The Paschal Lamb

Today is the celebration of Holy Thursday in the Catholic Church. Why is this celebration so important to us?

In the Jewish tradition, the Passover is a celebration of the remembrance of the Israelites being freed from slavery in Egypt. Before the Roman destruction of the temple, the celebration of the Passover used to have sacrificial sacrifice of the Paschal Lamb. This was in memory of when the Lord commanded Moses to sacrifice a lamb that is without any blemish, and the Israelites are to eat this lamb in one night, and using a hyssop, mark each of their doorposts with the blood of the lamb. This marking of blood in their doorposts protected them from plague destruction as the Lord has commanded and promised.

After the Jerusalem temple was built in Israel, the paschal lamb that was to be sacrificed was chosen 4 days prior to the celebration of the Passover, and once it was chosen, this lamb was raised up in the pedestal and went around the streets of Jerusalem for everyone to see.

In the New Testament, Jesus came into Jerusalem 4 days before the Passover, but that day, people forgot to bring lambs; why? Because that day, Jesus was riding on a donkey, raised up in a pedestal, and He was riding through the streets of Jerusalem. This indicates that Jesus is the ultimate Paschal Lamb.



St. John the Baptist prophesied that Jesus is the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the whole world” (John 1:29).

When Jesus is celebrating the Passover with His disciples, He took bread and wine and raising them up to Heaven, he said that the bread and wine was His Body and Blood. The bread and wine are not just symbols, they are not like His Body and Blood, but they are His Body and Blood. This is the institution of the Holy Eucharist, the Holy Mass which we celebrate daily today. During this first celebration of the Holy Mass, Jesus told us that He is the Sacrificial lamb,and through His body and blood, we receive salvation.

This was also the time Jesus instituted the sacrament of Holy Orders; He instituted the vocation of Holy Priesthood to be “in persona Christi,” which means “in the person of Christ.”Lord Jesus, thank you for the Precious gift of Your Body and Blood. May Your Precious Body and Blood lead me to Heaven in each moment! May Your Precious Blood wash me, sanctify me, purify me, and cleanse me each and every moment!