HOLY THURSDAY
Lent has ended and now we begin the Holy Week Triduum. The word Triduum is the Latin for three days of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the great Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night. The Church celebrates one liturgy each day. We should not think of the liturgies of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil as three separate events, all three form part of one single extended liturgy. In fact at the end of the Mass on Holy Thursday there is no dismissal and blessing instead we accompany Jesus to the Altar of repose that represent the garden of Gethsemane . In the same way there is no formal beginning and end to the Good Friday liturgy. This three-day liturgy concludes with the solemn blessing at the end of the Easter Vigil or at the morning Mass on Easter Sunday.
Holy Thursday is all about the priesthood and the institution of the Eucharist at the last supper. On the Morning of Holy Thursday, there is only one mass celebrated in a Diocese (Although the Chrism Mass may be celebrated earlier in the week). All the priests gather around the Bishop and the people of God to renew their commitment to priesthood. Also at this Mass the oils of Chrism, Catechumens and the Oil of the Sick are blessed by the bishop, these holy oils will be used in the Baptisms, Confirmations and anointing of the sick in the local parishes over the next 12 months. The theme running throughout this day is one of humble service that is service of God and his people. The Evening Mass commemorates the Last Supper again the theme is service and sacrifice both of these are aspects of the same mystery. The scene in the upper room is not your usual friendly night out. There is something about the host which makes this meal different. We see Jesus on his knees as one who demonstrated the parable of his kingdom: that in his upside-down world, the king was servant, and the person who ministered to the other was master and king.
And whatever belonged to the creed of power and greed had no place in Jesus Gospel of love and service . He gave them the most costly gift he could give: the gift of himself. It was at this moment that Jesus identified himself for ever with bread and wine. He gave his followers more than food for thought; he gave them himself. In the same way in 2023 we receive Jesus in the form of Bread and wine from the hands of our priests. All these acts of self-giving service are the same act – that of the Son of Man who came ‘not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many and he did that for us all those years ago as well. May we take up the mantle of humble service giving a helping hand to others and not counting the cost to ourselves. Many people over the years have given much at great personal cost and have not failed in their example of humble service and that for me is what Holy Thursday is all about Humble service for others and not being afraid of being the presence of Christ no matter what the cost is. Jesus has shown us that it is worthwhile to pay the price for who we are and for what we stand for as his followers; it is worthwhile to pick up our bill for having fellowship with him.
The liturgy on Holy Thursday is a meditation on the essential connection between the Eucharist and Christian love expressed in serving one another. Christ is not only present in the Eucharist but also in the deeds of loving kindness offered to others through us. We are the ones who make ‘real’ the presence of Jesus in every smile, kind word and loving action. On Holy Thursday the Lord invites us again to copy what he has done for us and that is to serve others as he did when he washed the feet of his followers on that first Holy Thursday evening.
Fullerton T 