Today we enter into three days of sacred liturgies leading up to the glorious Resurrection of our Lord on Easter Sunday. These days are some of the most beautiful and sacred of our entire liturgical year.

The Holy Triduum begins with the celebration of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday. Holy Thursday is a day on which we remember the Last Supper, a Passover meal Christ shared with His apostles during which He washed their feet and established the Holy Eucharist. After this meal, Jesus went into the Garden of Gethsemane to pray before entering into His Passion.

As you go about your day, reflect on these Holy Thursday events from scripture and how they relate to your own spiritual life:

Washing of Feet

He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Master, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing, you do not understand now, but you will understand later.” Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me.” — John 13:6-8 

Do I surrender to God’s will? Do I let pride come in the way of allowing Jesus to wash my soul clean in the Sacrament of Confession? Jesus instructed his apostles to wash the feet of others—am I humble enough to serve others in this way?

Betrayal of Jesus

And while they were eating, he said, “Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” Deeply distressed at this, they began to say to him one after another, “Surely it is not I, Lord?” — Matthew 26:21-22

I tell myself that I would never betray Jesus like Judas did, yet I betray Jesus in small actions every day—by my sin, my distrust or lack of faith, my failure to stand up for my belief in Christ and His Church. How can I work towards a stronger and more loyal relationship with God?

The Holy Eucharist

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, “Take and eat; this is my body.” — Matthew 26:26

Jesus tells us, “This is My Body.” Do I believe in the true presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist? Do I receive Jesus with proper reverence and in a state of grace? Do I take the greatest of all the sacraments—the Holy Eucharist—for granted? How can I renew my love for and devotion to the Body and Blood of Christ?

Keeping Watch with Christ

Remain here and keep watch with me. … When he returned to his disciples he found them asleep. He said to Peter, “So you could not keep watch with me for one hour? — Matthew 26:38, 40

Jesus asked His friends to stay awake with Him in the Garden of Gethsemane, yet they all fell asleep. Do I keep watch with Christ, or do I fall asleep as Peter and the other disciples did?  What do I allow to weaken my relationship with God—worldly desires, sin, distractions? How can I remove these obstacles so that they don’t keep me from doing what Christ has asked of me?