What does 'Maundy' mean, why is it called 'Good Friday' and more Lent-related questions answered

Holy Week is here and for a largely Catholic country like Philippines, it means a shortened work week, participating in Catholic rituals like Visita Iglesia, sitting through The Seven Last Words, and ending of our Lenten sacrifice.

It also means pondering the meaning of words like "Maundy," why Easter isn't like Christmas with a set date, and why Monday-Wednesday of Holy Week don't have special, erm, names.

So we asked Jesuit Commmunication Executive Director Fr. Emmanuel Alfonso to clarify, and the good priest referred us to the Chaplain of Ateneo Professional Schools Fr. Ruben Orbeta, SJ, an expert liturgist with an MA DEGREE from Catholic University in Washington, D.C. to answer our most pressing Holy Week related questions.

Below is our Q&A with Fr. Ruben, which has been edited for length and clarity.

How did Holy Thursday come to be known as Maundy Thursday?

The term "Maundy" to describe Holy Thursday came from the Latin term "mandatum" or command.

On this day, in the Liturgy of the Lord's Supper, the Gospel Lection is taken from John 13. In the said text, Jesus "bent down and humbled himself" to wash the feet of his disciples.

The washing of the feet is Jesus' distinct mark of service, and of authority if you may. Benedict XVI says this very act of Jesus, in one way or another, sums up the mystery of his very life and mission.

The "mandatum" comes when he exhorts his disciples whose feet he washed: "If I, your Lord and Master, washed your feet, so you must also wash one another's feet." It's a missioning that they follow Jesus' brand of leadership - true diakonia.

So in the Roman Rite for Holy Thursday evening Liturgy, the reenactment of Jesus' washing his disciples' feet is done, precisely to remind the worshipping community to follow Jesus and his brand of service: humble and heartfelt.

Why is it called Good Friday when Jesus dies?

Because the death of Jesus is not looked at as something spiteful and pitiful. Jesus' death is looked upon as redemptive and the pinnacle of his revelation of God's Love, hence it is "Good."

Also, the events of this Passion and Death Friday are not the "end" of the narrative - Passion Friday always leads to the Resurrection Sunday.

Holy Week begins with the joyous Palm Sunday — Jerusalem's warm welcome for Jesus. But then it turns pretty tragic. When and why did the tides turn?

Correct. One has to browse through the Liturgical Lections read at Mass to get the "feel" of the flow of the events.

But ultimately, Jesus' persecution and eventual handing over to death are the zenith of the "Jews'" refusal to accept Jesus and his revelation of his divine person.

Before it turns tragic though, we go through Holy Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday that don't have special monikers unlike the remainder of the week. Why?

Holy Monday to Holy Wednesday are "subdued" since the Liturgy invites the faithful to journey with Jesus in the "silence" and simplicity of the events that led to his ultimate sacrifice on the Cross.

That is actually the "brand" of the Roman Liturgy: brevitas et simplicitas. The "ornate"rites in the Roman Rite were transported from the north of the Alps or some, from Jerusalem.

The Old Testament readings at Mass on these days are from the Prophet Isaiah, and the Three Servant Songs, respectively.

In proclaiming these texts, the Church is inviting the faithful to see in Jesus the fulfilment of this prophetic oracle: Jesus is this mysterious servant whose obedience and docility even in suffering and death brought forth redemption for Israel, and for us Christians, the "new" Israel.

The respective Gospel readings portray Jesus' "last moments" before he endured his passion: the Johannine accounts [Gospel of John] on the anointing of his body at the house of Lazarus as the foreshadowing of his sacrificial death (Monday), his discourse with his disciples at the farewell meal (Tuesday), and the Matthean [Gospel of Matthew] account of Judas "betraying" him and looking for the opportune time to hand him over.

Holy Wednesday is also termed "Spy Wednesday" precisely because of the Gospel account on Judas looking for that opportunity.

Why isn't Easter like Christmas with a set date? What determines Easter?

I think Easter time has something to do with the Spring Equinox. Also, the ancient Christians celebrated Easter on the 14th of Nissan (Jewish month), believed to be the date of Jesus' death.

Because the 14th of Nissan do not always fall on a Sunday, the Western Church (Rome) transcribed the celebration of Easter to the Sunday before the "14th of Nissan."

The Eastern Church (Byzantines, et al) celebrate Easter on the Sunday after the 14th of Nissan. Hence, the different dates of Easter for the Western and Eastern Christians.

— GMA News