To be honest with you, I dislike the custom of taking the Most Blessed Sacrament in procession to another chapel some distance from the church after the Holy Thursday’s Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper.
I have always had inside processions in the church, ending up at an altar of repose in the church, maybe a side altar, or if no side altar, back at the tabernacle.
I have also done, and for years, the stripping of the altar after the Blessed Sacrament is Reposed with the choir chanting the proper chant for it. It’s quite beautiful and in a darkened church.
But I just saw this explanation on Facebook and as it is describe, the longer procession with the laity makes good sense. What do you prefer?
From Facebook:
✝️ WHY THE BLESSED SACRAMENT IS TRANSFERRED TO THE ALTAR OF REPOSE😳
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At the end of Holy Thursday Mass, something deeply moving happens.
The Eucharist is not left on the altar.
It is not kept in the main tabernacle.
👉 It is carried in procession to another place:
The Altar of Repose.
Why?
✝️ THIS IS NOT “STORAGE”, IT IS A JOURNEY
The Church is not relocating the Eucharist for convenience.
👉 She is re-enacting the movement of Christ Himself.
After the Last Supper:
Jesus leaves the Upper Room
He walks into the night
He enters Gethsemane
Now the Church does not just remember this.
👉 She makes you walk it.
The procession with the Blessed Sacrament is:
The Church walking with Christ into His agony.
✝️ WHY A DIFFERENT PLACE?
The Altar of Repose represents:
👉 The Garden of Gethsemane
It is often beautifully prepared, but not like the main altar.
Because this is not the place of sacrifice.
👉 It is the place of waiting, sorrow, and surrender.
✝️ THE EUCHARIST IS THE SAME CHRIST
The One carried in procession is not a symbol.
👉 It is the same Jesus who said:
“My soul is sorrowful unto death” (Matthew 26:38)
“Stay here and watch with me” (Matthew 26:38)
So when the Blessed Sacrament is placed there…
👉 Christ is now “in the garden.”
✝️ THE INVITATION MOST PEOPLE MISS
After the transfer, the Church does something unusual:
👉 She stays.
Adoration continues.
Silence deepens.
Why?
Because Jesus asked:
👉 “Could you not watch one hour with me?” (Matthew 26:40)
This is not devotion.
👉 This is obedience to Christ’s request.
✝️ A HARD TRUTH
Many attend the Mass.
Few stay for the vigil.
History repeats itself:
The disciples slept
The crowd disappeared
And today?
👉 Many still walk away.
✝️ WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU
The Altar of Repose reveals something uncomfortable:
👉 Faith is not only about receiving Christ.
👉 It is about staying with Him when it is difficult.
When prayer feels heavy…
When God feels silent…
👉 That is Gethsemane.
✝️ THE FINAL TRUTH
The transfer of the Blessed Sacrament is a question:
Will you follow Jesus only to the
👉 Or will you follow Him into the night?
The most important moment of Holy Thursday is not only the Eucharist…
👉 It is what happens after, when Jesus waits…
…and asks:
“Will you stay?”
#CatholicsOnlineClass ✝️
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PICTURE: gotten from @San Antonio De Padua Parish - Malabon
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