A lot of Christians are familiar with Christmas and Easter, but there are a lot of other significant holidays too. While I cannot consider all of them here, I want to highlight two feasts that fall back to back to one another: Good Friday and Maundy Thursday. Both are major in the Church Catholic because they commemorate two very major events in the life of Christ and realities that affect our salvation. It is not a good idea to brush off these 2 hallowed and time-honored holidays. I am asking here, are you pondering Good Friday?
First, let’s discuss Maundy Thursday. It is a holy day that falls in the Thursday in Holy Week, which is also the Thursday prior to Easter Sunday. Also known as Holy Thursday, the Catholic Church celebrates the institution of the Eucharist on this day, as well as the establishment of the sacrament of holy orders. It was on this night, almost 2000 years ago, that The Lord celebrated the Last Supper with his followers. On that night, he identified the bread and wine of communion with his holy body and blood, and said “do this in remebrance of me.” He also cleansed his disciples’ feet at that meal, a custom the Catholic Church still uses during its modern Holy Thursday liturgies. Christ also instituted a new mandate, for us to love each other just as he has loved us. This is the “mandate” from which Maundy Thursday is named. Holy Thursday also inaugurates the period called the Triduum, which ends on Easter Sunday. As you are able to observe, this is an important date in the Catholic Church, because it celebrates the institution of the sacrament of The lord’s body and blood, and the sacrament that preserves the apostolic authority of the apostles of Our lord!
Second, let’s remember Good Friday. It falls on the Friday prior to Easter, and celebrates the last happenings in the life of Christ, his suffering, and death. It was on this Friday that The Lord gave his life for the humanity’s sins. He hung on the cross, surrounded by 2 ordinary criminals, covered in blood, suffering, and left alone by his closest disciples.The process by which he traveled to his place of death, and his final moments of suffering and death are remembered in the devotion of the stations of the cross, often said on Good Friday. This holy day is also a fast day within the Church. That signifies that Catholics are expected to eat only one full meal, as well as abstain from eating animal flesh and meat based items on this day. This is a fast day because we mirror the suffering of Jesus, and not eating is one way to accomplish this. Basically, Good Friday is important because it is the day of the year that our Lord gave his life for our souls. His bloody death for us overcame death and the grave, and demonstrated to us the way to endure suffering. This is the reason that many Catholics frequently use a crucifix as a devotional tool, because we are reminded not only of what Jesus went through, but his death was where the battle for our salvation happened. This is the reason that followers of Christ the world over value the death of Jesus so much.
In conclusion, it is a great thing to celebrate Good Friday and Maundy Thursday. Both commemorate major happenings in the salvation of humanity, and both days are essential to the prayer life of the Church Catholic. So, this Holy Week, don’t forget to observe these two important holidays.
The essayist recommends observing the 2 holidays referenced previously. A way is to attend a church on these holidays.