Spy Wednesday and Maundy Thursday

Wednesday of Holy Week is also known as Spy Wednesday, the day when Judas Iscariot decided to betray Jesus and approached the Sanhedrin to ask for money to do this. In the Catholic Church (TLM – pre 1955) the Mass contains two Lessons from Isaiah, 62:11, 63:1-7 and 53:1-12. The latter I want to sing along to because so many of the lines are used directly in Messiah. The Gospel is the Passion according to Luke.

The TLM Catholic Church observes Tenebrae (darkness) service on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of Holy Week. This service of matins and lauds includes the gradual extinguishing of candles until at the end of the service the Church is dark. A loud noise (strepitus) is heard near the end. This symbolizes the earthquake and the noise of the crowd at the crucifixion.

On Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday the Mass is a bit different and includes the Gospel of John describing Jesus washing the feet of the Apostles. The word maundy comes from the Latin “mandatum” meaning commandment. (Jesus tells the disciples, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”) After the Mass is over, the Blessed Sacrament is taken to a place of repose, away from the altar. The Tabernacle remains open and empty until the Easter Vigil.

The long journey is over, but the worst is yet to come – the crucifixion on Good Friday. But then comes our joy on Easter when we know that Christ has risen.