Catholic Celebrations of Passover

In reflecting on this week's Passover, I have come to realize that the understanding and meaning this holiday has for me would never have happened if I wasn't American. Allow me to explain:

Like most Filipinos, I am a born and raised Catholic who first learned about the story of Passover in the beautiful pictures of the children's Bible my parents gave me. For those of you unfamiliar with this pivotal point in Jewish and Biblical history, Passover details the story of God delivering His people from slavery in Egypt. The term Passover literally refers to God passing over Hebrew households when he struck down the firstborn male of every family in Egypt, including the Pharaoh's son. Hebrews were saved because they were instructed to mark their doors in lamb's blood so God would know who dwelled within.

Passover also refers to the Israelites' hurried flight from Egypt, because the Pharaoh finally let them go after the death of his son. The rest of the story, including the parting of the Red Sea, has been told countless times and even made into cinematic history by the likes of Charlton Heston.

As a kid, it's very difficult to imagine this story happening without the pictures you see in children's bibles. And I had very little knowledge of just how important this holy day was until my family and I were invited to a Passover Seder meal. Prior to this meal, my parents and I had no idea that some Christian and Catholic families celebrated Passover. We thought it was something only Jewish families celebrated, with no inkling of the correlation to our own faith.

So my family and I experienced our first Passover Seder meal together in America. We ate Matzo bread and used an adapted Haggadah for prayers. Here we were, several Catholic families celebrating a holiday that was different and yet so intrinsically tied into our faith. It was at this Seder that I learned what many Catholics believe: that the Last Supper was celebrated during Passover, and it was at this meal that Jesus gave us the Eucharist, which is the very heart of our faith.

That night, I also realized and truly understood that Jesus was born and raised Jewish. And that Judaism and Christianity share intertwining histories, values, the Old Testament, and the 10 Commandments. This Passover Seder meal opened my eyes to the world around me, allowing me to appreciate and respect people of other faiths.

Because of this experience, Passover is not just a holy day for me. My first Passover Seder was a true life lesson, one that helped me to accept and appreciate the differences in other people. It also makes me thankful to be American, because it provided me with a sense of diversity that I wouldn't have had if I grew up in the Philippines. I doubt I would have been able to grasp this concept at such a young age if my family had not been invited to that long ago Seder.

Now that I'm grown, I don't celebrate Passover with Seder, but I still reflect on this holy day every year in deference to my Jewish friends and the shared aspects of our faiths. And so I wish everyone celebrating Passover a blessed holy day.

For additional information on Passover and how some Catholics celebrate this holiday, I recommend the following articles:

Passover, Wikipedia

Marilyn Lanford, Holy Week Passover Seder connects Catholics to the Last Supper, Jews, Catholic Online

Lois K. Solomon, Celebrating Passover, as Christians: Christians conduct Seders to connect with the Jewish heritage of Jesus, KansasCity.com