Monday of Holy Week
- Feast Day
- March 30
Monday of Holy Week, the day after Palm Sunday, begins the immediate preparation for the Sacred Triduum. The Roman Missal assigns as the Gospel John 12:1-11, the account of Mary of Bethany anointing the feet of Jesus with costly nard six days before the Passover, an act that Christ himself interprets in reference to his approaching burial.
According to the Universal Norms on the Liturgical Year and Calendar (no. 16a), Holy Week weekdays from Monday through Thursday rank above all other liturgical celebrations and admit no memorials. The Mass formularies are taken from the Proper of Time and reflect the increasing intensity of the approach to the Lord's Passion.
The day is one of penitential preparation. The Chrism Mass at the cathedral, formally proper to Holy Thursday morning, may be transferred to Monday or another suitable day of Holy Week to permit the wider gathering of the diocesan clergy.
Monday of Holy Week directs the faithful toward the Passion through the figure of Mary of Bethany, whose extravagant gesture of love anticipates the burial of Christ. The liturgy invites the Church to enter the final week not as observers but as participants, preparing in prayer and penance for the celebration of the Paschal Mystery.
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