Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, "Go and procure lambs for your families, and slaughter them as Passover victims. Then take a bunch of hyssop, and dipping it in the blood that is in the basin, sprinkle the lintel and the two doorposts with this blood. But none of you shall go outdoors until morning. For the LORD will go by, striking down the Egyptians. Seeing the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over that door and not let the destroyer come into your houses to strike you down. (Exodus 12: 21-23, NAB)
This makes me think of all that I have been spared because I have been marked by the blood of the Lamb. The emptiness and loneliness and searching in this world and regret and potential suffering in the next is lessened each time I partake in the Passover sacrifice at every Mass. What a gift to be Catholic! May we never take it for granted.
To help our children understand the significance of this, we want to build an understanding of the importance of Passover early in their lives. When a child understands the Old Testament, she sees the fulfillment of Salvation History in Christ. The Eucharist, the greatest of Sacraments, is such a perfect response to all that came before and preparation for all that would and will come after. When we know what came before, we better appreciate this.
Holy Thursday is the day we honor the institution of the Eucharist, when Jesus elevated the Passover meal to the ultimate Sacrament. This is why we devote Holy Thursday to Passover and Eucharist.
For young children, this means reading stories, the Children’s Bible and watching movies retelling the story of the Exodus early in the day. Later at dinner, we’ll read from the book of Exodus before partaking in a meal of lamb, bitter herbs, matzoh (homemade if I have time), grape juice, and haroset (apple raisin salad which symbolizes the bricks and mortar from the years of slavery in Egypt), along with other sides. Afterward, we can read St. John’s account of the Last Supper, if the children are too young to attend Holy Thursday Mass.
If you want to do a little more, try a Christian version of the Seder Meal, like this one, to connect the meal more intimately with the meal the Israelites were commanded to eat at the Exodus. You can try for a super-authentic Seder if you wish, but the Seder meal that our Jewish brethren celebrate today is not the quite same as the tradition used in Israel 2000 years ago anyway, so modifications for our faith perspective are reasonable. Really, Holy Thursday is about the Eucharist first.
I hope you make Holy Thursday a special day of family traditions that will impact the memories and understanding of your children as they grow in faith. God bless us all as we work to raise our children in His Church.
God bless,
Kate
So glad you do a Seder Meal! We do ours on Wednesday nights (because it’s a formal meal with prayers, because we have people over, and trying to clean up after a big meal while getting ready for a late night church service is impossible!). But it’s a beautiful tradition!
That’s a good idea Regina. Almost like a vigil meal for Holy Thursday!