Catholics, Seder Meals, and the Lamb of God

The readings for Holy Thursday make a point that may be easily overlooked. The first, from Exodus provides a glimpse into the Jewish tradition of Passover - a practice Jesus would have participated in with His family. The second comes from 1 Corinthians and tells us of the Last Supper, the New Covenant, and the first instance of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. When we ponder this choice of readings, one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament, we begin to see that Jesus did, indeed, come to fulfill the Old Law by the institution of a New Covenant.

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, And when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

This brings us to the logical, and morally sound, conclusion that celebrating a Seder Meal is not a practice that should be observed by Christians. We are the Easter People and Jesus is the Lamb of God. He is the New Covenant, the New Sacrifice, and His death saves us from Eternal damnation. No longer are we to offer animal sacrifices; the Temple has fallen, the biblical Jewish priests are gone, and Jesus has died for our Salvation.

As we celebrate the most holy of seasons - the Triduum, let us remember the importance of our beautiful faith, given to us by Jesus the Christ Himself!

If you'd like to delve further into this teaching please continue to Why Christians Shouldn't Celebrate Seder Meals. There you'll find references from Saint Thomas Aquinas, the Council of Trent, and Catholic theology books as well as an extremely informative audio presentation by a good holy priest.