Once upon a Thursday night...

Once upon a Thursday night,
A supper did renew my life
Once upon a garden prayer,
cried "My Solitude is nigh now..."

A couple of years ago, on Holy Thursday, I came across this very moving song. This song is called the Song of John, and it speaks of how a simple supper began the renewal of our lives.

We have just entered into the three most Holy days in our liturgical calendar. This is what we have been preparing for throughout the 40 days of Lent, by means of fasting, almsgiving, and prayer. These three days are one celebration, and they celebrate the full mystery of Christ. The passion, the death, and the resurrection. It is truly a great celebration.

This great celebration begins on a Thursday night with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, where he institutes the great mystery that we celebrate every Sunday, the Eucharist. In this meal, he gives us the very gift of himself as food, his true presence.

Maundy Thursday (29/3/2018) 6pm mass celebrated by Friar Jason Richard 

Most of us know the story of the Passover, which in fact is part of the first reading for tonight's Mass. On the night where God decided to deliver the last plague to rescue his people from slavery in Egypt, he gave instructions to his people that they were to celebrate it with a meal. During this meal, they are to eat a lamb without blemish, and splatter the blood of the lamb on their doorposts. During the night, the angel of death came to Egypt and struck down the first born of the Egyptians. The angel of death would then pass-over the house of the Israelites, the chosen people of God, leaving them untouched. This was how God in the old testament launched his rescue mission, to rescue his people from slavery. And God gave his people instructions to celebrate this feast on a yearly basis, a feast they call the Passover.

During the Lord’s supper, which many of us forget is actually a Passover meal, we hear no mention of a lamb, despite it being the main dish for the Passover! Instead, Jesus gives himself, his own Body and Blood! Jesus offers himself as the new lamb for the passover, and with this Passover meal, he launches his new rescue mission. The mission to deliver us from from sin, and to deliver us from death. And we see him slaughtered like the Passover lamb the next day, on the cross. But this was the meal that Jesus launched his rescue mission, the night before his passion. And Jesus is the main dish of this meal.

That’s what the Mass Lord’s supper is all about. This is the primary focus, the institution of the Eucharist. Jesus offers himself as our food, and he launches his rescue mission for us! The launches the greatest love of all with this meal.












Many remember the practice of the Washing of Feet as a highlight of the Mass of the Lord’s supper, but while an excellent reminder of the mission to serve and not to be served, it’s not the focus. It’s not the main dish of the meal. The focus of this meal is on the institution of the Eucharist. The washing of feet is an optional part of the Liturgy for the Paschal Triddum. It should not take our attention away from the Mystery of Christ being celebrated. In fact, nothing within any liturgy should take our attention away from the Mystery of Christ.

Tonight, as we celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper from our homes, even though we sadly are unable to receive the Eucharist physically due to the pandemic that has swept our world, let us immerse ourselves into this part of the mystery, the fact that Jesus offers himself in this meal as our food, and that Jesus launches his rescue mission for us tonight, to deliver us from death. Let us yearn for him more than ever, and receive him spiritually into our hearts. May nothing distract us from this wonderful love. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why I feel that all parishes should pray the Divine Office before or during the Daily Mass

Image
I'm sure that many here have read my musing in February about the Divine Office, also known as the Liturgy of the Hours. Together with the celebration of the Eucharist, the Divine Office constitutes the official public prayer life of the Church. All members of the clergy are required to pray the Office on a daily basis, and lay people are strongly encouraged to do so as well.  Not many parishes in our diocese pray the Office together on a daily basis. In fact, The Divine Office is often unheard of among the laity, and even for those who would like to take up the habit of praying it, many are not even sure how to get started. I've personally seen this, when the Circuit Breaker was implemented in April and I started an online initiative within my community, where we gather on an online platform to pray the Morning and Evening Prayer together. Many were unsure of the technicalities of the prayer. Many were unsure of when it was time for them to speak and when it was time for them ...
Read more

No, we lay people should not be using the Orans Posture at Mass.

Image
I noticed something last Sunday when I attended Mass. I noticed that many of my fellow brothers and sisters who were gathered at the Eucharistic Feast were opening their palms in prayer, especially during the various parts of the Eucharistic Prayer. As someone who has had the privilege of learning about the liturgy from a priest who holds a licentiate in Liturgical and Sacramental Theology, this caught my attention at once. I was not distressed about it, neither was I attempting to pass judgment on anybody, but I knew at once what I was going to write about this week.  I'm quite sure that what I am going to write today is going to unruffle the feathers of many. Like all my liturgical musings, I assure you dear reader, that I do not aim to offend or criticise anyone by means of this post. This musing is not an attempt to be a liturgical terrorist, or to push any agendas within the Church. I write this post with only one aim in mind; to shed some light on how the Church intends for h...
Read more

My take on Traditionis Custodes... at least for now

Image
Over the last weekend, Catholics from all around the world would have no doubt become aware that the Holy Father has issued a Moto Proprio. It appears that after years of Pope Benedict acknowledging the right of all priests to celebrate Mass in the Extraordinary Form, Pope Francis has decided to revoke this right and impose certain restrictions on the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass.  Apart from the fact that the Traditional Latin Mass can no longer be celebrated in parishes, the new Moto Proprio dictates that the Diocesan Bishop must give authorisation for any priest to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass, and that the Bishop must only grant such authorisation to clergy and groups who do not deny the validity of Vatican II and the Magisterium. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to accompany a friend of mine to attend a Traditional Latin Mass at a SSPX chapel. While I found the rite to be beautiful, I must admit that what I encountered at that Mass was nothing short ...
Read more