Maundy Thursday among Western Christians (Holy Thursday)

The last week of Lent, preceding Holy Easter, is called Passion (Great) The fourth day of this week is called Maundy Thursday The date of the Great Feast is calculated by Western Christians depending on the occurrence of Catholic Easter This solemn Holiday is a remembrance of the Last Supper and the Lord’s establishment of the sacrament of Holy Communion The Last Supper is an event described in the New Testament story, telling about the last meal of Jesus Christ with his 12 disciples Why the Last Supper? It takes place secretly, because the capital of the world - Jerusalem - is already preparing for deicide Judas Iscariot has already received his thirty pieces of silver, and a denunciation has already been drawn up by the Jewish bishops The guards are already roaming around the city, looking for as a criminal the one who a few days ago was greeted as the Messiah and King with palm branches The Zion Upper Room at this time is a place hidden from most people, where the greatest event in world history takes place in secret: God deifies man The time for the crucifixion has come, and on the eve of this event the Lord for the last time wants to teach the apostles deep love and humility by personal example This love was especially manifested in the fact that Christ personally fulfilled the custom that existed at that time among the Jews The custom was that before supper it was obligatory to wash the feet Usually this was done by a servant who went around to all the guests with a towel and washbasin None of the disciples performed this service for the Savior before supper: all 12 reclined for the meal Disputes even began among them about who was worthy of greater veneration The Lord, seeing this, took off His outer clothing and began to wash the disciples’ feet In the name of love, the Lord condescended to serve as a slave, once again showing by personal example that the power of love lies in its sacrifice and service Then Christ performed the great Sacrament: he gave communion to the apostles and gave the commandment: “Do this in remembrance of Me” According to tradition, on the morning of Maundy Thursday, in memory of Jesus Christ, a special mass is celebrated in Catholic churches During this service, priests renew the vows they made at ordination In the evening of the same day, the priests, like Jesus Christ, wash the feet of the parishioners After the hymn “Glory to God in the highest” has finished, the bells and organ fall silent Their sounds will no longer sound until the Easter Eve The procession carries the Holy Gifts (Wine and Bread) through the entire temple to a place that is prepared in one of the chapels of the temples There they will be kept until the next day in memory of the arrest of Jesus Christ and his detention Western Christians no longer consecrate Bread and Wine after Maundy Thursday until the Easter Eve; for the communion of believers they will use the Gifts that were consecrated on Maundy Thursday The holiday of Maundy Thursday is a reminder that God died on the cross so that people could be resurrected, so that they would wake up, rise from the abyss of narcissism and pride and begin to love: sincerely, sacrificially, unconditionally