Few days on the Church calendar are more beautiful or filled with
more meaning than the Thursday of Holy Week, the beginning of the Easter
Triduum. During these three solemn days we relive the passion, death
and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ — three days that are central
to Christianity.
The first of these Triduum days is Holy Thursday, which celebrates
the Last Supper when Jesus instituted the Eucharist and the priesthood,
washed the feet of the Twelve Apostles and gave a new commandment. He
would then spend time anguishing in the garden about the events of the
next day, be betrayed by a friend, arrested, denied by another friend,
shuttled between accusers, condemned by the Jewish high court and,
finally, although innocent, found guilty of sedition by Pilate.
The Passover:
The day seemed to have a normal beginning, with everyone preparing
for a celebration. In the Jewish world in which Jesus lived, what we
call Holy Thursday was the celebration of the Passover.
Every year, in accordance with God’s command, Jews commemorate the
night when the Lord passed over the firstborn Israelites while striking
down those of the Egyptians. This was at the time when Moses, at the
Lord’s command, prepared to lead the Israelites out from Egyptian
bondage (cf. Ex 12). The Lord told Moses not to forget the Passover act,
his sparing of the Israelites: “This will be a day of remembrance for
you, which your future generations will celebrate with pilgrimage to the
Lord; you will celebrate it as a statute forever” (Ex 12:14).
Twelve hundred years later, on the Wednesday before the Passover
celebration, Jesus sent two of his apostles to Jerusalem to confirm the
location where he and all the apostles would make a pilgrimage to eat
the annual Passover meal. The apostles were told exactly where to go,
who to see and instructed to make the necessary preparations.
As Pope Benedict XVI wrote in his book of Lenten reflections,
“Journey to Easter”: “The Hebrew Pasch [Passover] was and is a family
feast. It was not celebrated in the Temple but at home. … Jesus too,
celebrated the Pasch in compliance with the prescription: at home with
his family, for the apostles had become his new family. … And so the
Pasch has become a Christian feast also.”
The Passover meal always took place in the evening after sunset,
because in the ancient Jewish world a new day began at sunset not at
midnight. This Jewish custom originated from the Old Testament Book of
Genesis 1:5: “God called the light ‘day,’ and the darkness he called
‘night.’ Evening came, and morning followed — the first day.” Thus, the
Last Supper was held on the evening of the first of three days that
included his passion, death and resurrection.
He told his apostles: “‘I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover
with you before I suffer, for, I tell you, I shall not eat it [again]
until there is fulfillment in the kingdom of God. … I shall not drink of
the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes” (Lk 22:15-18).
Our divine Lord Jesus knew this was his last meal before his passion.
Washing of the Feet:
The Passover meal was eaten in a special way as described in Exodus
12. There was roasted lamb, unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Wine was
included, and the meal was broken into several courses.
The Gospel according to John tells that during the meal Jesus got up
and washed the feet of the apostles. This was a hospitality duty, a
menial task normally carried out by a slave: “So, during supper, fully
aware that the Father had put everything into his power and that he had
come from God and was returning to God, he [Jesus] rose from supper and
took off his outer garments … and began to wash his disciples’ feet and
dry them with the towel around his waist. … He said to them, ‘Do you
realize what I have done for you?
You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master’ and
rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore the master and teacher,
have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet'” (Jn
13:2-5, 12-14).
Since the meal already had started, the apostles would have
previously had their feet washed; thus, this act of Jesus was a
demonstration of humility. He had likely cringed when he previously
heard his apostles arguing about who was the greatest among them; now he
would demonstrate not only how much he loved them, but how they should
serve and love one another with charity and humility.
In his “Lecture on the Gospel According to John,” St. Augustine said:
“We have learned, brethren, humility from the highest: Let us, as
humble, do to one another what he, the highest, did in his humility …
nor should the Christian think it beneath him to do what was done by
Christ. For when the body is bent at a brother’s feet, the feeling of
humility is either awakened in the heart, itself, or is strengthened if
already present.”
Christ included Judas in the foot washing, knowing full well that
Judas was going to betray him. The betrayer soon departed to carry out
his evil act.
Jesus then tells the other apostles that he will be with them only a
short time longer and gives them a new commandment: “Love one another.
As I love you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will
know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn
13:34-35). He later reiterates, “No one has greater love than this, to
lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Jn 15:13). They are his friends,
and the next day he will give up his life for them and for mankind.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church reads: “Knowing that the hour
had come to leave this world and return to the Father, in the course of a
meal he washed their feet and gave them the commandment of love.
In
order to leave them a pledge of this love, in order never to depart from
his own and to make them sharers in his Passover, he instituted the
Eucharist as the memorial of his death and Resurrection, and commanded
his apostles to celebrate it until his return; ‘thereby he constituted
them priests of the New Testament'” (No. 1337).
Eucharist and Priesthood:
It is at this meal that Christ instituted the holy Eucharist, the
Mass. In each of the Gospel renditions, he blessed the bread and the
wine during the meal, gave it to them saying, “This is my body, this is
my blood.” Christ truly is present. He adds in the Gospel of Luke, “Do
this in memory of me” (Lk 22:19). The apostles, through the bishops and
priests of today, continue this sacred action at every Mass.
This is also the moment at the Last Supper when he instituted the
priesthood by giving his priests, the apostles, this responsibility. In
St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul repeats the words of
Jesus: “And, after he had given thanks, broke it [bread], and said,
‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me'”
(11:24). Paul uses almost identical language regarding the cup: “This
cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it,
in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this
cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes” (1 Cor 11:
25-26).
Pope St. John Paul II, in
Dominicae Cenae, a letter to the
bishops about the Eucharist, wrote that the priesthood “effectively came
into being at the moment of the institution of the Eucharist” (No. 2).
Many Catholics are not aware that Jesus instituted the priesthood during
the Last Supper.
Agony in the Garden :
After they had finished the Passover meal, Jesus and his apostles
went to the Mount of Olives, stopping at the Garden of Gethsemane. Here
Jesus went off on his own to pray, leaving the apostles to wait for him.
“Remain here,” he said, as if he wanted to avoid them seeing him
agonizing over what was going to happen. In his humanity, Our Lord is
filled with anxiousness, sadness and fear of the future, but eventually
he accepts whatever his Father has chosen for him: “Not what I will but
what you will” (Mk 14:36). Three times Jesus goes back and forth between
where the apostles are waiting and his prayer spot. Each time he finds
the apostles asleep.
Even though he had told them that on the next day
he would suffer, that even now he was distressed and in agony, his
friends slept. Eventually this scene is interrupted by a group of
people, including Judas, coming out to arrest Jesus. Judas gave him up
with a kiss: “Jesus said to him, ‘Judas, are you betraying the Son of
Man with a kiss?'” (Lk 22:48).
The arrest
Jesus first is taken to the house of the high priest, Annas — a
courtesy because Annas is no longer the sitting high priest but the most
senior priest. Annas quickly sends Jesus to Caiaphas, the current high
priest.
At this time Peter is waiting outside and warming himself by a fire
when he is confronted by a woman saying that Peter was a follower of
Jesus. Peter responds, “Woman, I do not know him” (Lk 22:57). Peter will
deny association with Our Lord three times, just as Jesus predicted.
Jesus’ closest followers deserted him. St. Peter Julian Eymard wrote in
“The Real Presence”: “Jesus Christ was outlawed.
His people disowned him
and calumniated him; he did not say a word in self-defense.”
Caiaphas, along with members of the Jewish high court, the Sanhedrin,
interrogate Jesus at length, and when Jesus compares himself to God, he
is accused of blasphemy (Mk 14:55-65). Under Jewish law the penalty for
blasphemy is death, but only Pilate, the Roman governor, could sentence
someone to death.
The Jews knew Pilate was unlikely to condemn Jesus for breaking one
of their Jewish rules. So they accused Jesus of rebellion against the
Roman government and opposing the payment of taxes to Caesar. Finding
out that Jesus is a Galilean, Pilate sends Jesus to Herod because
Herod’s jurisdiction included Galilee.
Herod mocks and ridicules Jesus and then returns him to Pilate, who
finds Jesus innocent to the charge of sedition and is ready to release
him. Yet the Jewish mob threatens Pilate, saying that they will complain
to Caesar if Jesus is released. This had happened in the past, and
Pilate didn’t need grief from Rome, so he caved to the mobs’ demands,
and “he handed him over to be crucified” (Jn 19:16)
All this happened on the Passover, which we commemorate on Holy Thursday.
Mass of the Lord’s Supper:
For this special Holy Thursday Mass, there is preparation that takes
place at the parish, at the diocese and by parishioners. In the parish,
the place for the altar of repose is identified and decorated. At the
diocese, planning for the Chrism Mass includes participation by the
bishop and all the diocesan priests.
Parishioners prepare by arranging
their schedule so that they can attend this mid-week Mass, the beginning
of the Pascal Triduum. Doing so, the faithful acknowledge what is in
their hearts, in the forefront of their minds — that is, the Passion of
Christ. The Church long has encouraged us to prepare our hearts in such a
way for every Mass.
The Mass of the Last Supper on Holy Thursday was celebrated in
Eastern Church as early as the fourth century and by the seventh century
in the Roman Church. Around the 16th century, the bells were rung
during the Gloria to acknowledge our joy that the Savior gave us the
Sacrament of the Eucharist. The bells are not be rung again until the
Easter Vigil.
Historically, washing the feet was sometimes part of the Mass and
sometimes not. It was a tradition to wash the feet of 12 men on Holy
Thursday, but it was not always included in the Mass. During the 20th
century the practice had greatly deteriorated. In 1955 as part of the
Holy Week reforms of Pope Pius XII (r. 1939-58), the foot washing was
again included in the Mass but made optional. If done during the Mass,
the foot-washing ritual takes place right after the homily. This is the
direction today, only those chosen are not just men but representatives
of the entire community.
Entering the church on Holy Thursday, we quickly notice that the
tabernacle is empty. All Communion bread for that night will be
consecrated during this Mass.
Actually, enough Communion hosts will be
consecrated for both tonight and for the following day’s Good Friday
service. Good Friday is the only day of the year when there is no Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass, but as part of the Good Friday services those
worthy may receive holy Communion.
At Holy Communion during the Mass of the Last Supper, as is the case
at every Mass, we receive the body and blood of Christ just as those
apostles did on that night in the Upper Room. But now, instead of the
apostles, it is you and I who stand or kneel in his Real Presence. It is
the priest, acting in the person of Christ, who breaks the bread,
blesses the bread and the wine and gives it to us using the same words
that Christ used at the Passover meal: “This is my body; this is my
blood.”
During this Mass, we attempt to recollect that we are part of this
great legacy and continue this night to celebrate the sacrament he
instituted all those centuries ago. We can experience this miracle, this
sacred expression of his love. In this demonstration of love, we become
what we eat and, like the apostles, this mystery and miracle of the
Eucharist overwhelms us.
In his homily on Holy Thursday, the priest celebrant is instructed:
“Careful attention should be given to the mysteries which are
commemorated in this Mass: the institution of the Eucharist, institution
of the priesthood, and Christ’s command of brotherly love; the homily
should explain these points” (Circular Letter Concerning the Preparation
and Celebration of the Easter Feasts, 1988). We listen to not only the
readings from Exodus, Corinthians and John, but the well-chosen words
and focused explanation of the celebrant.
Mass on this night often is crowded, as there is only one Mass on
Holy Thursday, and even though it’s not a holy day of obligation,
parishioners come to celebrate both the significance of this particular
Mass and the beginning of the Pascal Triduum. The Pascal Triduum — three
seamless holy days — is a continuous celebration, a commemoration of
the events that took place in the days of Christ’s passion. There is no
final blessing, no concluding rite following the Mass on Holy Thursday
and none at the end of the Good Friday service; the Triduum continues.
After the post-Communion prayer Thursday night, the ciborium
containing the consecrated hosts for Good Friday Communion is processed
reverently to the altar of repose. The procession typically includes
clergy, servers and ministers carrying the cross, incense and candles
leading the faithful, who may also carry candles, to the place adorned
for the Blessed Sacrament to remain until Good Friday.
Pope Benedict XVI
explained this procession in his Corpus Christi homily, May 26, 2005:
“There is also a Eucharistic procession on Holy Thursday, when the
Church repeats the exodus of Jesus from the Upper Room to the Mount of
Olives. … It is the authentic desire of the Church in prayer to keep
watch with Jesus, not to abandon him in the night of the world, on the
night of betrayal, on the night of the indifference of many people.”
The altar of repose usually is located on a side chapel or somewhere
outside the normal worship space. During the solemn procession, a song
such as “Pange Lingua” is sung, and upon reaching the altar of repose
“Tantum Ergo” is sung as the priest incenses the Blessed Sacrament. The
tabernacle with the Eucharist is then closed, the Blessed Sacrament is
not exposed and the faithful remain, “keeping watch” until later in the
evening. At midnight the attention of the Church changes from one of
keeping watch to reflecting on the passion of the Lord and Good Friday.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Manual of Indulgences grants
a plenary indulgence to those who “piously recite the verses of the
‘Tantum Ergo’ after the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday
during the solemn reposition of the Most Blessed Sacrament.” Also, a
plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful who “visit the Blessed
Sacrament for adoration lasting a least a half hour.” In both cases,
Catholics must satisfy the other requirements for a plenary indulgence.
Stripping of the Altar:
Following the placement of the Blessed Sacrament on the altar of
repose, the stripping of the church altar begins. Everything that can be
reasonably removed is moved from the sanctuary; furniture, candles,
altar cloths are removed, and any statues and crosses remaining are
covered.
In the past, the altar was washed with wine and water, making
it as pure as the Lamb of God. The intent is to leave the sanctuary
bare, causing us to recall that Jesus was stripped of his garments and,
further, that on the night of the Passover he was abandoned, left alone.
It is meant to be a sign of mourning. Psalm 22 is often sung or read
during the stripping of the altar, which includes the words “My God, my
God, why have you abandoned me? …
They divide my garments among them;
for my clothing they cast lots” (Ps 22: 1, 19). This ritual has been
carried out since the seventh century.
Credits : Our Sunday Visitor
