Some Notes on Maundy Thursday 2011

Pope John Paul II at prayer in the Last Supper Room

Our family is finally settling down after a seeming  endless stream of activities.   We will attend the half-day recollections at St. Benedict Chapel at  San Beda Alabang  tomorrow and on Saturday.  And we will attend  Easter Vigil Mass at the Presentation of Child Jesus Parish , BF Homes Paranaque.

When I looked up at today's readings, there are two sets: one is for the Chrism Mass and another for the Evening Mass of the  Lord's Supper.

This morning's Chrism Mass at St. Andrew   Cathedral  in La Huerta, Paranaque is surely memorable.  By tradition,  it  is on Maundy Thursday when the new  priest assignments  within the diocese are  announced.  I am particularly interested in the  announcement on the new post of our parish priest,    Fr. Rolando R. Agustin--  he was my high school  classmate and  one of the priests who officiated the mass in my wedding.

As I await for the news  from the Cathedral, I decided to blog about today's commemoration of Maundy Thursday. I came across these points:

• Maundy is derived from the Latin word "mandatum" meaning command.  It refers to the passage from  John 13:34, wherein the Lord Jesus said:   " I give you a new commandment:  love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another." 
• Holy Thursday is the commemoration of the  institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper-- and the oldest  observance peculiar to Holy Week.  Tradition  would later include other ceremonies held on this day:  the consecration of the holy oil, the  reconciliation of the penitents and the washing of the feet.
• Visita Iglesia or visiting churches  on Holy Thursday is a tradition handed to the Philippines by the Spaniards.  The original tradition, as  practiced in  Rome,  includes the visit of  7 churches; seven being a number of significant meaning in our Catholic faith-- 7 sacraments, 7 gifts of the Holy  Spirit,  to forgive seventy-seven times (Mt. 18)...
• This Spanish legacy  explains why there were originally seven great churches within the walled city of Intramuros, of which only two are now surviving-- the Cathedral- Basilica of the Immaculate Conception also known as the Manila Cathedral and   San Agustin Church originally known as the  "Iglesia de San Pablo."

While I was growing up,   I somehow learned  that Visita Ignlesia meant visiting 14 churches during Holy Thursday-- corresponding to the number of stations in the  Way of the Cross.   It is a practice I intend to keep and share with my family.  GPS

Post Script:  I checked this afternoon the  website of the Diocese of Paranaque for the priest assignments effective July 1, 2011.  Fr. Rolly R. Agustin has been appointed the following posts:

• Vicar Forane of Sta. Rita de Cascia Vicariate
• Parish Priest of Saint Andrew Parish in La Huerta, Paranaque City
• Rector of St. Andrew Cathedral

Our new parish priest in the  Presentation of the Child Jesus Parish is Fr. Rodel D. Paulino.