“The New is hidden in the Old, and the Old is unveiled in the New.” — St. Augustine
A few years back, I remember having coffee with a fellow member of a business networking group that we both continue to be in. It was close to this time of year (that being Easter), and I specifically remember him saying something that still resonates. He's Jewish, and I'm Catholic. Acknowledging our respective, and related, faith traditions, he said: "I am still amazed at how many Christians I know, who have no idea that The Last Supper was a Passover Meal."
"Bingo!" I replied (as a Catholic, what else would I say?).
I have observed the same thing over the years; indeed this lack of understanding of the connection between the Jewish and Christian traditions is probably most evident during this time of year. Unfortunately, due to differences in how the Jewish and Christian calendars are calculated, Passover and Holy Week don't coincide every year. However, when they do (like an infrequent celestial alignment), I find myself moved by a deep sense of sacred continuity. The story of salvation feels closer, more connected, more alive.
In the Jewish tradition, Passover is a remembrance of liberation—the night when the blood of the lamb marked the homes of the faithful, and God delivered His people from slavery in Egypt. During Holy Week, Christians walk with Christ, the true Paschal Lamb, whose blood marks the wood of the Cross and opens the way to a greater exodus: from sin and death into freedom and life.
The overlap is not coincidence—it’s providence. At the Last Supper, Jesus was celebrating the Passover with His disciples. But in that upper room, something new unfolded. The old was fulfilled, not discarded. The bread and wine became His Body and Blood. The lamb of the meal gave way to the Lamb of God.
When these holy days align, time feels less linear. The Old and the New, the Covenant and its Fulfillment, Israel and the Church—all gathered around the same sacred table. It’s as if God is reminding us that He is the same yesterday, today, and in eternity.
One story. One plan. One Savior.
This article was last modified on April 16, 2025 .
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