St. Thomas More Catholic Church Weekly Bulletin 2014-04-13 Palm Sunday | Page 13

Holy Week
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Holy Week are
preparation days, both spiritually and physically, for the
holy days to come later in the week. Parishioners are
welcome to the daily Masses on Monday, Tuesday and
Wednesday.
Spring Cleaning At one time, other preparation activities
were associated with the first days of Holy Week. One is
the custom of spring cleaning. Early in history, this practical activity was in preparation for the celebration of Easter.
Its parallel is the custom in Jewish families to rid the house
of “the old” in preparation for Passover.
Holy Thursday Holy Thursday begins the Triduum which,
from the fourth century, celebrated the Paschal Mystery.
The oldest and still official name of this day is Thursday of
the Lord’s Supper. It commemorates the historical Gospel
events surrounding the Last Supper and the institution
of the Holy Eucharist. Morning Prayer will be at 9:00 am.
The only Mass that day is the 7:00 pm observance of the
Lord’s Last Supper. Remembering the institution of the
Holy Eucharist is the heart of the Holy Thursday observance. Parish liturgies, with joyful overtones once again
take place in the evening. Bells ring and festive colors are
used for vestments and decorations. The Glory to God, not
sung since Ash Wednesday, returns for this brief moment.
The tabernacle is empty so that all might receive communion from bread consecrated at this Mass.
Washing of the Feet Since the fifth century, the Holy
Thursday ritual has included a ceremonial washing of feet
by the presiding celebrant. This ritual imitates Jesus’ Last
Supper action of humility and service.
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament At the end of Holy
Thursday liturgy, the Blessed Sacrament is carried in
procession with incense and song to the Chapel. After
placing the consecrated bread in the tabernacle, an
atmosphere of quiet waiting with the Lord begins. It is
customary for parishioners to spend a holy hour sometime before 10:00 pm in the Church. They may also visit
other churches in the area.
Stripping the Altar A new theme becomes obvious with
an anticipation of suffering and death. The altar table in
the Church is stripped in silence. At times in the past, this
action was considered symbolic of the stripping of Jesus
before his crucifixion. People begin leaving quietly for their
home. An atmosphere of sadness and reflection begins.
These are hours of waiting with Jesus as the saving events
begin to unfold.
Good Friday Good Friday is the anniversary of the death
of Jesus on the cross just outside the walls of Jerusalem.
We will offer Morning Prayer at 9:00 am. This is the only
day of the year the Eucharist is not celebrated in its usual
form of the Mass. Consequently, our parish liturgy empha-

sis is a Liturgy of the Word at 3:00 pm with a reading of
the Passion narrative and Psalms prophesying the death
of Jesus, veneration of the Cross and Holy Communion.
Veneration of the Cross Late in the fourth century, the
veneration of the cross was introduced into Good Friday
traditions in Jerusalem. The slow procession of people
to kiss the cross remains a dramatic feature of the Good
Friday service. It was not too long ago, the celebrant and
altar servers without shoes approached the cross with a
series of genuflections. Good Friday liturgy concludes
with Holy Communion. That evening, parishioners are
invited to the dramatic presentation of the Stations of the
Cross.
Stations of the Cross At the time of the Crusades, it
became popular for pilgrims to the Holy Land to walk in
Jesus’ footsteps to Calvary. In the next two centuries after
the Muslims recaptured the Holy Land, pilgrimages were
too dangerous. A substitute pilgrimage, the Stations of
the Cross, became a popular outdoor devotion throughout Europe during the Middle Ages. This represented a
critical event from Scripture, or tradition, of Jesus’ journey
to Calvary and varied in number from five to 20 until the
eighteenth century when the Pope fixed the number at
14. In the mid-eighteenth century, Stations were allowed
in churches. We will have a dramatic presentation of the
Stations on Good Friday at 8:00 pm.
Blessing of Easter Baskets Saturday at noon, we have
the popular tradition for