Holy Thursday
The Beginning of the Easter Triduum
March 20, 2008
By: Julie McCallum,
Senior Staff
Today we grieve, but soon we rejoice!
This week is the holiest week of the year for Christians.
With any big celebration there is a preparation time which started for Christians on February 6, on ash Wednesday. Which is a time to renew and cleanse ourselves spiritually.
In the Christian liturgical calendar, today is Holy Thursday (or Maundy Thursday)it is the feast or holy day falling on the Thursday before Easter that commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles. It is the fifth day of Holy Week, and is preceded by Holy Wednesday and followed by Good Friday.
On this day four events are commemorated:
The washing of the Disciples' feet by Jesus Christ
The institution of the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper
The agony of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane
The betrayal of Christ by Judas Iscariot
The morning celebration of these events marks the beginning of what is called the Easter Triduum or Sacred Triduum. The Latin word triduum means a three-day period, and the triduum in question is that of the three days from the death to the resurrection of Jesus.
Holy Thursday (the celebration of the Last Supper which instituted two sacraments of the church, the Eucharist - "This is my body, this is my blood" and Holy Orders "Do this in remembrance of me.")
Good Friday the only day of the year when no mass is said where the church grieves the loss of Christ - where there is no celebration that is associated with mass.
Holy Saturday which culminates in the Easter Vigil, the most high mass of the year. Where out of darkness (mass cannot begin until the sun sets) a light comes forth in the form of Jesus' resurrection.
On Holy Thursday morning there is a special Mass in Cathedral Churches, celebrated by the bishop and as many priests of the diocese as can attend, because it is a solemn observance of Christ's institution of the priesthood at the Last Supper. At this "Chrism Mass" the bishop also blesses the Oil of Chrism used for Baptism, Confirmation and Anointing of the sick or dying. The bishop may wash the feet of twelve of the priests, to symbolize Christ's washing the feet of His Apostles, the first priests.
The evening Holy Thursday Liturgy, marks the end of Lent and the beginning of the sacred "Triduum" ("three days") of Holy Week, which culminates in the Easter Vigil, and concludes at Vespers on the evening of Easter day.
The Mass begins in the evening, because Passover began at sundown; it commemorates Our Lord's institution of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper. It also shows both the worth God ascribes to the humility of service, and the need for cleansing with water (a symbol of baptism) in the Mandatum, washing, commemorating Jesus' washing the feet of His apostles, as well as in the priest's stripping and washing of the altar. Cleansing, in fact, gave this day of Holy Week the name Maundy Thursday.
The action of the Church on this night also witnesses to the Church's esteem for Christ's Body present in the consecrated Host in the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, carried in solemn procession to the flower-bedecked Altar of Repose, where it will remain "entombed" until the communion service on Good Friday. No Mass will be celebrated again in the Church until the Easter Vigil proclaims the Resurrection.
And finally, there is the continued Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament by the people during the night, just as the disciples stayed with the Lord during His agony on the Mount of Olives before the betrayal by Judas.
Today we grieve, but soon we rejoice. Amen I say to you.