Holy Thursday "This is what I received from the Lord"

 

Tonight we celebrate a very special mass, the first mass, when Jesus took the bread and wine and told the disciples that this was his body and blood. It is also on this night the first priests were ordained: the Apostles. The Passover meal, which they were celebrating, was and is a very special meal for the Jewish people. It was the feast that remembered their being set free from slavery; their independence day. For that meal, they sacrificed an animal, a lamb or kid goat and the blood of the lamb was marked on the doors of their houses as a sign that they belonged to God, so God would protect them. That was the night of the last and most terrible plague against Pharaoh, so that he would acknowledge the power of God and let the people of Israel go free. This last plague was the plague of the death of all the first-born. The angel of death was going to pass over the houses that were marked with the blood of the lamb. The people of Israel were saved by the blood of the lamb. Then after the mass was established and Jesus’ death and resurrection took place, we are saved by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus who is the Lamb of God.

 

During this meal Jesus did something totally unexpected. He suddenly told them that the bread which was in his hands, was now his body, and the wine that he was holding, was his blood and that they should both eat and drink it themselves and repeat this ritual to remember him. The first mass took place.

 

In the second reading, which is the oldest account of the mass in writing, St. Paul says: ‘This is what I received from the Lord and in turn passed on to you…’ and then he goes on to describe the mass (1 Cor 11:23). What is interesting is the first phrase that he uses: ‘This is what I received from the Lord, and in turn passed on to you…’ Jesus revealed this to him directly, after the resurrection. He didn’t get it from the Apostles, but from Jesus. We did not invent what we call the mass; the Lord Jesus himself gave it to us directly and asked us to repeat it as a way of remembering him. That is why we never change it for something else. That is why we also call it the mass and not a service. It was not just a prayer service, but something Jesus established and then commissioned the Apostles and us to ‘go out’ and bring it to the other people.

 

From the very first time that Jesus taught the people about receiving his body and blood, it caused division. It says in John’s Gospel that when he gave this teaching the people complained and said ‘This is too much. Who could accept this?’ and many people stopped following him after that (Jn 6:66). But he didn’t go after them and say ‘Wait, let me explain!’ He just let them go.  The only thing he did was to turn to the Apostles and ask if they were going to leave too. In other words, this is his teaching and you can take it or leave it.

 

The 'Priest's chair' at a mass rock, where mass had to be celebrated in secret during times of persecution

Why did Jesus give us the Eucharist? I’m sure it was for two reasons. First, because he wanted us to know that He is intimately with us always. We can receive the body and blood of Jesus into our own bodies every day if we wish. Every time we celebrate the mass, Jesus becomes present to us in the form of bread and wine. It is not just a symbol, or a reminder, but this is really and truly the body and blood of Jesus in an extraordinary way. It is beyond our understanding, but Jesus doesn’t ask us to understand it, only to believe in it.

 

The second reason is so that we could be present at the greatest event in history, the sacrifice of Calvary: the offering of God the Son to God the Father. That is what the mass is; the offering of God the Son to God the Father, an offering which the Father can not refuse, and that’s why the mass is so powerful. It is the perfect prayer, the perfect sacrifice which overcomes sin and wins us forgiveness. Jesus makes it possible for us to be present at this event every time we celebrate mass.

 

Then another crucial thing happened. Jesus got down and washed the feet of the disciples, to teach them something. I always smile when anyone is asked to come up for the washing of the feet, because if they do volunteer, you can be sure they will have carefully washed their feet, so really there is no need to wash them. But Jesus got down on his hands and knees and washed dirty, sweaty feet. It would be a bit like the Pope visiting your house and then going in and cleaning the bathroom. You would be horrified. The Apostles were horrified. Why did he do this? To show them that they were being called to a life of service. If he was prepared to serve them, they must also be prepared to serve everyone. That is what our work as priests is supposed to be about: it is meant to be one of service to the people. It is also the mindset that we are all called to have as Christians: service; looking after whoever is in need. 

 

Peter felt he could not allow Jesus to wash his feet, because he was a sinner. He wanted to keep Jesus at a distance because he was a sinner. This is the typical reaction of most of us. We say ‘Leave me Lord I am a sinful man.’ We don’t really believe that God could love us as we are. We are afraid to allow God to come too close. But Jesus’ answer was to say that he ‘must’ do this. In other words he was saying ‘Peter, you must not allow your unworthiness to keep me from you.’ God is well aware of what we are like and all the things that we’ve done wrong, but it doesn’t stop him from loving us and even from washing our feet. For our part we must not be afraid to allow the Lord to come close to us either. He offers himself to us, so let us never be afraid to receive him. This is also why we say the prayer before we receive Communion, ‘Lord I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.’ It is God who makes it possible.

 

For our part we must do our best to receive the Eucharist as worthily as we can, especially by going to confession often. To rarely go to confession and then receive Communion is not right. St. Paul says, ‘For those who eat and drink without examining themselves bring condemnation on themselves’ (1 Cor 11:29). That’s why we also need to look at our life-style. If you are in a second marriage without having got an annulment, you need to put it right. This is what the Lord asks of us.

 

Holy Thursday was also the night when Jesus ordained the first priests. We believe that Jesus set up a male priesthood. If it was a human decision, then we could change it, but because it was revealed by God, we cannot. Celibacy was a human decision by the Church, so it can be changed, but the priesthood cannot. If you find yourself getting annoyed that it is just for men, ask yourself if Jesus knew what He was doing or not. Remember that the devil is the one who causes rebellion. Jesus called him ‘The accuser.’ He accuses us and condemns, making us question what Jesus established and telling us that we shouldn’t have to accept it. That is his arrogance and we have to be careful not to fall for it. He wants to cause division among us and make us think that these things are not from God, just like he did in the Garden of Eden.