Easter and Holy Thursday

Holy Thursday in Panama is a date of great religious importance for the 95% of Catholic believers in our country, corresponding to Holy Week, as it marks the beginning of the Easter Triduum, which runs from Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday. In the liturgy, the Passion, death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ are commemorated.  It is presumed that the commemoration of Holy Thursday is due to the celebration of the Jewish Passover and the Last Supper of Christ and his disciples. Jesus told his followers how to prepare the Passover meal, thus fulfilling a prophecy. During dinner, he announced that this would be his last Easter on Earth and performed the action that began the ritual of the Eucharist: “Then he took the cup, gave thanks and said: ‘Take this and divide it among yourselves. I tell you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine again until the kingdom of God comes.’ He also took bread and, after giving thanks, broke it, gave it to them and said: ‘This is my body, given for you; do this in memory of me.’ In the same way, he took the cup after supper and said, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is shed for you.'”