By Kari Bergmann
“Holy Thursday is the commemoration of the Last Supper of Jesus Christ, when he established the sacrament of Holy Communion prior to his arrest and crucifixion. It also commemorates His institution of the priesthood. The holy day falls on the Thursday before Easter and is part of Holy Week. Jesus celebrated the dinner as a Passover feast. Christ would fulfill His role as the Christian victim of the Passover for all to be saved by His final sacrifice.”
Set aside a time for prayer with the members of your household. Praying the Stations of the Cross, the Rosary, or the Divine Mercy Chaplet would all be appropriate ways to come together in worship. At the conclusion of your prayer for the day you could perform a kind of ‘stripping of the altar’ at home. To do this you can remove or cover the religious images or statues that you have in your family prayer space. Explain to children that this is done to demonstrate the bareness and humiliation of the cross and help us reflect on the emptiness of the world without Christ. You can unveil all of these things again on Easter Sunday.
Also, sharing a family meal and breaking bread together could be a helpful way of commemorating the Passover and the Last Supper. At the beginning of the meal, each person could take turns expressing thanks to God for something that they are grateful for. It’s important to try to focus on gratitude, despite our current hardships there is still much to be thankful for.
Additionally, Jesus demonstrated our call to humble service by washing the feet of his disciples after the Last Supper. Challenge each member of your household to find a way to serve others before the end of the day. For children, this could mean that everyone chips in to do some of the household chores that mum and dad normally do, in order to prepare the house for Easter. For older children or teenagers, something like writing a letter or making a phone call to a relative who is isolated could be appropriate. Adults might check in on their elderly neighbours to see if they need assistance picking up groceries or mowing the lawn. Even though we need to be physically distanced from others there are still many ways to serve.
Watch “The Prince of Egypt” 1 hour and 40 minutes (available for rent on YouTube or Google Play) to help your children understand how God freed his people from Egypt and why the Passover was so significant to the Jewish people. Then discuss with them what Christ did at the Last Supper becoming the perfect sacrificial lamb for us and how his death and resurrection is the fulfilment of God’s promises. Please be advised that this film contains some violence and scenes that may be frightening to younger children, it has a PG rating.
As a family activity make unleavened bread and discuss the meaning of the Passover and the Last Supper. Making unleavened bread is very easy and only requires flour, salt, and water find a recipe here: https://www.alyonascooking.com/unleavened-bread-matzah/.
You can find some additional Maundy Thursday activities here: https://sundayschoolzone.com/special-emphasis/maundy-thursday-activities-for-kids/
On YouTube: Bishop Barron on the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist -13 minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJjW3LXuHzo.
On Formed: The Last Supper and the Cross: The New Passover of Christ -47 minutes
Dr. Brant Pitre presents on the connection between the Old Testament celebration of Passover and Jesus's Last Supper with his disciples—and how does that impact the Mass as we know it?
My Most Precious Lord Jesus, this night You gathered with Your Apostles to share with them Your last meal. But this was no ordinary meal. This was the gift of Your most Sacred Body and Blood, soon to be broken and poured out on the Cross for the salvation of the world.
Allow me, dear Lord, to spend this night in prayer and meditation with You. After the meal, You invited Your Apostles to join You for one hour, to stay awake and keep vigil as You prepared for Your arrest. The Apostles fell asleep, leaving You in Your bitter agony alone.
I accept Your gentle invitation of love, dear Lord, to spend this night in vigil with You. May I ent