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Pope Francis leads the Mass of Holy Christianity in St. Peter’s Basilica on Maundy Thursday on March 29, 2018.
Catholics and other Christians celebrated Holy Week in the run-up to Easter. Today is Maundy Thursday, or Maundy Thursday as most Catholic parishes in the United States refer to it.
Maundy Thursday is a reminder of the Last Supper and washing of the feet. The Bible explains that during this Passover, Jesus also revealed that one of the apostles would betray him.
This is usually the day practicing Catholics end their fasting offerings, explained Bishop Robert J. Brennan of the Diocese of Columbus, Ohio Heavy. Maundy Thursday marks the transition from Lent to Triduum or three days of the Passion of Christ.
Getty Pope Francis holds the sacramental bread as he celebrates the Eucharist during Epiphany Mass on January 6, 2020 in St. Peter’s Church in the Vatican. </ Before his arrest and crucifixion, Jesus was in Jerusalem to celebrate Passover with his friends and family. Catholics believe that during this festival Jesus took bread and wine and offered them as his body and blood.
As Bishop Robert J. Brennan of the Diocese of Columbus, Ohio Heavy explained: “At the last supper, when he took bread and wine and transformed it into his body and blood, Christ commanded the apostles: ‘Do this in remembrance of me. « Catholics believe that the last supper is the first mass, and at each mass we keep the commandment of Christ. » This sacrament is called the Eucharist or Holy Communion.
The bishop added that although the Eucharist is celebrated at every Mass, it has special weight on Maundy Thursday. « Maundy Thursday is a special day to remember the gift of Mass and the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. »
The story of the Last Supper is described in Corinthians in the Bible. The American Bishops Conference has this version on its website:
Brothers and Sisters:
I received from the Lord what I passed on to you.
that the Lord Jesus on the night he was handed over,
took bread and, after giving thanks,
broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you.
Do this in memory of me. »
In the same way, the cup says after dinner:
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood.
Do this as often as you drink it in memory of me. »
Because as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,
They proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Different Christian denominations differ in how this Bible story is to be interpreted. The Catholic faith teaches transubstantiation, which means that bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus. However, a 2019 poll by Pew Research found that only about a third of American Catholics actually believe this. Almost 70% of those surveyed said they viewed bread and wine as symbols of the body and blood of Jesus.
GettyPope Francis performs the traditional washing of feet during a visit to a center for disabled people on Maundy Thursday (Maundy Thursday) on May 17. April 2014 in Rome.
Maundy Thursday is also known as Maundy Thursday. « Maundy » comes from the Latin word « mandatum », which means « commandment ». Bishop Brennan explained to Heavy that this “relates to the command to love and serve that Christ gave to the apostles at the Last Supper.”
Jesus provided a physical example of how He could serve others than his own Washed disciples’ feet during the Last Supper. Part of the gospel reading Catholics will hear in Mass today is:
He came to Simon Peter who said to him:
« Master, will you wash my feet? »
Jesus answered and said to him:
« You don’t understand what I’m doing now,
but you will understand later. »
Peter said to him: « You will never wash my feet. »
Jesus answered him:
« If I don’t wash you, you won’t have an inheritance with me. »
Simon Peter said to him:
« Master, then not only my feet, but also my hands and my head. »
Jesus said to him:
“Anyone who has bathed only needs to have their feet washed.
for he is pure everywhere;
So you’re clean, but not all. »
Because he knew who would betray him;
Because of this, he said, « Not all of you are clean. »
So when he washed your feet
and put his clothes back on and leaned back against the table,
He said to them, “Do you know what I did for you?
They rightly call me « teacher » and « master » because I am too.
So when I, the master and teacher, washed your feet
They should wash each other’s feet.
I gave you a model to follow.
just as you did it for yourself, you should do it too. “
Catholic priests honor this tradition by washing the feet of a group of parishioners during Maundy Thursday mass. Pope Francis typically followed this tradition. In 2019, he washed the feet of 12 inmates in a prison near Rome during sacrament mass, the Vatican reported.
Ref: https://heavy.com
