The Lord has truly risen! We celebrate the greatest feast - Easter.

Today we commemorate the death of the Lord. The solemn liturgy of the Lord's Passion took place at 3pm. We listened to the Word of God, venerated the Cross of Christ, and received Holy Communion. The cross is at the heart of this celebration: we are reminded that upon this wood hung the salvation of the world. So the cross is hailed as "our hope" - because Jesus, our Saviour, chose this as the instrument of salvation. Today's celebration took place without electric light, recalling the darkness that hung over the whole land as Jesus died on the cross for our salvation. Now we await the resurrection, the celebration of which begins at 8:30pm on Saturday, with the Easter Vigil and first Mass of the Resurrection. Easter Sunday Mass is at 9:30am and 6pm. Click below to see more images of today's beautiful celebration.

This evening we began our celebration of the sacred Triduum - the three days in which Our Lord gives Himself to us in the Eucharist, gives Himself for us on the Cross, and rises from the dead, that He might open for us the way to eternal life. The Mass of the Lord's Supper, which begins these three days, allows us to be present at the last meal shared by Jesus and His disciples - a meal at which He gave us the Eucharist and the Priesthood, He washed the feet of His disciples as an example of service, and gave us the new commandment: "Love one another, as I have loved you."

All of these events are celebrated at this liturgy. At the end of Mass, the Blessed Sacrament is carried in procession to the Altar of Repose, which represents the garden of Gethsemane. Here we have the opportunity to do what Jesus asked of Peter, James and John: to stay, keep watch and pray with Him as He accepts the Father's will. The Altar of Repose is beautifully decorated with candles and flowers, in honour of Jesus, truly present in the Eucharist, and interceding for us in our need. If you are reading this before midnight on Holy Thursday, call in and spend some time in prayer: the Lord is there, waiting for you. More images of tonight's Mass in the gallery below.

Tonight we had the first meeting of our CTS Book Club, a chance to share some reflections on our spiritual reading.