HOLY WEEK (THE PASSION WEEK): GREAT & HOLY MONDAY, HOLY TUESDAY, AND HOLY (SPY) WEDNESDAY

Great and Holy Monday

On this day, according to the Gospel of John, we read: “Six days before Easter (Passover),” Jesus arrives in Bethany from Jerusalem (where he made his triumphant entry). Here, the notion of Jesus’ death gets clearer as we hear in his rebuke of Judas Iscariot’s hypocrisy who tried to prevent Mary of Bethany from anointing the feet of Jesus with a very costly ointment. To this, Christ said: “Leave her alone; she had to keep this scent for the day of my burial.” (Cf. John 12:7). The first reading is that of the “suffering Servant of Yahweh.”

After having rebuked Judas Iscariot for his greed and love of money, Judas began to plot different ways of making money even to the extent of betraying his Master and making profits from it. Likewise, the Chief Priests at this time heard that Jesus was at Bethany, and being filled with envy and hatred for Jesus on account of those who had believed in him (those who shouted “Hosanna…” on Palm Sunday) starting scheming for ways to kill him and also Lazarus whom he had raised from the dead.

Have you seen why this Monday is interesting? Curious to learn about what happened the next day? Keep reading…

Holy Tuesday

Aware of the plot of the Chief Priests to kill him, Christ takes his seat at the table with his Apostles, and his crucial moment begins. In other words,  Christ’s journey to his glory begins, as the Johannine community presents us with the episode from the “book of glory” (Cf. Jn. 13:1 – 20:31). This section opens up with Jesus’ awareness that the hour had come for him to pass from this world to the Father, showing to the very end his love for his own who were in this world.

Here, Christ foretells the sad reality of his betrayal by one of his Apostles. Put differently, Jesus announces the betrayal of Judas and the weaknesses of Peter who would deny him thrice. In this scene, there is an anticipation of Holy Thursday – the Last Supper. Sadly, after dipping the piece of bread in the dish and had given it to Judas Iscariot, satan entered him, and he became more determined to betray Jesus. This was the first record of the “smoke of satan” entering the Church, right in the presence of Christ in the “upper room.”

Inasmuch as Jesus showed a particular sign of affection to Judas by dipping the bread in the dish and giving it to him, Judas reacted with contempt and ingratitude. For a host to take a morsel of food and dip it in the sauce, giving it to one of the guests was a gesture of honour and affection in that culture. Thus, Jesus’ final outreach of love to Judas, enacted in the gift of the morsel, is rebuffed. On receiving the morsel, Judas promptly leaves the company of Jesus and the other disciples and goes out into the darkness of the night to execute his plans of betrayal.

Holy Wednesday (Spy Wednesday)

By tradition, this Wednesday of Holy Week is known as “Spy Wednesday”. This is so because before Jesus celebrated the Passover, a “spy” went out to betray him. This action by Judas earned him the title of “spy” by the medieval Christians, in accord with the traditional definition of the English word, “one who keeps secret watch on a person or thing to obtain information.” Therefore, on this day, Judas went to the chief priests and said, ‘What are you prepared to give me if I hand him over to you?’ They paid him thirty silver pieces, and from that moment he looked for an opportunity to betray him.

This deep and abominable act of betrayal opens up today’s Gospel Reading (cf. Matthew 26:14-25).

—PAUSE FOR A MOMENT—

LITANY OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST – FOR HOLY WEEK

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us!
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us!
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us!
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us!

Jesus, eternal wisdom, have mercy on us! (repeat the response for the rest of the invocations)…
Jesus, hated by the world…
Jesus, sold by thirty silver coins…
Jesus, prostrate in prayer…
Jesus, reinforced by an angel…
Jesus, agonizing in blood sweat…
Jesus, betrayed by Judas…
Jesus, abandoned by His disciples…
Jesus, before Anás and Caiaphas…
Jesus, accused of false witnesses…
Jesus, declared worthy of death…
Jesus, spit in the face…
Jesus, wounded on his face…
Jesus, denied three times by Peter…
Jesus, delivered to Pilate…
Jesus, despised and ridiculed by Herod…
Jesus, wounded by our sins…
Jesus, covered with a purple robe…
Jesus, crowned with thorns…
Jesus, cruelly scourged by the whip…
Jesus, sentenced to death…
Jesus, delivered to His enemies…
Jesus, carried with the heavy cross…
Jesus, taken as a lamb for slaughter…
Jesus, stripped of his garments…
Jesus, stuck with nails to the cross…
Jesus, wounded by our iniquities…
Jesus, reputed with the wicked…
Jesus, who granted paradise to the thief…
Jesus, who delivered his Blessed Mother to St. John, as his mother…
Jesus, who committed his Spirit into his Father’s hands…
Jesus, obedient to the Father`s will unto death…
Jesus, pierced with a spear…
Jesus, taken down from the cross…
Jesus, placed in the sepulcher…
Jesus, rising gloriously from the dead…

Of all evil, free us, O Jesus.
Of all sin, deliver us, O Jesus.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world; Forgive us, o Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world; Hear us, o Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world; have mercy on us.

We adore you o Christ and we praise you, because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world!

LET US PRAY

Lord Jesus Christ, as we celebrate your suffering, death, and resurrection this Holy Week, we ask you this day for the blessing and conversion of our hearts. As we participate in the events of the chief mysteries of our salvation, may we come to fully appreciate the Father`s love for the world, and may we reciprocate this love by keeping your commandments, loving the Lord our God with all our heart, strength, soul, and might, and our neighbours for your sake. As we celebrate your glorious resurrection at Easter, may we come to continually share in the divine life which you have prepared for us. You who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen.

Blessing+

The Lord be with you….

May Almighty God bless you, + the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Peace be with you…

CLICK HERE FOR EASTER TRIDUUM: HOLY THURSDAY, GOOD FRIDAY & HOLY SATURDAY… 

Shalom!

Fr. Chinaka Justin Mbaeri, OSJ
nozickcjoe@gmail.com / fadacjay@gmail.com
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PS: Have you prayed your Rosary today?