On this day Catholics celebrate the institution of the Eucharist, as well as the establishment of the Sacrament of the priesthood. Jesus willingly offers himself up at the Last Supper.
After sundown, the Holy Thursday Liturgy takes place, the beginning of the sacred Triduum, the three holiest days we observe as Christians. No Mass will be celebrated again until the Easter Vigil Mass, when we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus.
Last year we Christians had just been deprived of our right to worship together in our churches. The priests celebrated this mass alone, and we watched from home, heartbroken and also alone.
This year we return to our churches, and Christians will joyfully celebrate the Resurrection. I invite you now to spend these three days in deeper preparation and longing, opening your heart, readying yourself for Christ.
In these next days can we be better models of Christ? Can we take extra time to offer kindness, help someone in need, pray for our fellow man, reach out to someone who might like to go to Easter services with us?
At the end of the liturgy on Holy Thursday evening, in every Catholic Church around the world, the Blessed Sacrament is removed to the altar of repose, the altar is stripped, the church is bare, empty. Tomb-like. It is a striking and heartbreaking tradition, and I make sure to attend each year, to allow my heart to break, my tears to fall, my spirit to be clouded in gloom and dread, preparing for Good Friday, and Christ’s passion.
My purpose in sharing this video is to encourage those of you who let Easter sneak up on you, without much thought beforehand, to find your own ways to open your heart and experience the pain of Holy Thursday and Good Friday. Perhaps dedicate an hour to prayer and scripture. Go to a church and wait with Jesus during the hours of 12 to 3. Give alms. Go to a Good Friday service. Fast. Cut off the phones, televisions, computers.
Please, no political content here. I don’t care how much you just know your current events comments are related to these religious posts, don’t do it. You have numerous posts every day for politics. Use those.
This post is written from my point of view and experiences as a Catholic. That is the only experience I have. I am not meaning to exclude or insult any other Christians, only in it all into a deeper experience of the Resurrection.
Jesus is my rock and my salvation, nothing compares to His love.
Stations of the Cross on Good Friday.
Thank you, Menagerie, for posting and thank you all for the freedom to openly share our faith.
God is Good, all the time.
True words Minnie.
Beautiful. Thank you.
1 Corinthians 2:2 > > > For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
This is the time to go to church and just spend time in contemplation. I always love doing this, just sitting there prayerful and at peace.
I am reminded of a mournful melody from my childhood each time Holy Thursday Mass concluded.
Our Lord went out to pray in Gethsemane after the Passover supper with his friends. The melody’s words which our already suffering Messiah spoke then and speaks now:
“Stay with me.
Remain here with me.
Watch and pray.
Watch and pray.”
How that beautiful heart was breaking……
??✝️
Wow~ that quote…??
I have only ever been to a Catholic church one time in my life. These articles you post are very enlightening and very much appreciated. Even though I have been a christian for over 50 years and read the bible most days, I guess I never thought of which day the last supper took place. Thank you for that.
May God bless all who read here. May all of you have a very peaceful, deep, meaningful, and very spiritual conversation with God as we contemplate the mystery and beauty of Easter and the Gift of Salvation that Christ bought and brought for mankind.
Allegri-Miserere mei -Have mercy on me o God. Originally played exclusively in the Sistine Chapel during Tenebrea service of Holy Week. Good time for a listen. May you be moved to your knees.
Beautiful! Thank you!
Thanks so glad to have found this site made all the difference, God bless.
Counting down the days to Resurrection weekend, I hope you can spend a few quiet moments to ponder on and appreciate the gift of Jesus raising again. What a wonderful gift! In all seasons, especially in this one, it’s so important to operate with a heart of gratitude. If you’ve noticed that you’ve been in the habit of frequent griping or complaining recently, now is the perfect time to reset, focus, and acknowledge all there is to be grateful for. Once you get started, I’m absolutely positive that you’ll be glad you did.
Thank you, Menagerie.
This is one of the best posts that I’ve read, thank you Sundance!
Lu 22:19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” this was the only thing Jesus asked us to do in his memory. He says that if we love Him follow his commandments. Have the doctrines of men interposed themselves between Jesus and man?
Thank you, Menagerie, for such a thoughtful post. We were blessed here in North Idaho to not be locked out of our church, St. Joan of Arc in Post Falls, served by the priests of the FSSP. I can’t begin to imagine the pain so many faithful Christians have suffered. I hope they will link their suffering to that of Jesus and rise again in faith, hope, and love. God bless you…
Adrienne, give Fr. Terra a big hello from Mater Misericordiae in Phoenix! He was our pastor for several years and we think of him with such love and gratitude. Tell him we’re going to be packed this weekend, and that Elijah was ordained a Deacon last month.
I will do so, Hyacinth. Father Terra is a wonderful priest. We love him. We’ll be packed too and grateful!
It is an incredible time to celebrate Easter. Ever more we look forward to our Blessed hope, Jesus Christ, who Died, Rose again and ascended onto the right hand of the father. He is risen and He is coming again to gather to Himself His bride!
This post is written from my point of view and experience as a Catholic. That is the only experience I have. I am not meaning to exclude or insult any other Christians, only offer all a deeper experience of the Resurrection
Thank you Menagerie ???
One of my favorite quotes…
“And on the night He was betrayed… He broke bread and lifted it up and gave thanks. If Jesus can give thanks in that, I can give thanks in everything.” Ann Voskamp
Still unable to get to Mass in my hometown. Driving a full hour on Sunday because all “reservations” were full. This farce is still not over.
I have never been closer to than I am now. Peace to all .. let go let God
I am thankful the US Stock Markets still continue closing for Good Friday.
Thank you for this. Maundy Thursday, as I know it is one of my favorite days.
The Prayer in the Garden36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” 37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 38 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”
39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
40 Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Based on this, the church my parents went to would hold a vigil throughout the night – one hour at a time – to show our commitment to staying awake in quiet mediation and prayer with the Lord. My Dad would always sign up for a 3 am shift, and I always agreed to go. I hold those special times so dear in my heart, my spirit so full. It been over a decade since he passed, I think I will find an hour tonight to stay awake and pray.
Thank you for this beautiful post & for specifying no political content.
Found in the bin…. 🙁
FTA: “Last year we Christians had just been deprived of our right to worship together in our churches. The priests celebrated this mass alone, and we watched from home, heartbroken and also alone.”
If you were deprived of your right to worship by church leadership, shame on them. The word of God commands us to not forsake our assembling together so that we may stir up love and good works in each other and to exhort one another. This also is a fulfillment of Bible prophecy in that we are to assemble all the more as we see the Day (Jesus’ return) approaching.
Heb 10:24-25
24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
NKJV
Therefore do we obey God’s commandment or the edicts of godless men? The apostles Peter and John had the answer to this question when they stood before the religious leaders.
Acts 4:19-20
19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.
20 For we can not but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
KJV
You might want to reconsider which church you’re going to attend this year (what makes this year different than last year?) if church leadership banned worship last year.
When I was younger, most every protestant church would hold Maundy Thursday services. I remember a very meaningful service I attended in a Methodist Church in Arlington VA where I was working at the time. Now you just don’t see so many services (and this was pre-Covid, it is of course worse now). But I wasn’t that enthused about the trend towards “feet washing” though I get the idea.
When I was young, it was the traditon in the Methodist Church to have communion once a quarter. I’m told that’s because Methodism has a tradition of lay ministry and communion elements must be consecrated by an ordained elder. Elders would “ride a circuit” between churches so you might only see one once a quarter. So Maundy Thursady was a good opportunity to take the sacrament prior to Easter. (These days the practice seems to be to offer communion the first Sunday of the Month.)
In Hawai’i Good Friday is a holiday, though there are attempts to get rid of it every year.
THANK YOU Sundance. You are truly a very blessed man who is indeed inspired by the Holy Spirit. May you and your family have a very Blessed Easter. You always have thought-provoking articles. God bless & keep you safe.
“Christ wanted the bitter cup to pass… But it didn’t.
It has left me thinking about the “cups” in our lives…
And this quote came to mind:
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Say you are holding a cup of coffee and someone bumps into you, making you spill your coffee everywhere. Why did you spill the coffee? You spilled it because that was what was in your cup. Had there been tea in your cup, you would have spilled tea. The point is, whatever is inside your cup is what will spill out. Therefore, when life comes along and shakes you up (which will happen), whatever is inside your cup will spill out. It’s easy to fake it, until you get rattled. So we have to ask ourselves, what is in our cup? When life gets tough, what spills out? Joy, gratefulness, peace, and humility? Or does bitterness, anger, harsh words and actions come out? You choose! (Source unknown)
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That quote left me pondering, what spilled from Christ’s cup?
First, humility.
“Not my will, but thine be done.”
Next, understanding
As he told his not so vigilant disciples, “Sleep, and take your rest” (Matt 26:45)
Then, kindness.
Calling His betrayer, “Friend.” (Matt 26:50)
Then, healing.
“Suffer He this far, and He touched his ear, and healed him” (Luke 22:51)
Next, faith.
“Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matt 26:53)
Next, forgiveness.
“Father, forgive them. They know not what they do.”
Then, service.
“Behold thy mother.” (John 19:26-27)
Last, love.
As he sacrificed His life, so each one of us could live again, “It is finished.” (John 19:30)
Humility. Understanding. Kindness. Healing. Faith. Forgiveness. Service. Love. Today, let us strive to fill our cup with the same.” Come Follow Me Daily blog
Sorry, I meant to say Menagerie, BUT the same applies!
Menagerie thank you for reminding us faithful servants what Holy Thursday to Easter Resurrection truly means. God bless all on CTH and remember the Cross