In Christianity, Holy Week is the week between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday.
The days of this holy week include; Palm Sunday, Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday, Holy Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, & Holy Saturday. Following these dates is Easter Sunday, although it is not considered as one of the days in the Holy Week.
What is Maundy Thursday?
This day is also known as; Holy Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Great & Holy Thursday, Sheer Thursday, or Thursday of Mysteries.
Today we reflect on the events that took place the night before Jesus’ crucifixion. The day that Jesus was betrayed by Judas, and also the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper. At this feast Jesus would celebrate his final Passover. He showed humility before eating by washing his Apostles’ feet and then commanding them to do this to one another as He had done for them. This is where the term Maundy comes from.
Maundy Thursday initiated the Easter Triduum, which is the period which commemorates the Passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus. (Good Friday, Holy Saturday, & Easter Sunday)
How to Celebrate Maundy Thursday...
Due to the Coronavirus, you might not be able to make it out to celebrate with others, but most of this you can do on your own. Do this in remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice.
1. Have an Agape Meal (Love Feast)
Do this to celebrate Jesus’ final Passover & the Last Supper. This can include foods such as;
Soup
Salad
Unleavened Bread
Crackers & Cheese
Red Wine or Grape Juice
- Pray over your meal while holding hands out over top of it as you speak to bless it.
- Make sure you share this meal with other loved ones and start it around sundown.
2. Holy Communion
Read Scripture (1 Corinthians 11) as you prepare the bread and win and ask to be forgiven of any sins you haven't repented for
Before you consume the blood and body of Christ, say the Lord’s prayer together
- Partake of the bread, which symbolizes the physical and spiritual torment Jesus bore to redeem us from all areas of the curse. With this in mind, say:
Lord, it’s not right that I suffer from sickness or disease. I judge it now as being from Satan, and I reject it. I refuse to receive it any longer. I partake of the sacrifice of Your Son’s body, and I receive the abundant life that You have provided, in Jesus’ Name.
- Partake of the cup and make this confession:
Father, I give You thanks for all You have provided for me through the New Covenant in Christ Jesus. I partake of those promises now! I am healed. I am redeemed. I am the head and not the tail. I am above and not beneath. I take the healing You sacrificed to give me, and I thank You and praise You for it, in Jesus’ Name.
3. Wash loved ones’ feet
Grab a basin of warm water and some soap and use a towel to clean your loved ones’ feet.
As you do this, someone can recite Jesus’ mandate which is to “love one another as He has loved us.“
4. Read Psalm 22 & clear the table
As you and your loved ones clear the table, recite this psalm of David as written below
Psalm 22
1 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help? 2 Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief. 3 Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. 4 Our ancestors trusted in you, and you rescued them. 5 They cried out to you and were saved. They trusted in you and were never disgraced. 6 But I am a worm and not a man. I am scorned and despised by all! 7 Everyone who sees me mocks me. They sneer and shake their heads, saying, 8 "Is this the one who relies on the Lord ? Then let the Lord save him! If the Lord loves him so much, let the Lord rescue him!" 9 Yet you brought me safely from my mother's womb and led me to trust you at my mother's breast. 10 I was thrust into your arms at my birth. You have been my God from the moment I was born. 11 Do not stay so far from me, for trouble is near, and no one else can help me. 12 My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls; fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in! 13 Like lions they open their jaws against me, roaring and tearing into their prey. 14 My life is poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, melting within me. 15 My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead. 16 My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs; an evil gang closes in on me. They have pierced my hands and feet. 17 I can count all my bones. My enemies stare at me and gloat. 18 They divide my garments among themselves and throw dice for my clothing. 19 O Lord, do not stay far away! You are my strength; come quickly to my aid! 20 Save me from the sword; spare my precious life from these dogs. 21 Snatch me from the lion's jaws and from the horns of these wild oxen. 22 I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters. I will praise you among your assembled people. 23 Praise the Lord, all you who fear him! Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob! Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel! 24 For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy. He has not turned his back on them, but has listened to their cries for help. 25 I will praise you in the great assembly. I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you. 26 The poor will eat and be satisfied. All who seek the Lord will praise him. Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy. 27 The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to him. All the families of the nations will bow down before him. 28 For royal power belongs to the Lord . He rules all the nations. 29 Let the rich of the earth feast and worship. Bow before him, all who are mortal, all whose lives will end as dust. 30 Our children will also serve him. Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord. 31 His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born. They will hear about everything he has done.
I celebrated Maundy Thursday with a small feast tonight, and also by taking communion with my own homemade unleavened bread and red wine. You can use my recipe for bread on my other post, and if you would like to infuse cannabis into it like I did, then you would just substitute the canna oil for the vegetable oil. It tastes just as good and gives it a little kick. That is only recommended for Medical Marijuana Patients or people that live in states where it’s recreationally legal.
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