By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, April 17: Christian faithful turned out in strength for the Maundy Thursday services held in churches across the city to mark the beginning of the Easter Triduum (three-day period of prayers) which will end with Easter Sunday – the most important feast in Christendom.
Priests conducted the mass of the Lord’s Last Supper and washed the feet of women, underprivileged and marginalised people.
Maundy Thursday is also known as Holy Thursday and falls on the eve of Good Friday. It was on this day that Christ gathered his 12 disciples for a last meal and foretold them of events that would lead to his betrayal to the Romans by one of his disciples followed by his crucifixion.
It was on Maundy Thursday that Christ washed the feet of his 12 apostles before the Last Supper and to recall this historical event mentioned in the Holy Bible, priests across churches enacted a similar scene by washing the feet of 12 clergymen.
Bishop Fr. Bernard Laloo led the Catholic faithful in observing the holy event at a special service at the Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians, Laitumkhrah, on Thursday evening in which he gave his homily telling of the humility of Christ and the suffering he went through at the hands of the Romans after he was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples.
Holy hour was observed later at night.
Good Friday, marking the crucifixion of Christ, will be observed across Meghalaya on Friday with special prayers in churches as faithful undertake fasting as a way of renunciation of earthly comforts.
Special sermons on salvation and partaking in the “Lord’s Supper” marked the celebration of the Holy Week which began last Sunday, also called the Palm Sunday, and will culminate this Sunday, the Easter.
Other Christian denominations will observe the day by attending special prayer services in their respective churches.
Mawbah Dorbar orders closure of shops today
Meanwhile, in a first of its kind decision, the Mawbah Dorbar Shnong has asked all shopkeepers in the locality to keep their shops closed on April 18 on account of Good Friday.
Attempts to contact the East Khasi Hills deputy commissioner and the Rangbah Shnong of Mawbah for their comments on the decision were unsuccessful as there was no response from their side.