Mangalore: Celebration of the holy week

Mangalore: Celebration of the holy week

Mangalore Today.Com

Mangalore, March 29, 2013: “Dying for someone you love is but a good way to go”… Jesus always preached to love another  as I love you and he lived his whole life by it… And with his sacrifice the holy week began…


The holy week begins with spy Wednesday ,followed by Maundy Thursday and followed by before good Friday also known as gods Friday before Easter when he was made alive by spirit. The name Maundy is derived from the Latin word ”Mandatum”, meaning a  commandment.

It is beginning of the three day celebration of Easter –one of most important time for Christians. The Triduum as this period is known, is one big celebration , remembering  the last supper of Jesus Christ , prior to the crucifixion, death at Calvary and resurrection. It commemorates Jesus Christ’s institution of the Eucharist, in the presence of his apostles.

Although Maundy Thursday is one of the lesser known days of the Christian calendar, during the last supper Jesus Christ shared bread and wine amongst his disciples  the ritual is followed to this day as part of the worship in the church. It is also the night where Jesus was betrayed by Judas in the garden of Gethsemane.

 

 

During this meal, famously painted by Leonardo Da Vinci, Jesus is said to have washed his disciples’ feet. In today’s time the pope as per the customs washes the feet of the priests members of congregation, although this year Pope Francis will wash the feet of the 12 juvenile prisoners near Rome on Maundy Thursday.

It’s his initiative towards changing the imagery of papacy. This act has sometimes been followed literally in history as a good way of reminding rulers that they are here to serve their subjects.

As Jesus commanded at the last super ’And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.’ John 13:34 .

Defines the holy Eucharist is a sacrament and a sacrifice . Under the appearances of bread and wine , the lord Christ is contained ,offered and received. By the appearances of bread and wine we mean their color, taste, weight, shape, and whatever else appears to the senses. Although  it’s a great mystery, and consequently beyond human understanding, the principles of sound reason can show that this great gift is not impossible by the power of God.

Christ gave His priests the power to change bread and wine into His body and blood when He made the apostles priests at the Last Supper by saying to them: "Do this in remembrance of Me."  Priests exercise their power to change bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ by repeating at the Consecration of the Mass the words of Christ: "This is My body . . . this is the Cup of My blood."

Christ gives us His own body and blood in the Holy Eucharist: first, to be offered as a sacrifice commemorating and renewing for all time the sacrifice of the cross; second, to be received by the faithful in Holy Communion; third, to remain ever on our altars as the proof of His love for us, and to be worshipped by us.

Mangalore

In India it is concelebrated by Christians across the country. The holy week is observed with great reverence here . The Christian community in  Mangalore which has an ethno-religious community of Roman Catholics, protestants , solemnly begin the holy week by  offering prayers ,some abstain from meat or even fast especially on good Friday. It’s a culmination of a number of events in the holy week which precedes Easter.

The bishop of the church washes the feet’s  of the members of the congregation and share/give them a slice of bread as a sign of Eucharist on Maundy Thursday’s .On Good Friday at some places processions are held. It is believed that god sacrificed his life for our sins and hence some churches are empty and dark. Many churches have a bitter drink prepared from leaves, vinegar and other ingredients for everyone to taste after the service. Churches even re-enact the procession of the cross.

The Christian liturgy further includes the dramatized reading of the passion of the Christ, followed by the veneration of the cross, after which the communion id distributed. It is said few also fly kite on good Friday to symbolize the cross as well as ascension into heaven