The date when Holy Thursday is celebrated changes each year. It is always three days before Easter Sunday. Easter itself is changeable. It occurs on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the twenty-first of March. The three days before this great feast is known as "The Easter Triduum".
Holy Thursday begins the holiest part of the liturgical year in the Catholic Church. This is the anniversary of the evening, circa 33 A.D., when Jesus gathered his Apostles in the upper room in Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish feast of Passover. Jesus knew he would be killed the next day.
Jesus had devised a plan whereby he could remain, in an intimate manner, with his followers on earth until the end of time. After the meal, he took bread, blessed and broke it. He gave it to the Apostles and said, "All of you eat of this. This is my body."
Then he took a cup of wine, blessed it and gave it to them saying, "All of you drink of this. This is my blood of the New Covenant." Then he said the words which ordained the Apostles the first priests of the New Covenant. "Do this in memory of me."
Catholics believe that Holy Thursday is the anniversary of the first Mass, the first Communion, and the anniversary of the institution of the sacrament of Holy Orders. In Catholic Churches throughout the world there will be a Mass celebrated that evening and the children receiving their First Communion that year are often invited to do so with their families at that Mass.
The following day, Good Friday, is the anniversary of the day Jesus suffered, was crucified, and died, on a hill called Calvary, outside the city of Jerusalem. Catholics believe that he gave his life willingly to atone for sins of all humanity from the beginning, until the end of time. By his sufferings and death Jesus paid the price of our salvation.
As sinners, all we must do is acknowledge our guilt, sincerely repent and sincerely resolve to try to sin no more. Atonement has already been been made for every sin that would ever be committed on the earth.
Only one person was ever be great enough to accomplish this mighty deed:, Jesus Christ who is truly God and truly man. As man, he could represent us. As God, by offering himself, by suffering and dying in our place, his sacrifice was great enough to atone for all sin.
On the evening of Good Friday, Jesus' body was taken down from the cross, and placed in a tomb hewn out of rock. A large stone was rolled in front of the opening, to keep scavengers away. Jesus' enemies asked Pontius Pilate to place Roman guards outside the tomb, in case the Apostles might come and steal the body, and then later say that Jesus had risen.
The next day, Saturday, was the Jewish Sabbath. The Jews were not allowed to do any work. Tradition teaches that while Jesus' body lay in the tomb, his soul went to collect the souls of the Old Testament prophets and holy people to take them to their heavenly home, which had been barred to humans since the sin of Adam and Eve. Holy Saturday is the last day of the Triduum.
Early on Sunday morning, some Jewish women went to the tomb to embalm Jesus' body. The stone was rolled away and the guards had fled. The tomb was empty. Jesus had risen from the dead as he said he would. Soon he would appear to the Apostles, and some disciples to prove that he was alive again.
Easter is the greatest feast of the liturgical year. If it hadn't been for Easter, Christians would not celebrate Christmas. Jesus would have been just another first century rabbi to fade from memory soon after his death. His resurrection was such a life-changing event that the Apostles left their homes, jobs and families to spread the Gospel in far-off lands. Most of them suffered martyrdom as witness to the truth of the Good News they brought.
The Easter Triduum are three days of great importance. The events of these days show just how much Jesus loves us and to what lengths he went to enable us to get to heaven. At the same time they are a challenge: what are we willing to do in response to this great love?
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