Written by Dynamis Ministries | April 14, 2022
Today is a big deal. It’s the beginning of a sacred time in the Christian Year called the Great Triduum. This is three distinct days, and yet a continuous experience, of remembering the Passion of Christ (betrayal, sacrifice, death, burial) and the resurrection of Jesus. Just like the word suggests, it’s three days structured like this:
FIRST DAY – Maundy Thursday evening to Good Friday evening
SECOND DAY – Good Friday overnight to Holy Saturday evening
THIRD DAY – Holy Saturday overnight Easter Sunday evening
This is a meaningful rhythm for journeying through the cross in a reflective, prayerful and worshipful way. If you haven’t fully entered the Great Triduum in your walk with God, it’s really powerful, you should do it. Maybe you could start this year? All you need to do is slow down and enter the story, however you feel led. It’s an important reset for your faith in returning to the heart of the gospel. This is helpful for our generosity because faith is the engine of generous living.
But whether you fully engage the Great Triduum or not, there’s more to it. It’s not just about structuring the climactic part of Holy Week. It maps the journey of a Christian – life, death, new life. This doesn’t just happen to us at our salvation or on our last day on earth. It is a continuous cycle of formation, causing us to become whole and mature and reach our destiny. All three events take place in our story at different times and in different ways, effecting us to become who God has created us to be. Think about it.
Some seasons need to come, and some seasons need to go.
There are times for “ordinary life” and times for “supernatural life.”
Parts of us, like our selfishness and sin, need to die.
Purposes are lived into for a time and then fade into new things.
Our flesh must be brought to death to have life in the Spirit.
As we journey together in generosity from our faith in God, let’s 1) understand the significance of the Great Triduum and 2) welcome God’s activity in the cycle of life, death, new life. Both are important for staying centered in God and for fulfilling our calling. This will ground us in an abundant place of God’s presence and soulful living so that we actually have something to give to others.
The other element to this “life-death-new life” cycle is that our generosity should promote it because it’s how God does his greatest work. At times, we should help people in ordinary “life” situations by serving their needs or pouring into their potential. On other occasions, it is good to help people endure times of “death” by extending compassion in their suffering, reminding them of the hope of tomorrow or encouraging them to embrace change. And sometimes we need to help people get to “new life,” such as giving the gift of the good news, clearing out burdens and hindrances or investing in their next thing.
No matter what the situation, how can you generously support others in the faith life cycle? Use your time, gifts and resources to spur on others to move from life to death to new life, and back again. It’s how you can lay your whole life down to Jesus, the one who saved you.
Photo Credit: Bence Balla Schottner
