Holy Thursday
Apparently, God created us (1) first and foremost to love us, (2) then for us to love God, (3) and then for us to love one another as part of God's family. The first (i.e., for God to love us) seems to manifest only God's very nature of love, as God is love. The second and the third are certainly God's Great Expectations, Goals, or Commandments for us. All in all, the Triduum appears to be the greatest occasion during the whole Liturgical Year to prove this truth.
Tonight God/Jesus institutes the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist to love us, giving God/Jesus countless real occasions to unite with us in love, most intimately on earth.
The Sacrament of Sacraments also gives us countless real occasions to unite ourselves most intimately with God/Jesus in love, just as we are. Yet we need to spend an appropriate amount of time after Mass to thank God/Jesus and to make this union with God/Jesus truly real and intimate. At times we may need Confession to make sure we are not receiving God/Jesus in sacrilege.
At the same time, the celebration of the Holy Eucharist gives us countless real occasions on earth to unite ourselves with one another in love as part of Christ's Mystical Body, intimately so. From these real, personal encounters with God/Jesus, we receive also much grace (divine strength or energy) and inspiration (through the Word, sermon, our personal dialogue with God and with one another after Mass, etc.) to further realize our love for one another as part of God's big family (which includes the whole Divine Heavenly Family and all in the human family).
Holy Friday
Whenever God loves, whether the object is God Himself (in the Holy Trinity ad intra) or us His sinful creatures (in the Holy Trinity ad extra), God seems to love with all His Heart, all His Soul, all His Mind and all His Strength. As we commemorates the suffering and death of Christ for us sinners today, we commemorate most gratefully God's unspeakable love for us, i.e., God/Jesus loves us sinners with all His Heart, all His Soul, all His Mind and all His Strength, even going through His indescribable suffering and death on the Cross for us.*
Created as God's image and likeness, it is only natural for us to follow God's very nature of love, i.e., to love God and others according to the First and Second Great Commandments. Indeed, God does not ask us to do anything which God Himself has not first done or cannot first do.** The two Great Commandments of God reflect only God's unchangeable nature, as it occurs eternally or unceasingly among the Three Divine Persons in the Holy Trinity ad intra.
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* Two schools of thought are possible here. The first school, which most of us belong to, tends to think as follows: 1) It seems that it was only God the Son who suffered and died for us, not God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. 2) It seems that Jesus only went through His suffering and death on the Cross for no more than a few hours.
The second school, which many canonized mystics and some good-standing theologians belong to, tends to think like this: 1) As the mystery of Perichoresis necessarily implies, at no time in history can we separate the Three Persons as if They live separately in three separate compartments. In different forms or appearances, the Three Divine Persons did go through the Passion together. 2) Jesus continues His Passion and salvation of us on the Cross in a mysterious way until His Second Coming.
** A famous saying in the British army states something like the following: "Do not ask your subjects to do anything which you yourself cannot first do." As it is always easier said than done, we may have to practice repentance even continuously. Lord, have mercy on us!
Holy Saturday: Easter Vigil
Tonight -- during the Easter Vigil -- we celebrate the irreversible, everlasting family union or re-union between the whole Uncreated and created reality. This exuberant family re-union is particularly true between the whole Uncreated Family (of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit) and the whole human family (except for those souls who have chosen to reject God and want nothing to do this incredible and awesome free gift of the Creator). In honour of St. Sr. Faustina and the Divine Mercy Sunday (April 27), the following is highlighted by certain quotes from Christ which she allegedly reported in her Diary.
First and foremost, Jesus (in whom dwells the infinite fullness of God the Father and the Spirit) is resurrected to be in loving union with us, in fulfillment of His Uncreated Dream to be forever united with each precious member of His family on earth. Did Christ not call us His mother, sister and brother in the Sacred Scriptures (cf. Mt 12:50; Mk 3:35; etc.)? Jesus said, "I desire to unite Myself with human souls; My great delight is to unite Myself with souls." (Diary 1385) "My Heart overflows with great mercy for souls, and especially for poor sinners." (Diary 367)
At the same time, Jesus is resurrected to help us love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, to fulfil our wildest dream to be in loving union with God for all eternity. Jesus said, "Without special help from Me, you are not even capable of accepting My graces." (Diary 738) "What joy fills My Heart when you return to me. Because you are weak, I take you in My arms and carry you to the home of My Father." (Diary 1486) To each soul who responds to His love, Jesus would say, "O child, especially beloved by Me, apple of My eye, rest a moment near My Heart and taste of the love in which you will delight for all eternity." (Diary 1489)
Further, Jesus is resurrected to help us in our struggles to love one another as part of God's family, especially in bringing souls to God. He said, "My omnipotent mercy is active here. Happy the soul that takes advantage of this grace." (Diary 1486) "But child, you are not yet in your homeland; so go, fortified by My grace, and fight for My kingdom in human souls." (Diary 1489) Practically speaking, one of the best ways we can help our sisters and brothers today is to take advantage of the current Novena of Divine Mercy by praying the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy.
Jesus is resurrected! He is truly resurrected for all of us! Together with the whole family of God everywhere in Heaven, on earth and in Purgatory, we proclaim with immense joy and gratitude: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia! Thank you, Jesus dearest!