaps sit around a table. Light a candle. Have the crucifix present. • As a household, choose the one who leads the prayer, and someone to do the readings, prayers of the faithful, and any other parts. • Proclaim and listen to the Word of God with care and attention and appropriate silences. • Unite yourself in prayer with us at the abbey, your fellow retreatants, the whole world (especially those suffering during this time), and all the angels and saints. • Pray with the monastery’s streaming video of each liturgy. (Available at Youtube.com/kansasmonks) • Watching a streaming liturgy can be a great help in connecting to the rest of the faithful, but the screen also makes it easy to zone out and disengage from prayer. We do not want to view this in the same way as we would

Netflix. • In order to help make this a time of prayer we suggest placing your streaming device on your prayer table and doing all the gestures of the liturgy- sit, stand, kneel, etc. and say and sing the people’s parts. (download pdf) • Make an act of Spiritual Communion at the reception of the Eucharist: My Jesus, I believe that Thou art truly present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love Thee above all things and I desire to possess Thee within my soul. Since I am unable now to receive Thee sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace Thee as being already there, and unite myself wholly to Thee; never permit me to be separated from Thee. • It may be especially hard for children to stay with a liturgy via video. Find suggestions on page 31 or download pdf.