Holy Thursday[c]: Ex 12:1-8,11-14; 1 Cori 11:23-26; Jn 13:1-15

Holy Thursday[c]: Ex 12:1-8,11-14; 1 Cori 11:23-26; Jn 13:1-15

Maundy Thursday (also known as Holy Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Great and Holy Thursday, Sheer Thursday and Thursday of Mysteries) is the Christian feast, or holy day, falling on the Thursday before Easter. It commemorates the Maundy and Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles as described in the Canonical gospels. It is the fifth day of Holy Week, and is preceded by Spy Wednesday and followed by Good Friday.

The date is always between 19 March and 22 April inclusive, but these dates fall on different days depending on whether the Gregorian or Julian calendar is used liturgically. The liturgy held on the evening of Maundy Thursday initiates the Easter Triduum, the period which commemorates the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ; this period includes Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and ends on the evening of Easter. The mass or service of worship is normally celebrated in the evening, when Friday begins according to Jewish tradition, as the Last Supper was held on feast of Passover.

Again, I want to welcome you to this very special and very solemn liturgy.  There are many actions only found at this celebration.  We witnessed the presentation of the oils; soon we will have the washing of the feet, and later on the entire congregation will join the procession to the chapel/conference room as we place the Blessed Sacrament in reposition in our own creation of the Garden of Olives.

By presenting the oils that were consecrated at the chrism Mass on Tuesday, we demonstrate our union with the entire Church at the most significant moments of our lives.  The oil of catechumens is put on babies, children and adults coming into the faith as we pray that they be open to the mystery of Christ in their lives.  But this is not just the prayer of our parish, it is the prayer of the Bishop, priests, deacons and the entire diocese when the oil is blessed and sent to the parish to welcome those seeking Baptism.  The oil of the sick also demonstrates that those who are anointed are anointed not just with the prayers of the parish, but with the prayers of the Bishop, priests, deacons and entire diocese for their healing in body and soul.  The sacred chrism reminds us that those who have their status in the Church elevated to full initiation through confirmation or who receive the sacrament of Holy Orders, do so through the prayers of the Bishop, priests, deacons and entire diocese.  The sacraments are never a local event.  They are a celebration of the universal Church.

The washing of the feet is a symbolic action teaching us the demands of the Eucharist.  To be a Eucharistic people, we must reach out and serve others.  Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and then said, “What you have seen me do, you must do.”

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 and celebrated yearly by all Israelites to thank God for the miraculous liberation of their ancestors from Egypt and their exodus to the Promised Land.

God the Father spoke of taking a lamb without blemish. As we know, Jesus was the Lamb of God without defect or blemish. [Jn. 1:29; 1 Pet. 1:19] "For our sake God made Jesus to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." [2 Cor. 5:21]  God the Father commanded Moses and His people to eat the lamb. Jesus is the Lamb of God and the Bread of Life. [Jn. 6:35, 48-50] By eating the Bread of Life, the Holy Eucharist, we freely receive the life of Christ that leads to our salvation.  After all, what can be clearer than the words of the Master Himself that St Paul quotes, "This is my body..." and "This is the new covenant in my blood."! Holy Eucharist is considered as a symbol and also re-enactment of passion death and resurrection.

Joke: A young boy was invited to church by one of his friends.  On the way out the door, his mother handed him two dollars.  “One for you, and one for god,” his mother said.  As the boy walked along with his friends, the wind blew his dollars right out of his hand and onto the street.  One of them went right down into the sewer.  “Uh-oh!” the boy said.  “There goes God’s dollar!”

Practical Applications: 1) We are to receive the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist in a worthy manner. To be pleasing to the eyes of God as shining spirits in Christ, we must humble ourselves as Jesus humbled Himself.

2) 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

Introduction: Holy Thursday

Message: Before the feast of Passover, Jesus celebrates the Last Supper in which he gives us his body and blood.