Passover

Passover is the celebration of the Lord's liberation of the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. To mark which of God's people would be saved, God instructed Moses to have the people sacrifice a year-old lamb, sprinkle its blood on the doorpost of their house, and consume the lamb according to specific sacrificial instructions.

The sacrificial lamb signaled the Angel of Death to "pass over" that house and leave the first born there alive.

Jesus extended the Passover salvation of the Israelites to all peoples with his sacrifice on the Cross. Thus, Passover was a prefiguration" (an example of what was to come) of Christ. On Holy Thursday at the Lord's Supper, Jesus initiated the Sacrament of the Eucharist and declared the New Covenant with Man through is body and blood.

The Lord instructed Moses and Aaron,

This day will be a day of remembrance for you, which your future generations will celebrate with pilgrimage to the LORD; you will celebrate it as a statute forever. (Ex 12:14)

Passover is to be a continuing event, just as salvation and redemption shall continue until the end of time.

Celebration of Passover at Mass

By participating in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, Catholics celebrate the Passover at every Mass, especially when Jesus says,

Do this in memory of me

which were his words at the Last Supper, a Passover meal.

Passover typology

Passover prefigures Christ and salvation. We can come to understand Christ's salvation through the lens of Passover:

Typology of Passover

Passover	Christ
Slavery in Egypt	Slavery to Sin
First born of the Israelis	Jesus is Son of God
Sacrificial Lamb	Jesus is the Lamb of God
Smear the blood on the doorpost using a hyssop branch	Blood of Christ (the Eucharist)	On the Cross, Jesus took the fourth cup of wine by drinking the common wine the people gave to him using a hyssop branch
Eat the sacrificial lamb	Body of Christ (the Eucharist)
Salvation from Egypt by crossing the Red Sea, which is parted by God	Baptism and the Holy Spirit cleansing original sin