Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter and palms are distributed at Mass to commemorate the arrival of Jesus into Jerusalem.
Holy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ as his final meal with his disciples in Jerusalem. Jesus celebrated this dinner as a Passover feast and became the sacrificial lamb so all would be saved by his final sacrifice. This meal also established the Sacrament of Holy Communion. As Catholics, we believe that by partaking in Holy Communion, receiving the Body and Blood of Christ who comes to us in the form of bread and wine, we shall have eternal life. This day also commemorates the institution of the priesthood, as Jesus’ disciples went out to teach and minister to their followers.
Good Friday, Catholics are joined by all other Christians to commemorate the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Before his execution, Jesus was flogged and tormented by soldiers who crowned him with thorns, as King of the Jews. He was mandated to carry a cross, and upon arrival at Calvary, was nailed to that cross, which bore the plaque, INRI, “Jesus Nazareth, King of the Jews.” During his last few hours on the cross, darkness fell over the whole land. Jesus was given a sponge with sour wine mixed with gall, a weak, bitter painkiller. Succumbing to death, he uttered his last words, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”