Altar of Repose (Lain: Altare Repositorium) on Maundy Thursday- meaning and significance.

Date : Thursday, April 17, 2025

Report : Anil Danthy, ICYM Animator.

The Altare of Repose is a temporary Altar where the sacred host is kept for a significant period to allow and mark the beginning of mourning the passion and death of our Lord.

Taking the Blessed Sacrament to the altar of Repose represents the movement of our Lord from the house of the Last Supper to the Garden of Olives; where He underwent His agony and would be betrayed by Judas.

It’s customary in the Catholic Church to ‘strip the altar’s which symbolises the abandonment of Jesus by his disciples and stripping of Jesus by the soldiers before crucifixion. This also reminds us how He was stripped of his garments when He was handed over to the crowd of Jews and was exposed naked to their insults.

Still, we are followers of Jesus Christ, and should keep company with him all the time and even more during His agony and passion.

May our devotion in front of the silenced Jesus bring us grace and blessings.