The Three Days (or Triduum--Maundy Thursday, Good Friday & the Great Vigil of Easter) slow down time as we move through the climax of the story of faith, Jesus' betrayal, death, and resurrection. Worship throughout the rest of the year skims the surface in some ways, whisking us through the story of Jesus' life. But in these three days we linger. There is so much centered here. We have to take our time to be able to receive it.

Worship on these days will cover it all: creation and redemption, death and life, fire and water, desolation and celebration. These days enact the great Christian drama, and the liturgies are, in many ways, dramas that embody the story, the tensions, and the teachings at the core of our faith. 

The Triduum liturgies are, in effect, one continuous rite spread over three consecutive days.  Thus, there is no blessing or dismissal until the conclusion of the First Mass of the Resurrection on Easter Eve.

*Adapted from Sundays and Seasons 2004 (Augsburg/Fortress, 2003), pp. 158-159.