byGregory L. Tracy Pilot Staff
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Bringing to a close what Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley has called the "strange Lent" of 2020, he celebrated the Easter Triduum -- the liturgies of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil -- in a nearly vacant Cathedral of the Holy Cross.
Unlike typical years when there would be as many as a dozen priests present, each day's liturgy was concelebrated only by Cathedral rector, Msgr. Kevin O'Leary, and vicar Father Pablo Gomis. The only others present for the celebrations were a handful of servers, lectors, and members of the Archdiocesan Choir. The rest of the faithful were invited to join in the celebrations through CatholicTV.
On Holy Thursday, April 9, Cardinal O'Malley celebrated the Mass of the Last Supper, in which the Church commemorates Christ's institution of the Eucharist.
Beginning his homily, Cardinal O'Malley acknowledged the unusual start of the holiest time of the Christian calendar.
"My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as strange as it is to celebrate this Mass without the congregation here, I know we are all united in faith as we celebrate this holy night commemorating the Lord's Supper," he said.
He also addressed the desire of many Catholics to receive the Eucharist once again, as Masses and other public celebrations have been suspended since March 14.
"I know the great hunger that many of our people are experiencing this Holy Week, without the possibility of receiving Holy Communion. Please know that you can make a spiritual communion," the cardinal said.
"I invite you to make a spiritual communion now, by making an act of faith in Christ's presence and welcome him with love in your heart on this Holy Thursday," he said.
Because of social distancing requirements and limits on public gatherings, omitted this year was the rite of the Washing of Feet, in which the cardinal would symbolically wash the feet of several members of the congregation. The rite recalls the moment at the Last Supper when Christ washed the feet of the Apostles.
Also, instead of the usual procession at the close of the Mass in which the Eucharist is brought to the altar of repose for adoration, the celebration concluded with a brief period of adoration by the three priests at the main altar.
Good Friday celebrations at the cathedral would traditionally include an afternoon liturgy in English, an evening liturgy in Spanish and a living Stations of the Cross procession through the South End. Instead, this year there was a single 3 p.m. bilingual celebration April 10, featuring the reading of the Passion, the veneration of the cross, and communion service.
In his homily, reflecting on the Gospel's account of Peter's denial of Jesus, the cardinal said, "I wonder if perhaps this pandemic isn't like a rooster crow for us, a call to conversion, a call to reflect on our lives and our values. We see how this pandemic is unmasking many of the injustices in our society, how the poor don't have enough medical help. We see how sometimes people are competing with each other rather than helping each other."
"The pandemic, for all of us, can be a time to reflect on what is really important and how we can live out our humanity and be a family and help one another, that the important things in life are not wealth or fame or comfort or pleasure. The important things are family, friends, health, peace, a job," he added.
When the time came for the veneration, the cardinal alone kissed the relic of the True Cross embedded in the crucifix. The concelebrants and servers genuflected before it.
The Easter Vigil saw changes this year as well. While beginning with the blessing of the fire followed by an extended Liturgy of the Word, missing this year was the reception of new Catholics into the Church with the sacraments of initiation and the profession of faith.
In his homily, the cardinal addressed a special message to these future Catholics.
"The joy of receiving you into our family is postponed, but as we promised during the Rite of Election, we will all continue to pray for you, to accompany you, to continue on your journey of faith. Please don't be discouraged. Know that we hold all of you in our hearts, praying that the Risen Lord will strengthen your faith and allow you to experience the joy of his presence and his unfailing love," Cardinal O'Malley said.
"Once we know when we can have public celebrations, we will set a date to celebrate the rite of initiation with all of our new Catholics. We look forward to that with longing and with joy. I urge all of our parishioners to be close to your catechumens and your candidates, so they realize how much they are appreciated and loved," he said.
The cardinal also offered prayers for those affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
"Tonight, we gather in darkness, and we feel the confusion, the fear, and the frustration of all of those who have lost a loved one or have someone in their family who has tested positive for the coronavirus," said the cardinal. "Tonight, we pray for all of them, and in a special way, I pray for my priests and for my auxiliary bishop, Bishop Allue, all of those who are sick. And we pray also for all of those who are putting themselves in harm's way to care for the sick and serve the community, despite the uncertainties and risks involved."
"The Paschal Candle is a reminder that the Risen Lord breaks into our world with new light and hope. Like Mary Magdalene in today's Gospel, we are told to have faith, not to be afraid, to share the good news with our brothers and sisters, to rejoice because our Redeemer lives," he added.
"He brings light and healing and joy into our darkened world. And he has promised to be with us always," the cardinal concluded.