May Jesus Christ be praised and may his holy Mother pray for
us.
Tonight we gather on this Holy Thursday, on the eve of the
passion and death of the Lord Jesus Christ.
During his ministry he had changed many things. Tonight, the Lord Jesus is going to change
everything.
John the Evangelist recounts for us the last gathering of the
Lord Jesus with his apostles. In an
upper room, the Lord Jesus gathered those twelve men who were closest to
him. They had spent three years together
travelling and preaching, healing and teaching.
The Lord Jesus always loved those who were his own in the world and he
loved them to the end. Tonight the Lord
Jesus would change everything. While
they were at supper, the Lord Jesus rose and he took off his outer garment. He
tied a towel around his waist and he poured water into a basin. Then the Lord Jesus washed the feet of the
twelve. This was the menial task of a
lowly servant. It was not the role of
the host of the banquet. Yet for the
twelve, who were both disciples who followed and apostles who were sent forth,
the Lord Jesus provided the model for serving in his name. Tonight the Lord Jesus would change what both
discipleship and apostleship would mean.
Whatever power or authority was needed for the accomplishment of the
mission and the shepherding of the flock would always be subject to the rule of
humble service.
From the apostle Paul, we hear of one of the central events
of the Last Supper. Saint Paul tells us
that what he received from the Lord he now hands on to the Christian community
at Corinth. In the midst of the Sacred
Liturgy, we are mystically united to the Church of all times and places, and
therefore Saint Paul says to us as well, that the Lord Jesus on the night he was handed over, took bread and after he had
given thanks, broke it and said “This is my body that is for you. Do this in
remembrance of me.” In the same way also
the cup after supper saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in
remembrance of me.” The Lord Jesus
had changed the ritual of the Passover meal.
He had changed bread and wine into his body and blood. And now, by his command to Do this in memory of me, the Lord Jesus
changed his disciples.
On this night, the Church celebrates the institution of the
Holy Eucharist and the institution of the Holy Priesthood. Their institution is celebrated together
because in reality they can never be apart.
There is no Eucharist without the priesthood and there can be no
priesthood that is not for the Eucharist.
Until the Last Supper, the apostles had acted in the name of the Lord
Jesus. In his holy name they had cast
out demons, healed the sick, raised the dead, and proclaimed the kingdom of
God. Now, by the command of the Lord,
they would act in his person. For in the
days to come, when the apostles would take bread, give thanks, break it and
say, “This is my Body” the Lord Jesus himself would act. The Lord Jesus had changed them. He had changed everything.
And by the laying on of hands from the days of the apostles
to our own, the apostolic ministry has been present and active in every
generation through the ministry of priests.
Chosen from among men, unworthy and broken, yet called and consecrated
just the same, we priests make present the Lord’s body and blood, soul and
divinity in the celebration of the Eucharist.
Through our ministry and our voice, the Lord Jesus daily changes bread
and wine into himself. Through the
anointing with oil and the laying on of priestly hands, the Lord Jesus
transforms sickness into the way of sanctification. Through the prayer of the priest, sharing in
the power of Christ, the priest raises to life those who are dead in their sins
and restores them to the life of grace.
Christ Jesus changed everything on the eve of his passion and
death. He changed the meaning and use of
authority. He changed bread and wine from common things to Holy Things. He changed his apostles, and eventually, at
an hour of his own choosing, and because of his great mercy, he changed me.
In these holy days, these three days when we celebrate the
passion, death, and eventually the resurrection of Jesus Christ, may He change
you that you may love Him to the end to the praise and glory of God the
Father. Amen.
Preached at Our Lady of Lourdes
Catholic Church, Monroe, NC
