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vine Lord, the pillar to which He was bound during His
scourging. TKis church also possesses the holy bodies
of a great number of martyrs which were removed from
the Catacombs. The aim of the liturgy during this week
is to set before us in succession the circumstances of our
Lord s Passion. On Palm Sunday we assisted at His
triumphal entry into Jerusalem, but this ovation only
exasperated His enemies and they consulted together
as to how they could compass His death. On this Mon
day, our Lord who had retired to Bethany, returned to
Jerusalem and then in the evening went back to Bethany.
On Tuesday He spent the day in the temple and gave
directions to His disciples for the preparations for the
celebration of the Pasch. On Wednesday Judas went
to the high priest and offered to deliver his divine Master
into their hands for thirty pieces of silver. This offer
put an end to their hesitation and their fears. On Holy
Thursday, in the evening our Lord celebrated the Pasch,
instituted the Blessed Eucharist and the priesthood,
and then retired to the garden of Olives where
He was seized and brought before the tribunals. On
Good Friday, He was condemned to death and cruci
fied. In the evening of this same day His sacred body
was laid in the tomb where it remained during the whole
of Holy Saturday.
The liturgy of this week is in keeping with the last
incidents in our Lord s life. Thus the facts related in the
Gospel which refer to Monday
are : our Lord s visit
to the temple in Jerusalem ; the cursing of the barren
fig tree ; His answer to the insidious questions of the
pharisees and ancients of the people ; His return to
Bethany ; and His prediction of the destruction of the
temple ; allusions to these different events occur in the
liturgy for Monday. The Gospel for the Mass however