Maundy Thursday

[Fenris]

Today is the first day of the Easter Triduum.

In the Middle Ages, specifically in England, the Mass was performed with a greater solemnity than during the rest of the liturgical year. The priest consecrated three hosts: one for his communion at the Mass, one for his communion at the Good Friday Mass, and a third to be used in sepulchre ceremonies. When Maundy Thursday Mass was complete, the altars of the church were ritually stripped of their coverings while a series of responsories (chants) about the Passion or the prophets were sung. As each altar was stripped the presiding priest recited a collect to the particular saint to whom the altar was dedicated. After they were stripped, the altars were washed with a mixture of water and wine, and scrubbed using a broom of sharp twigs. Each of these actions were symbolic: the stripping of the altars symbolized the stripping of Jesus for his death, the water and wine were the water and blood from his pierced side, and the sharp twigs were the scourges or the crown of thorns.

In the larger religious houses, these actions were followed by the Maundy - the solemn feet-washing echoing the description of Christ washing the feet of his disciples in the Gospel of John. It is believed, due to lack of description in contemporary accounts, that the Maundy was not regularly observed on Maundy Thursday.

One aspect of regular Mass not observed on Maundy Thursday was the pax because, according to John Mirk's Festial, "Iudas betrayd Crist thys nyght wyth a cosse."

[flamingyouth]

1. I will not be washing feet tonight

But nice post. ;)

[Fenris]

2. Ha.

:D

[miss_american_pie]

3. Yes, they won't do funeral masses

until after the holiday.

[Left Is Write]

4. I would have liked to attend services tonight, but it starts in 7 minutes

It's not a service I'd bring the kids to, and my husband is not home yet.

[yellowdogintexas]

5. went to Maundy Thursday Service of Tennebrae tonight at

my church.
At the end of the service, the ministers stripped the altar of all vestments, candles, cross, and the humongo Bible that is normally there, and carried them out of the sanctuary. I don't recall this from past Tennebrae services and wondered why they did this.

The service was awesome. We had Communion, then some music, then a series of readers read the events from the Garden of Gathsemane to the Entombment. Between each reading there was music by the choir, which was wonderful and full of variety, and the sanctuary was slowly darkened as the readings progressed. Candles were lit on the altar, and at the end of each reading, the reader snuffed a candle.
At the end only the permanent votives behind the choir and the small organ light and a tiny reading lamp for the ministers was still lit. We all left the sanctuary in complete silence and very dim light. The smallest potlights in the ceilings were relit to the dimmest setting so we would not fall or trip going out in the dark. Came out to a rull moon.

Beautiful service.