Theme: Jesus Christ, our High Priest to Serve & Save
TONIGHT, we begin the Easter Triduum; the Great ‘Three-day, but one Celebration of our Redemption’ – The Paschal Mystery. Tonight, in this great celebration of the Lord’s Supper, there are two different realities of the Church celebrated: The Institution of the Eucharist and the establishment of the Priesthood.
Liturgically, the priesthood is celebrated at the Diocesan Celebration called the ‘Chrism Mass’ which we celebrated last Monday in which all the priests of the Archdiocese gathered in celebration with the Bishop.
Properly, in the parish setting, the only Mass that may be celebrated today is the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper which is clearly focused on the Institution of the Eucharist. At His Last Supper, Jesus offered Himself, broken and poured out, for the Salvation of the world. Hence, tonight, the Last Supper of Our Lord is really very different from all other nights.
Why is this night different from all other nights?
Tonight, it is the time of encounter with a past salvific event not just in memory, but in reality. We have to realize and acknowledge that we are not just participants in a ritual meal, but participants in the past historic event of PASSOVER which freed our ancestor from slavery to New Life.
This evening, you and I are gathered in this Cathedral to celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, a celebration like any other celebration of the Mass yet different. I would like to propose for us to reflect together with a few questions: ‘Why do we sing the Gloria when in fact it was not being sang throughout the Lenten Season? Why is our music becoming more solemn and simple as the Mass progresses? Why is the priest/bishop going to wash the feet of 12 men? Why will there be no blessing and dismissal at the end of Mass? Why do we leave the Church in procession with the Blessed Sacrament? Why do we keep the Silent Vigil?
Why is this night different than any other? The simple answer is that this night begins the Annual Commemoration of Christ’s Paschal Mystery – His Life, Death and Resurrection. While the celebration of every Mass is always a celebration of this salvific truth, but this yearly ritual draws us even more deeply into a Mystical Encounter with that truth.
Our celebrations tonight and tomorrow and Saturday are, to our benefit and joy, three Sacred moments of night, day and vigil united in a single celebration and in one meaning of the Paschal Mystery.
One cannot understand the words – ‘This is my Body that is for you…. This cup is the New Covenant in my Blood…. Do this in remembrance of me….’ – unless one stands at the foot of the Cross on Good Friday, and stands in front of the empty tomb at the Easter Vigil. Good Friday points back to Holy Thursday and the victory of the empty tomb which we will celebrate on Saturday Evening – a victory over the events that we commemorate tonight and will recall tomorrow (Good Friday).
On this night, we begin our yearly celebration of the Easter Mystery, celebrated across three days as one great liturgy of Salvation. That is why there is no blessing or dismissal this evening or tomorrow at the end of each ritual. It is only at the end of the Easter Vigil that we receive the blessing and are told to go forth, thus ending this three-day commemoration.
Tonight, the Lord is not only giving us His own Body and Blood, He is also giving us an example on LOVE – the washing of feet which we have heard in the Gospel tonight. This is Jesus – the Lamb of God – who first of all gets down and washes the feet of His disciples. It is an unpleasant task, but an essential service. It is usually assigned to the lowest of all the slaves. And here it is, the Lord and Master, as He calls Himself, down He goes and puts Himself at the feet of the disciple.
Here is the Jesus who puts Himself at the feet of the disciples, even more extraordinary, is the Jesus who puts Himself quite literally into the hands of his disciples. Now once Jesus puts Himself into the hands of human beings, it becomes a very risky, a very dangerous thing for Him to do and the events of tomorrow, Good Friday, will show just how dangerous it is. When the Lord entrusts Himself into the hands of human being, the body is broken and the blood is shed.
The washing of feet was symbolic, and very powerfully so. Tonight, we are immersed in the mysteries of the Love of Jesus – the Lamb of God. Let us immerse ourselves into this LOVE and ENCOUNTER as He is there waiting for you to receive. Amen.
