Read: Ex. 12: 1-14 Mk. 14: 12-16

"Say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, 'Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ Then he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready. Make the preparations for us there." (Mk 14:14-15)

The first Holy Mass was the anticipated annual ritual re-enactment of the Passover meal that the Master chose to share with His apostles the day BEFORE His ULTIMATE offering... His Passion and Death... the offering of the New Covenant.

"Our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed." (1 Cor. 5:7)

Rather than the blood of the paschal lamb saving the chosen’s first born from death, the New Lamb’s blood would be poured out to free His people from death.

Jesus used the ritual from the Passover by incorporating the blessing if the cup (three different times in ascending order of importance), the prayers, and the breaking of the bread. And since the Gospel account says that Jesus called to a close the Passover meal after Judas’ betrayal, and went to the Garden of Gethsemeni to offer Himself up as the Lamb, He quite possibly used the symbolism of the Passion to stand for the partaking of the flesh of the lamb as called for in the ritual.

What Jesus began was a kind of threshold ritual by which He instituted A NEW "PASSOVER" meal... a ritual that would take the place of the old celebration forever.

When the Jews of old were preparing to partake in the Passover celebration, they did not do so lightly. They prepared themselves spiritually and mentally. They took time out of their work to dedicate themselves to worthily partipate as a reminder of just how much God loved His people and how much He wanted them in the Promised Land, free from slavery and united in prayer.

Psalm 115:9 "The house of Israel trusts in the LORD, who is their help and shield."