Mass of the Lords Supper
Lent has ended and now we begin the Holy Week Triduum for the Holy Year of Hope. There is a saying that hope springs eternal and in the Holy Week Triduum we celebrate the hope of Holy Thursday we go to the despair of Good Friday and then on Easter Sunday we go back to the greatest hope that all of us have that is the resurrection. The word Triduum is the Latin for the three days Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. 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 and then leave in silence. In the same way there is no formal beginning and end to the Good Friday liturgy we enter in silence and again we leave in silence.
This three-day liturgy concludes with the solemn blessing at the end of the Easter Vigil or at the morning Mass on Easter Sunday. On Holy Thursday In the first reading from exodus we hear about the blood sacrifice on the door posts a sign that the people inside would be spared, freed from slavery and death. The death of Jesus becomes the Christian Passover, the sign of gods liberating love. We hear Paul’s account of the institution of the Eucharist in the second reading when he tells us this is what I have learned from the Lord and I am passing it on to you. These readings make us aware that the institution of the Eucharist is tied to the demand of mutual love and respect for one another. On this day we act out Jesus’ command by participating in the foot washing. When supper had ended, Jesus took water in a basin and a towel and began to wash his disciples’ feet. He then commanded his disciples to follow his example by giving such loving service to others. Following the celebration of the Eucharist, we move in procession with the Blessed Sacrament to the chapel Of reservation there we keep watch up to midnight.
On Holy Thursday we all bring our different stories here to the table of the Lord. And we know there will be times when we will be sore, hurt and wounded; when there will be no one to talk away the terrors of the night; when we will occupy the garden of grief alone. But Jesus has already travelled that road and stands with us. The liturgy on Holy Thursday evening 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. As I said at the beginning hope springs eternal and we are called to be people of hope filled faith who look out for one another, people who follow Jesus example by giving such loving service to others. It’s not just about “me” It’s about “us” and our hopeful journey of faith during these days of Holy Week and Easter and beyond as we go on into the future.
Fullerton T 