Holy Thursday – Fifth Day of Creation
How challenging is to combine the two extreme experiences of Jesus on Holy Thursday. On the one hand, an exceptionally solemn meal with the entire group of the Apostles, already in the form of the Paschal supper, and on the other hand, the loneliness of decisions, terrible fear and psychological shock manifested by bloody sweat in Gethsemane. This is the only Thursday presented in detail by the Evangelists, which consists of: The Last Supper, the institution of the Eucharist and the priesthood, washing the Apostles' feet, pointing to the traitor, farewell speech in the form of the High Priestly Prayer, the announcement of passion and death, then a lonely prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, the sufferings and bloody sweat, finally the arrest closing a long day.
Holy Thursday is the moment when Jesus wrote down a unique testament and left a message of his life. At the end of his life, the Master gathers his closest ones whom he loved with a special love and with whom he spent the last years. It is an exceptionally solemn farewell in the celebration of the Easter supper. It could not be more solemn. The most surprising, however, is the attitude of Jesus: everything is coming to a dramatic end, and he just wants to eat a meal with the Apostles. He wants to give them once again what he had the most precious - Himself. The whole activity of Christ can be summarized as constant giving of Himself, approaching man, sharing life with him, existence for another. The Master gives out his time and presence, a word of refreshment, and miracles of healing. His life is one great self-giving. And what happens at the Last Supper? Well, God, once again expresses the totality of his loyalty and faithfulness. He says, "Take and eat" and then "Take and drink." In the face of the drama that is about to happen, he still does not think about himself, but about us. Not only that, but he also wants to leave a special Gift. What is it? What Jesus leaves? Himself in the form of giving, He leaves the Eucharist.
It is worth adding that when Jesus institutes the Holy Sacrifice, chaos reigns among the disciples: Judas intends to betray him, Peter will soon deny him, others will soon abandon him. The Eucharist is not only instituted in a group full of anxiety and scattered, but also at a turning point, in the critical hours of the Son of God himself, his Passover.
By instituting the Eucharist, Jesus not only wants to meet our loneliness and be with us. He wants more. Well, He wants us to be like Him - the giver ourselves. After all, he says: "Do this in remembrance of me." Christ invites us to enter the flow of this great love that He shows us, the total unlimited giving of ourselves, the love that flows out of himself. In a word, Christ says: all who feed on with my Body and Blood, will enter into this love and distribute it.
Salvation is adopting Jesus' way of life as our way of life. To be as He, as Jesus; be one “big giving” yourself away.
Giving ourselves away is the best form of service, it is recognizing the needs of others. Therefore, today we read the Gospel account of the washing of the feet. In instituting the Eucharist, Jesus immediately explains its meaning with the language of his life through specific gestures. First, he washes the feet of the disciples, setting a visible example, and then he explains: “You call me Teacher and Lord, and you speak well because I am. So, if I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you should also wash each other's feet. For I have given you an example that you should do as I have done for you. "
The Savior wants to build humanity and the world with we, he wants to create a communion of life. He comes to us so that by dying, he will enter the structures of our body, and that he may rise again through our goodness and giving ourselves. His self-sacrificing devotion and loyalty are so strong that it allows Him to exist outside of Himself and to multiply Himself. It is love that allows him to live in the form of bread and wine. In the Eucharist we observe the complete emptying of Christ: ordinary bread without any extraordinary qualities, flavors. When we receive Holy Communion, remember that by giving himself to us, Jesus dies. Now it is only up to us if He will resurrect. Now it is up to us to decide whether we will be His Basilica of the Sepulcher or His Resurrection. What is the resurrection of Jesus in our life? Give yourself away!!! Be good as bread ...
On the fifth day of creation, God gives life to aquatic organisms and birds. The depth of the water and the vastness of horizons - these are symbols of freedom. What is an expression of your freedom? Giving away: "Take and eat", "Take and drink".
So be like God and become human! Be like God, give yourself away! Be good as bread...
"And so, it was evening and morning - the fifth day."
Holy Thursday is a special Holiday for Priests.
Holy Thursday is a special holiday for priests. Every year in the morning, before the evening commencement of the Easter Triduum, in cathedral churches, the diocesan bishop and priests (often from the entire diocese) celebrated Mass call Chrism. Priests concelebrating with their bishop renewed their priesthood vows. The Chrism Mass is an expression of the unity and community of the clergy of the diocese. Also, on this day, evening, a solemn Mass of the Lord's Supper is celebrated in memory of the Last Supper, during which Jesus Christ instituted in the presence of his apostles the Sacrament of the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Priesthood.
Today, I would like to extend to all my brothers in priesthood my best wishes of the perseverance, zeal and joy in the service to God and to You, Sisters and Brothers.
May our Lord be with us always!
Allow me to remain myself and to my Brothers Priest the words of Saint John Paul II: "[He] made us a kingdom [of] priests" (Rev 1:6). Christ not only personally accomplished the redemptive sacrifice which takes away the sins of the world and gives perfect praise to the glory of the Father. He also instituted the priesthood as a sacrament of the New Covenant, so that the one sacrifice he offered to the Father in a bloody manner might be continually renewed in the Church in an unbloody manner, under the appearances of bread and wine. Holy Thursday is precisely the day we recall, in a special way, the priesthood Christ instituted at the Last Supper, binding it indissolubly to the Eucharistic sacrifice. "[He] made us ... priests". He has made us sharers in his one priesthood so that on all the altars of the world down through the ages of history, the bloody and unrepeatable sacrifice of Calvary can be re-presented. Holy Thursday is the great feast-day of priests. This evening we will renew the memorial of the institution of the Eucharistic Sacrifice, according to the rhythm of the paschal events, just as the Gospels hand it down to us. Instead, this morning's solemn liturgy is a special thanksgiving to God for a gift which is a mystery, by all of us who intimately share in Christ's priesthood. Each of us makes the psalm's words his own: "Misericordias Domini in aeternum cantabo". "Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord" (Ps 88:2). (Homily, Holy Thursday, April 1, 1999)
Please pray for me and All the Priests in the World
Saint Faustina’s prayer for Priest
O my Jesus, I beg You on behalf of the whole Church:
Grant it love and the light of Your Spirit,
and give power to the words of priests
so that hardened hearts might be brought to repentance
and return to You, O Lord.
Lord, give us holy priests;
You yourself maintain them in holiness.
O Divine and Great High Priest,
may the power of your mercy accompany them everywhere
and protect them from the devil’s traps and snares
which are continually being set for the souls of priests.
May the power of Your mercy, O Lord, shatter and bring to naught
all that might tarnish the sanctity of priests, for You can do all things.
(Saint Faustina, Diary 1052)
Until Tomorrow
fr. george