Holy Thursday Reflections from Fr. Tony Kadavil:
http://www.tkayala.com/2012/04/holy-thursday.html
http://www.tkayala.com/2013/03/holy-thursday.html
For Illustrations go to:
http://www.homilystories.in/2014/04/holy-thursday.html
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From Fr. Roger Swenson:
Unlikely gift, this Eucharist,
A simple supper, common fare Compels Omnipotence to bend
To earth and save a sinner there.
Where is the mighty tread of God,
Colossus striding forth to shake The very pillars of the earth
And cause all sullied hearts to quake?
Outside an upper room at dusk
A mockingbird adds evensong To homesick hymns of Galilee
From voices straining to be strong.
No shafts of Zeus to split the air
And make the cedars writhe in flame. No Caesar marshalling his hosts
To make the nations praise his name.
A man who shares a humble meal with friends afraid of morning's sun, in benediction wipes their feet:
Bend to the bowl as I have done.****************
From Fr. John Conley, SJ
Watching and Waiting with Christ
Purpose: Holy Thursday is a glorious celebration of two great gifts Christ has granted his Church: the gift of himself in the Eucharist, and the gift of the new priesthood he has instituted. But this glory is not that of the world. It is rooted in a mission of humble service, and it manifests itself in the loneliness of Gethsemane, and the suffering of Golgotha.
Holy Thursday has always had a magical quality to it. During my suburban childhood in the 1950s, we would visit three different churches after we had attended the solemn celebration of the Lord’s Supper in our own. We would kneel before the Blessed Sacrament surrounded by flowers, brocades, silk canopies, and candles―in one neighboring church, a waterfall with colored strobe lights―on the altar of reposition. Prayer would become a pilgrimage in the night, and a moment of mystical fellowship with neighboring Catholics in our county. Later in the evening, men from the Holy Name Society would break their sleep, late in the evening, and walk through the dark streets to spend an hour of silent meditation before the Blessed Sacrament as members of an honor guard.
The evening’s liturgy is almost unbearably rich, as we are moved by the Spirit from one mystery of faith, and one spiritual mood to another. The evening Mass begins in glory as the bells are rung during a rousing “Gloria” after a long gilded procession of ministers down the aisle. But, then the organ is suddenly silenced for the rest of the Triduum. By the end of the liturgy, we are stripping the altars of its cloths and ornament. We enter the dark silence of Gethsemane. The apostles fled on that first vigil of the Passion. We have heard the call to “watch and wait” in fidelity to Christ’s call to be with him as he faces the cross.
The truths we celebrate this evening lie at the heart of the Catholic faith. As St. Paul indicates in the epistle, we celebrate the gift of the Eucharist, of Christ himself present body and blood, divinity and humanity, to his Church until the end of time. “On the night he was handed over, the Lord Jesus took bread and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, ‘Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way also after supper, he took the cup and said, “This cup is the covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink of it, in remembrance of me.’” In celebrating the institution of the Eucharist, we also celebrate the institution of the priesthood in Christ, the community of the apostles, and the successors called to preside over the Eucharist, during the Church’s pilgrimage toward eternity, and to preach God’s redeeming Word from the heart of the Eucharist.
St. John’s Gospel points to a different part of the mystery we celebrate this evening: our humble service of each other in Christ’s charity. In the moving ceremony of Christ’s mandatum, we wash the feet of the poor, the elderly, and the sickly as an expression of the spiritual service upon which the entire life of the Church is based. “If I, therefore, the master and the teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow. As I have done for you, you should also do for each other.” In centering the church on this mystery of humble, loving service, no contemporary Christian has been more forceful than Pope Francis has been in his simple words and gestures of solidarity with the disabled. As Holy Thursday moves toward the mystery of the agony in the garden, the trials, and the crucifixion, the cost of this loving service in Christ, becomes clearer and clearer. In the shadow of Gethsemane, the church’s own call to suffer for the sake of the truth in her service emerges.
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From Father Joseph Pellegrino
Consume and Be Consumed Let’s begin tonight considering covenants, those solemn pacts between God and Man we come upon so often in the Sacred Scriptures. A covenant was made with Noah. God told Noah that he would never give up on his people. This was the covenant of the rainbow. There was a covenant with Abraham. God told Abraham that Abraham’s conquest of faith over doubts would result in his descendants being as numerous as the stars of the sky and the grains of sand of the shore. This was the covenant of faith. There was the covenant with Moses. God told Moses that he loved his people so much he would show them how to follow him and be holy. This was the covenant of the Ten Commandments. God told the prophet Jeremiah that a time would come when there would be a New Covenant, a covenant which would be written in the hearts of the people.
And Jesus took the cup, and said, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." Every time, then, you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes!”
The essence of the Eucharist is union with the sacrifice of Jesus. The Second Vatican Council put this beautifully and poetically:
At the Last Supper our Savior instituted the Eucharistic Sacrifice of his body and blood to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross. He entrusted to the Church a memorial of His death and resurrection, .....a sacrament of love, .....a sign of unity, .....a bond of charity, .....a paschal banquet in which .....Christ is consumed, .....the mind is filled with grace, .....and the pledge of future glory is given to us. (Sacrosantum Concilium–the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council, 47)
There are some who treat the Eucharist as merely a symbol of the community. The Eucharist is infinitely more than a meal of fellowship. On the other hand, there are some who treat the Eucharist only as an time of intense meditation. Receiving the Eucharist is more than the union of an individual with the Lord. The Eucharist is the living memorial of Calvary. The Gift of the Last Supper is the sacramental expression of the crucifixion of the Lord. This is the New Covenant in his Blood written within the hearts of Jesus’ disciples.
The ability to take bread and wine and transform the reality of this existence into the Body and Blood of the Lord was given by the Lord to his disciples. “Do this in memory of me.” They were given the power to act in the person of the Lord, or, using the theological expression, in persona Christi. This power continues in the Church through the grace of God and the mystery of the sacrament of orders. Priests take on the person of Jesus. The Liturgy of Holy Thursday, therefore, focuses on these two sacraments, the Eucharist and Holy Orders, uniting them both to the sacrifice of the Cross. Through the grace of Holy Orders, the people are provided with the New Covenant of the Body and Blood of Lord.
This is all dogmatic theology, the theology of what we believe. It is useless without its practical application to real life. We who consume the Lord must be consumed by the Lord. The Eucharist is only fully realized in our lives when we live as a Eucharistic People. We cannot be satisfied with consuming the Lord. We must be consumed by the Lord. His life must become our lives. We must be Christians in the fullest meaning of the word, people who are so consumed by the reality of the Lord that we have been transformed. We consume the Eucharist so we can be consumed by Jesus Christ.
Before the meal, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and then said to them, “What you have seen me do for you so you must also do for others.” The Lord’s action was prophetic and symbolic. It was prophetic in that it suggested the extent of what the Lord would do in emptying himself for his people. Not even a slave in the time of the Lord could be required to wash the feet of a visitor. This was too demeaning. Yet Jesus does this as a prophetic expression of how much he would humble himself for the sake of his people. The washing of the feet is a prophetic action that points to the Lord’s humbling himself on the Cross.
Along with being prophetic, the washing of feet is symbolic. When Jesus says, “What you have seen me do, do also yourselves,” he is encouraging us to find ways to reach out to others no matter how much sacrifice or how personally demeaning this might be. You parents with infants do this every time you change a diaper. You don’t complain because this is your baby, your love. No action is too demeaning to care for your treasure, your child. We Christians are called to extend this love to all. No action is too demanding for a Christian when this action is an expression of the love of Christ for others. The nurse’s aid that empties bedpans, the neighbor who washes the sores of the fellow with AIDS next door, the teacher who makes time for those students who are not getting any help at home, are all performing actions that express the reality of the Eucharist.
We consume the Eucharist so we can be consumed by Jesus Christ. He is our Everything. Uniting our lives to his life give our lives meaning and purpose and fulfillment. It doesn’t end here though. There is infinitely more to life than the here and now. Being consumed by Christ unites us to the Eternal; for the One Who Always Was brings those He has consumed before the Throne of the One Who Always Is, the Ancient of Days, the Glory of the Father, the Fire of the Spirit.
Let us pray: Lord, we consume you whenever we receive communion. Give us the courage to allow you to consume us. May we allow our Eucharistic union with you to permeate every aspect of our lives so that we might truly be a Eucharistic People.
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The Meeting
Years ago a Chicago restaurant had specially printed place mats at all its tables.
The mats were designed exclusively for the restaurant. And if you asked the waitress, she’d give you one to take home, frame, and hang on your wall.
Let me share with you the wording that appeared on those mats. It went something like this:
"In 1923 an important meeting took place at Chicago's Edgewater Beach Hotel. Attending the meeting were the following men:
"The president of the largest steel company, the president of the largest utility company, the president of the largest gas company,
The president of the New York Stock Exchange, the president of the Bank of International Settlements, the greatest wheat speculator, the greatest bear on Wall Street, the head of the world's greatest monopoly, a member of President Harding's cabinet."
That's a pretty impressive line-up of people. Yet, 25 years later, where were those nine industrial giants?
According to the story on the place mat, the president of the largest steel company, Charles Schwab, died a bankrupt;
The president of the largest utility company, Samuel Insull, died penniless;
The president of the largest gas company, Howard Hobson, had gone insane;
The president of the New York Stock Exchange, Richard Whitney, was just released from prison; the bank president, Leon Fraser, died a suicide; the wheat speculator, Arthur Cutten, died penniless;
The Wall Street bear, Jesse Livermore, died a suicide; the head of the world's greatest monopoly, Ivar Kruegar, died a suicide; the member of President Harding's cabinet, Albert Fall, was
Practical Application: Self-service is no service. We are programmed to look only to our own needs; we find it hard to include the needs of others. We are made to be served and waited upon; we find it difficult to serve and wait upon others. We are constituted to promote our personal advantage; we find it distasteful to promote the advantage of others. Yet the whole thrust of Holy Thursday is that to be Christian means to serve others. Self-service is no service.
Paul's community at Corinth was a divided community. At the church suppers which preceded the Eucharist, individuals provided only for themselves to the point where some became intoxicated and others went hungry. For Paul, this community could not proclaim the death of the Lord. They did not act out in daily living the dying of Jesus for others. To celebrate Eucharist meant to embark upon a way of living in which one met the needs of others. For Paul, self-service is no service.
The Johannine community believed in a theology of reaching out to the members of the community. The foot washing became, therefore, a symbolic action which had to be reproduced in the lives of the community. In John, the authentic follower of Jesus is one who will not eschew washing the feet of the other members. To hail Jesus as Lord and Master meant to make oneself servant and slave of all. Humble service became the Christian hallmark. In John, self-service is no service.
Husbands and wives who constantly look to each other's needs show their Christian way. Children who consistently seek to provide for the needs of the family reveal Christian values. Leaders who regularly spend their time and energies in promoting the good of their people give evidence of Christianity. The gifted, both married and single, who habitually donate their skills and talents to aid the less gifted demonstrate the following of Jesus. All those who look beyond themselves to meet the problems and needs of others live out the theology of Holy Thursday. In Christianity, concern for just oneself is inadequate. Self-service is no service.
(Fr. John Craghan, CSSR)
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From Fr. Tony Kadavil:
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From Fr. Tony Kadavil:
Synopsis
Introduction: On Holy Thursday we celebrate three anniversaries: 1) the anniversary of the first Holy Mass, 2) the anniversary of the institution of ministerial priesthood in order to perpetuate the Holy Mass, convey God’s forgiveness to repentant sinners and preach the Good News of Salvation, 3) the anniversary of Jesus’ promulgation of His new commandment of love: “Love one another as I have loved you.” Today we remember how Jesus transformed the Jewish Passover into the New Testament Passover. The Jewish Passover was, in fact, a joint celebration of two ancient thanksgiving celebrations. The descendants of Abel, who were shepherds, used to lead their sheep from the winter pastures to the summer pastures after the sacrificial offering of a lamb to God. They called this celebration the “Pass over." On the other hand, the descendants of Cain, who were farmers, held a harvest festival called the Massoth in which they offered unleavened bread to God as an act of thanksgiving. The Passover feast of the Israelites (Exodus 12:26-37) was a harmonious combination of these two ancient feasts of thanksgiving, commanded by the Lord God to be celebrated yearly by all Israelites to thank God for the miraculous liberation of their ancestors from Egypt and their exodus from slavery to the Promised Land.
Scripture lessons: In the first reading, God gives the Hebrews two instructions: prepare for the moment of liberation by a ritual meal and make a symbolic mark on your homes to exempt yourselves from the coming slaughter. In the second reading, Paul suggests that the celebration of the Lord's Supper was an unbroken tradition from the very beginning of the Church. By it, Christians reminded themselves of the death and Resurrection of Jesus. Today’s Gospel describes how Jesus transformed the Jewish Passover into the Eucharistic celebration. After washing the feet of His Apostles and commanding them to do humble service for each other, Jesus concluded the ceremony by giving His Apostles His own Body and Blood under the appearances of bread and wine as spiritual food and drink, in addition to serving the roasted Pascal lamb.
Life Messages:
1) A challenge for humble service. Our celebration of the Eucharist requires that we wash one another’s feet, i.e., serve one another, and revere Christ's presence in other persons. In practical terms, that means we are to consider their needs to be as important as our own and to serve their needs, without expecting any reward. 2) A loving invitation for sacrificial sharing and self-giving love. Let us imitate the Self-giving model of Jesus Who shares with us His own Body and Blood and Who enriches us with His Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist. It is by sharing our blessings – our talents, time, health and wealth - with others that we become true disciples of Christ and obey his new commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you.” 3) An invitation to become Christ-bearers and Christ-conveyers: "Go forth, the Mass is ended," really means, “Go in peace to love and serve one another’’ We are to carry Jesus to our homes and places of work, conveying to others around us the love, mercy, forgiveness and spirit of humble service of Christ Whom we carry with us.
1) A challenge for humble service. Our celebration of the Eucharist requires that we wash one another’s feet, i.e., serve one another, and revere Christ's presence in other persons. In practical terms, that means we are to consider their needs to be as important as our own and to serve their needs, without expecting any reward. 2) A loving invitation for sacrificial sharing and self-giving love. Let us imitate the Self-giving model of Jesus Who shares with us His own Body and Blood and Who enriches us with His Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist. It is by sharing our blessings – our talents, time, health and wealth - with others that we become true disciples of Christ and obey his new commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you.” 3) An invitation to become Christ-bearers and Christ-conveyers: "Go forth, the Mass is ended," really means, “Go in peace to love and serve one another’’ We are to carry Jesus to our homes and places of work, conveying to others around us the love, mercy, forgiveness and spirit of humble service of Christ Whom we carry with us.
Holy Thursday- Mass of the LORD’S SUPPER
(Exodus. 12: 1-8, 11-14; I Corinthians 11: 23-26; John 13: 1-15)
Anecdote:
1 The Stole and the Towel is the title of a book, which sums up the message of the Italian bishop, Tony Bello, who died of cancer at the age of 58. On Maundy Thursday of 1993, while on his deathbed, he dictated a pastoral letter to the priests of his diocese. He called upon them to be bound by "the stole and the towel." The stole symbolizes union with Christ in the Eucharist, and the towel symbolizes union with humanity by service. The priest is called upon to be united with the Lord in the Eucharist and with the people as their servant. Today we celebrate the institution of both the Eucharist and the priesthood: the feast of "the stole and the towel," the feast of love and service.
1 The Stole and the Towel is the title of a book, which sums up the message of the Italian bishop, Tony Bello, who died of cancer at the age of 58. On Maundy Thursday of 1993, while on his deathbed, he dictated a pastoral letter to the priests of his diocese. He called upon them to be bound by "the stole and the towel." The stole symbolizes union with Christ in the Eucharist, and the towel symbolizes union with humanity by service. The priest is called upon to be united with the Lord in the Eucharist and with the people as their servant. Today we celebrate the institution of both the Eucharist and the priesthood: the feast of "the stole and the towel," the feast of love and service.
2 “Jesus Christ gave a lasting memorial”: One of his Catholic disciples asked the controversial god-man Osho Rajneesh about the difference between Buddha the founder of Buddhism and Jesus Christ. He told a story to distinguish between Buddha and Christ. When Buddha was on his death bed, his disciple Anand asked him for a memorial and Buddha gave him a Jasmine flower. However, as the flower dried up, the memory of Buddha also dwindled. But Jesus Christ instituted a lasting memorial, without anybody’s asking for it, by offering His Body and Blood in the form of bread and wine and commanding His disciples to share His Divinity by repeating the ceremony. So Jesus continues to live in His followers while Buddha lives only in history books. On Holy Thursday, we are reflecting on the importance of the institution of the Holy Eucharist and the ministerial priesthood. [Osho Rajneesh claimed himself to be another incarnation of God who attained “enlightenment” at 29 when he was a professor of Hindu philosophy in Jabalpur University in India. He had thousands of followers for his controversial “liberation through sex theology,” based on Hindu, Buddhist and Christian theology.
3: Why is the other side empty? Have you ever noticed that in Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of the Last Supper everybody is on one side of the table? The other side is empty. "Why's that?" someone asked the great artist. His answer was simple. "So that there may be plenty of room for us to join them." Want to let Jesus do his thing on earth through you? Then pull up a chair and receive him into your heart (Fr. Jack Dorsel).
Introduction: On Holy Thursday, we celebrate three anniversaries: 1) the anniversary of the first Holy Mass, 2) the anniversary of the institution of ministerial priesthood in order to perpetuate the Holy Mass, convey God’s forgiveness to repentant sinners and preach the Good News of Salvation, 3) the anniversary of the promulgation of Jesus’ new commandment of love: “Love one another as I have loved you.” Today we remember how Jesus transformed the Jewish Passover into the New Testament Passover. In its origins, the Jewish Passover was, in fact, a joint celebration of two ancient thanksgiving celebrations. The descendants of Abel, who were shepherds, used to lead their sheep from the winter pastures to the summer pastures after the sacrificial offering to God of a lamb. They called this celebration the “Pass over." On the other hand, the descendants of Cain, who were farmers, held a harvest festival called the Massoth in which they offered unleavened bread to God as an act of thanksgiving. The Passover feast of the Israelites (Exodus 12:26-37), was a harmonious combination of these two ancient feasts of thanksgiving, commanded by the Lord God to be celebrated yearly by all Israelites to thank God for the miraculous liberation of their ancestors from Egypt and their exodus from slavery to the Promised Land.
The Jewish Passover was a seven-day celebration, during which unleavened bread was eaten. The Passover meal began with the singing of the first part of the “Hallel” Psalms (Ps 113 &114), followed by the first cup of wine. Then those gathered at table ate bitter herbs, sang the second part of the “Hallel” Psalms (Ps 115-116), drank the second cup of wine and listened as the oldest man in the family explained the significance of the event, in answer to the question raised by a child. This was followed by the eating of a lamb (the blood of which had previously been offered to God in sacrifice), roasted in fire. The participants divided and ate the roasted lamb and unleavened Massoth bread, drank the third cup of wine and sang the major “Hallel" Psalms (117-118). In later years, Jews celebrated a miniature form of the Passover every Sabbath day and called it the “Love Feast.”
The first reading from Exodus, gives us an account of the origins of the Jewish feast of Passover. God gives the Hebrews two instructions: prepare for the moment of liberation by a ritual meal [to be held annually in later years] and make a symbolic mark on your homes to exempt yourselves from the coming slaughter. In the second reading, Paul quotes another source for this tradition that was handed to him upon his conversion. He says he received this "from the Lord,” suggesting that the celebration of the Lord's Supper was an unbroken tradition from the very beginning of the Church. Paul implies that the purpose of this celebration was to “proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes again.” Paul may simply mean that Christians, by this ritual act, remind themselves of the death and resurrection of Jesus; he may also mean that Christians prepare themselves for the proclamation of Christ to the world at large. In harmony with these readings, today’s Gospel describes how Jesus transformed the Jewish Passover into the Eucharistic celebration. First He washed His Apostles’ feet - a tender reminder of His undying affection for them; then He commanded them to do the same for each other. The incident reminds us that our vocation is to take care of one another as Jesus always takes care of us. Finally, He gave His Apostles His own Body and Blood under the appearances of bread and wine as food and drink, so that, as long as they lived, they'd never be without the comfort and strength of His presence. Thus, Jesus washed their feet, fed them and then went out to die.
Exegesis:
Jesus’ transformation of his last Seder meal (Last Supper) into the first Eucharistic celebration is described for us in today’s second reading and Gospel. Jesus, the Son of God, began His Passover celebration by washing the feet of His disciples (a service assigned to household servants), as a lesson in humble service, proving that He “came to the world not to be served but to serve.” (Mark 10:45). He followed the ritual of the Jewish Passover meal up to the second cup of wine. After serving the roasted lamb as a third step, Jesus offered His own Body and Blood as food and drink under the appearances of bread and wine. Thus, He instituted the Holy Eucharist as the sign and reality of God’s perpetual presence with His people as their living, Heavenly Food. This was followed by the institution of the priesthood with the command, “Do this in memory of me." Jesus concluded the ceremony with a long speech incorporating His command of love: “Love one another as I have loved you.” Thus, Jesus instituted the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist at a private Passover meal with His disciples (Matthew 26:17-30; Luke 21:7-23). He served as both the Host and the Victim of the Sacrifice. He became the Lamb of God, as John the Baptist had previously predicted (John 1:29, 36), Who takes away the sins of the world.
Jesus’ transformation of his last Seder meal (Last Supper) into the first Eucharistic celebration is described for us in today’s second reading and Gospel. Jesus, the Son of God, began His Passover celebration by washing the feet of His disciples (a service assigned to household servants), as a lesson in humble service, proving that He “came to the world not to be served but to serve.” (Mark 10:45). He followed the ritual of the Jewish Passover meal up to the second cup of wine. After serving the roasted lamb as a third step, Jesus offered His own Body and Blood as food and drink under the appearances of bread and wine. Thus, He instituted the Holy Eucharist as the sign and reality of God’s perpetual presence with His people as their living, Heavenly Food. This was followed by the institution of the priesthood with the command, “Do this in memory of me." Jesus concluded the ceremony with a long speech incorporating His command of love: “Love one another as I have loved you.” Thus, Jesus instituted the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist at a private Passover meal with His disciples (Matthew 26:17-30; Luke 21:7-23). He served as both the Host and the Victim of the Sacrifice. He became the Lamb of God, as John the Baptist had previously predicted (John 1:29, 36), Who takes away the sins of the world.
The transformation of Jesus’ Passover into the Holy Mass: The early Jewish Christians converted the Jewish “Sabbath Love Feast” of Fridays and Saturdays (the Sabbath), into the “Memorial Last Supper Meal” of Jesus on Sundays. The celebration consisted of praising and worshipping God by singing Psalms, reading the Old Testament Messianic prophecies and listening to the teachings of Jesus as explained by an Apostle or by an ordained minister. This was followed by an offertory procession, bringing to the altar the bread and wine to be consecrated and covered dishes (meals) brought by each family for a shared common meal after the Eucharistic celebration. Then the ordained minister said the “institution narrative” over the bread and wine, and all the participants received the consecrated Bread and Wine, the living Body and Blood of the crucified and risen Jesus. This ritual finally evolved into the present day Holy Mass in various rites incorporating various cultural elements of worship and rituals.
Life Messages:
1) We need to serve humbly. Our celebration of the Eucharist requires that we wash one another’s feet, i.e., serve one another, and revere Christ's presence in other persons. To wash the feet of others is to love them, even when they don't deserve our love. It is to do good to them, even if they don't return the favor. It is to consider others' needs to be as important as our own. It is to forgive others from the heart, even if they don't say, "I'm sorry." It is to serve them, even when the task is unpleasant. It is to let others know that we care when they feel downtrodden or burdened. It is to be generous with what we have. It is to turn the other cheek instead of retaliating when we're treated unfairly. It is to make adjustments in our plans in order to serve others' needs, without expecting any reward.
1) We need to serve humbly. Our celebration of the Eucharist requires that we wash one another’s feet, i.e., serve one another, and revere Christ's presence in other persons. To wash the feet of others is to love them, even when they don't deserve our love. It is to do good to them, even if they don't return the favor. It is to consider others' needs to be as important as our own. It is to forgive others from the heart, even if they don't say, "I'm sorry." It is to serve them, even when the task is unpleasant. It is to let others know that we care when they feel downtrodden or burdened. It is to be generous with what we have. It is to turn the other cheek instead of retaliating when we're treated unfairly. It is to make adjustments in our plans in order to serve others' needs, without expecting any reward.
2) We need to practice sacrificial sharing and self-giving love. Let us imitate the Self-giving model of Jesus Who shares with us His own Body and Blood and enriches us with His Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist. It is by sharing our blessings – our talents, time, health and wealth - with others that we become true disciples of Christ and obey His new commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you.”
3) We need to show our unity in suffering. The bread we consecrate and partake of is produced by the pounding of many grains of wheat, and the wine we consecrate and drink is the result of the crushing of many grapes. Both are, thus, symbols of unity through suffering. They invite us to help, console, support, and pray for others who suffer physical or mental illnesses.
4) We need to heed the warning: We need to make Holy Communion an occasion of Divine grace and blessing by receiving Jesus worthily, rather than making our reception an occasion of desecration and sacrilege by receiving Jesus while we are in grave sin. That is why we pray three times before we receive Communion, "Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us," with the final "have mercy on us" replaced by "grant us peace." That is also the reason we pray the Centurion's prayer, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed." And that is why the priest, just before he receives consecrated Host, prays, "May the Body of Christ keep me safe for eternal life," while, just before drinking from the Chalice, he prays, "May the Blood of Christ keep me safe for eternal life."
5) We need to become Christ-bearers and Christ-conveyers: In the older English version of the Mass, the final message was, “Go in peace to love and serve one another,” that is, to carry Jesus to our homes and places of work, conveying to others around us the love, mercy, forgiveness and spirit of humble service of Christ whom we carry with us. That message has not changed, though the words are different.
6) We need to remember what Jesus did for us on Holy Thursday and does for us during every Eucharistic celebration: We remember and we regret that Jesus had to go through all that He did just because of the way our lives are wrapped in sin today and every day. We remember and we rejoice that Jesus’ love for us knows no limits. We remember and we believe that Jesus has taken care of everything that stands between us and God. We remember and we rely on Jesus our living Lord Who has been through all the troubles and trials that one person can have. Hence, He is able to sympathize and help us in our times of trouble and give the best possible answers to our prayers. We remember and we know for certain that the One Who died on the cross will never leave us or desert us – we may desert Him but He will never leave us. We remember and we celebrate the new hope that we have because Jesus is alive. He is our living Lord and Savior Who supports us when we are down, strengthens us when we face difficult challenges, forgives us when we fail and comforts us when sickness and death terrify us. We remember and we are changed – What Jesus has done in giving us a new life and a new beginning through His death and Resurrection changes the way we view other people, our world and our relationship with God and, with God's help, we fill our lives with kindness, patience, tolerance and forgiveness. We remember and we anticipate that day when we will gather around the throne of God with all the saints who have gone before us.
