From the liturgical calendar: “The Fathers of the Church saw this celebration as a unitive commemoration: St. Augustine spoke of ‘the most holy triduum of the crucified, buried and risen Lord’. Over Friday, Saturday and Sunday we celebrate a single, indivisible mystery. The Easter Triduum begins with the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, reaches its high point in the Easter Vigil, and closes with Evening prayer on Easter Sunday.”
“Christ redeemed us all and gave perfect glory to God principally through his paschal mystery: dying he destroyed our death and rising he restored our life. Therefore, the Easter Triduum of the passion, death and resurrection of Christ is the culmination of the entire liturgical year. Thus, the Solemnity of Easter has the same kind of pre-eminence in the liturgical year that Sunday has in the week. The celebration of the paschal mystery is not simply a recalling of past events in history. It is a sacramental celebration that renders present and actualises the saving power of Christ’s death and resurrection to the Church.”