Friday, April 10, 2009

Lest We Forget...


13 comments:

Mama said...

WHO COULD FORGET? THANK YOU JESUS FOR YOUR LOVING SACRIFICE. GOD BLESS US ALL.

Aunt Laura said...

Amen

Ruthie said...

Perhaps you can help me with this. I know I could research it, but what is Maundy Thursday??

Ruthie said...

Is it celebrating Jesus or?

Batjacboy said...

Ruthie,

"Maundy" comes from the Latin "Mandatum", or mandate. On Holy Thursday, after the Last Supper, Christ said to His Apostles, "A new commandment ("mandatum") I give unto you: to love one another as I have loved you."

That's where we get "Maundy Thursday".

Heidi said...

What an amazing picture. Have a wonderful Easter.

Ruthie said...

Oh, that makes sense. But is it a major holy day? I have heard of it a few times but never really researched it.

Do you have a special mass or anything like that?

Molly said...

Heidi,

Thanks for the compliment on the picture.

I took that on our trip to France. The crucifix is outside of a Church to the left of the Palais Des Papes (Palace of the Popes) in Avignon.

Batjacboy said...

Ruthie,

Maundy Thursday is not a Holy Day of Obligation, but there is a special Mass. Although all Masses are re-presentations of the Last Supper (and, therefore, the Sacrifice of Calvary), the Maundy Thursday Mass also re-enacts Christ's washing of the feet of His Apostles, which he performed the same night as the Last Supper.

Ruthie said...

Batjacboy,

Thank you so much for that information.

It's quite amazing to discover all of the different ways to celebrate Jesus and his teachings.

You said it's not a day of obligation. Are those types of days considered holidays such as Christmas, All Saints Day, Easter or is that something else entirely?

I'm sorry for asking so many questions, but I am fascinated by this. When I have asked others before, I would get dirty looks and I never understood why. You would think that someone would be happy to share their knowledge.

But anyhow, Maundy Thursday is a special mass..are there many of those throughout the year? Days for special mass, I mean.

Again, I apologize for so many questions. You can tell me to shush if you like.

Batjacboy said...

Ruthie,

You may ask all the questions you want. I've always thought it was the best (and fastest) way to learn.

You wrote: "You said it's not a day of obligation. Are those types of days considered holidays such as Christmas, All Saints Day, Easter or is that something else entirely?"

There are 58 Holy Days of Obligation (defined as days we're obligated to go to Mass): All 52 Sundays and the following 6:

The Feast of the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God--January 1

The Ascension of Christ--40 days after Easter (and therefore falls on a Thursday, hence the common name "Ascension Thursday")

The Assumption of Mary into Heaven--August 15

All Saint's Day--November 1

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception--December 8

Christmas Day

Notice Easter is not listed as one of the six, since it's always on a Sunday anyway.

Now, Good Friday is not a Holy Day of Obligation, because no Mass is ever offered on Good Friday. A liturgical service, yes, but no Mass. Since it's the commemoration of the first Calvary, the Church won't have the Mass, which as we've said is the re-presentation of the sacrifice of Calvary.

There are many, many other holy days, feasts, etc., Maundy Thursday being one. In fact, almost all days are commemorations of some Saint's feast day, or special event in Catholic history, but only on those 58 is there the obligation. Those Masses therefore, tend to be extra special.

Ruthie said...

Again, thank you very much for your answers.

That makes so much sense now.

Perhaps you should set up a hotline/blog for people like me that want to know more!

I really appreciate it..

Batjacboy said...

Ruthie,

Don't worry--if you follow this blog for even a few more months, you'll be surprised how many topics Rita addresses.

And the comments and questions are always welcome.

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