Holy Thursday

The Church intends, on this day, to renew, in a most solemn manner, the mystery of the Last Supper: for our Lord himself, on this occasion of the institution of the Blessed Sacrament, said to his Apostles: Do this for a Commemoration of me. Let us, therefore, resume the Gospel narrative.

 

Jesus is in the Supper chamber, where the Paschal Lamb is to be eaten. All the Apostles are with him; Judas is there also, but his crime is not known to the rest. Jesus approaches the table on which the Lamb is to be served. His Disciples stand around him. The ceremonies prescribed by God to Moses are religiously observed. At the beginning of the repast, Jesus speaks these words to his Apostles: With desire, I have desired to eat this Passover with you, before I suffer. In saying this, he does not imply that the Passover of this year is intrinsically better than those that have preceded it; but, that it is dearer to him, inasmuch as it is to give rise to the institution of the new Passover, which he has prepared for mankind, and which he is now going to give them as his last gift: for as St. John says, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them unto the end.

 

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John:

 

Before the Passover feast, Jesus knowing that His hour had come, that He should pass out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world. He loved them unto the end. And when supper was done - the devil having now put into the heart of Judas, the son of Simon the Iscariot, to betray Him, - knowing that the Father had given Him all things into His hands and that He came from God and was going to God: He rose from supper and lay aside His garments and, having taken a towel, girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the feet of the disciples and to wipe them with the towel He was girded with. He came therefore to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him: Lord, do You wash my feet? Jesus answered and said to him: What I do, you know not now: but you will know afterwards. Peter said to Him: You shall never wash my feet. Jesus answered him: If I do not wash you, you shall have no part with Me. Simon Peter said to Him: Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head. Jesus said to him: He that is washed has no need but to wash his feet, he is clean wholly. And you are clean, but not all. For He knew who he was that would betray Him; therefore He said: You are not all clean. Then after He had washed their feet and taken His garments, returned to the table and said to them: Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Master and Lord. And you say well; for so I am. If then I, being your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that as I have done to you, so you must do also.

 

Reflection:

 

Our Savior’s washing the feet of his Disciples before permitting them to partake of his Divine Mystery, conveys an instruction to us. Here, we have Jesus saying to his Disciples: You are clean. It is true, he adds: but not all: just as the Apostle St. Paul assures us in the Epistle to the Corinthians that there are some who render themselves guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord. God forbid we should ever be of the number! Let us prove ourselves; let us sound the depths of our conscience, before approaching the Holy Table. Mortal sin, and the affection to mortal sin, would change the Bread of Life into a deadly poison for our souls. But if respect for the holiness of God, who is about to enter within us by Holy Communion, should make us shudder at the thought of our receiving him in the state of mortal sin, which robs the soul of the image of God and gives her that of Satan—ought not that same respect urge us to purify our souls from venial sins, which dim the beauty of grace? “He”, says our Savior, “that is washed has no need but to wash his feet.” The feet are those earthly attachments, which so often lead us to the brink of sin. Let us watch over our senses, and the affections of our hearts. Let us wash away these stains by a sincere confession, by penance, by sorrow, and by humility; that thus we may worthily receive the Adorable Sacrament, and derive from it the fullness of its power and grace.

 

Let us pray,

 

O God, from whom Judas received the punishment of his guilt, and the thief the reward of his confession: grant unto us the full fruit of Thy clemency; that even as in His Passion, our Lord Jesus Christ gave to each a retribution according to his merits, so having taken away our old sins, He may bestow upon us the grace of His Resurrection Who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end.

 

Amen.