As your Chaplain, I want to pull back the curtain on the “why” behind this special weekend that kicks off our term break.
As we limp toward the Term 1 finish line, smelling faintly of chlorine from the Swimming Carnivals and desperate for a sleep in, the air is filling with the crinkle of foil wrapped chocolate eggs. We’re also starting to notice that summer is slipping away. The stunning beach days are numbered, and winter is already quietly tapping on the door.
As your Chaplain, I want to pull back the curtain on the “why” behind this special weekend that kicks off our term break. Whether you’re heading to church, a campsite, or planning to hibernate, there is a universal human rhythm hidden in the ancient tradition of the Triduum, a fancy Latin word for “The Three Days” of Easter. Think of it as a three act play: The Shadow, The Silence, and The Spark.
Act I (Good Friday) is the Shadow. It is the uncomfortable recognition that things are not always okay. In a world where our news feeds feel like a constant cycle of global instability, Good Friday resonates. It represents those moments when justice seems to have taken a permanent break and hope feels like a luxury we cannot afford. We call this Friday “good”, not because suffering is something to celebrate, but because there is something deeply powerful, and quietly brave, about refusing to look away when things get dark.
Act II (Holy Saturday) is the Silence. This is the part we, as modern humans, absolutely loathe. We are the generation that refreshes a webpage if it takes more than 0.4 seconds to load, so waiting is basically our version of a nightmare. Holy Saturday is that awkward, inbetween space we would normally try to skip. It is the silence of the changing room after a lost game, or the breath you hold before an exam result. It gently reminds us that sometimes the most important growth happens when nothing seems to be moving at all.
Act III (Easter Sunday) is the Spark. This is the ultimate “against all odds” story. This is why Easter matters to everyone, regardless of religious belief or affiliation. It is the annual reminder that the story is not over. Even as the Western Australian sun begins to fade and the cold, which is very mild from a European perspective, sets in, we know the pattern. Flowers have a strange habit of breaking through concrete. Hope has a way of rising, even when we have tried our best to bury it under a mountain of stress.
As you head into the term break, you might want to take another look at the passion and resurrection of Jesus. He shows us what it means to make it through all three acts, and to trust that the final word is not darkness, but life. I hope you find a bit of each in the days ahead. Acknowledge the shadows of a demanding term, embrace the silence of a day of rest, and keep an eye out for the spark of a new beginning in Term 2.
May God bless and keep you. Happy Easter!
Father Raphael
Chaplin