Last Supper is celebrated every year on Holy Thursday

The Passover Sedar Meal –Celebrated the holy days when faithful Jews

remembered how Yahweh freed the Israelites from slavery

Gratitude for God not abandoning themSedar Meal – Jewish people retell the story of

the Exodus and give thanks to God

Passion Sunday (Palm Sunday) – Jewish crowds waved palm branches and cheered his arrival on a humble donkey

Jesus said he was sent from God = BLASPHEMY

Roman rulers were afraid that Jesuswould cause riots against Romans

Jesus challenged the authoritiesChief priests of the Temple and Pharisees

Disciples and Jesus knew that his time was coming up…

Celebrated the Passover meal together by sharing stories of Exodus, said thanks to God, and sang songs

With tender love Jesus identified the bread and wine as his body and blood poured out

Reflection: Matthew 26:26-29

John’s account of the Last Supper: Washed the feet of his disciples

The story is a way of teaching how to serve one another in love

Catholics celebrate the Eucharist = Mass (Thanksgiving)

Jesus is literally the bread and wineJesus’ sacrifice is now and

forever with us

***WE ARE UNITED IN GOD AND ONE ANOTHER!!**

Jesus knew his friends would betray him, including JUDAS

His disciples were afraid to stay with JesusJesus was abandoned by everyone around himJesus’ suffering is told through the PASSION

story

Garden of Gethsemane – Jesus prayed to God to spare him from the death and suffering

Jesus came to accept it because he TRUSTED in his Father’s love for him

Judas brought the soldiers to Jesus and kissed him

Disciples left Jesus Jesus was accused with blasphemy – claiming

divine status – and threatening to destroy the temple

Jesus was mocked, blindfolding, spat on, beaten, and hit in the face

Pontius Pilate was pressured by the chief priests and the mob and sentenced Jesus to death

Crucifixions were the cruelest, most tortuous methods of capital punishment

The scourgingJesus was whipped and his flesh was torn from

his bodyDressed in a purple robe and a crown made

from a thorny bush was pounded on his headJesus = “King of the Jews”

Nailed to the CrossJesus had to walk a quarter of mile with a heavy

wooden beam to GOLGATHA (“PLACE OF SKULL”)

Jesus was helped by a man named SIMON OF CYRENE

At Golgatha, Jesus was stripped of his clothes, laid out his arms and his wrists and feet were nailed to the cross.

Jesus was tortured for hours and suffocated for air

Jesus said “My God, My God. Why have you abandoned me?:

Love of enemies - “Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing”

Jesus freely accepted his deathJesus’ death became an act of love for all

humankind and total trust in God’s love for him

GOOD FRIDAY – Day to remember that Jesus died and his body was laid in the tomb

“He has been raised”Mary Magdalene and Mary

went to the tomb to finish Jesus’ burial

An angel appeared, rolled the stone away, and said “Jesus has been raised.” They were told to go tell the disciples

Jesus’ disciples were afraid so they hid They felt that Jesus died with

his mission and purposeThey felt lied to

Easter = the celebration ofJesus being brought back to lifeEvery Sunday = miniEasterSunday = Sabbath day

Jesus appeared as a gardener to Mary Magdelene

He appeared as a stranger on the road to Emmaus

He appeared to his disciples in the room

All four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) all note the story – Jesus was not in the tomb and Mary M. and Mary found the empty tomb. The disciples were told that Jesus was raised from the dead

After Jesus died, stories about his life, death, and resurrection was passed on by word of mouth

The authors wrote the stories to meet the needs of the particular Christian community

Bible = a collection of stories of religious truth carried on by God’s people