LOVE AND SACRIFICE
Love and sacrifice are the fundamental principles of the redemption story. Love gives all without reservation. While sacrifice endures all for the sake of love. Both are a form of complete or total self-giving, self-donating, or self-emptying.
The celebration of the Holy Week is no doubt the story of love and sacrifice. This story begins with Palm Sunday and culminates in the Holy Easter Triduum or Paschal Triduum.
The Paschal Triduum which is traditionally known in Latin: “Triduum Paschale”, Holy Triduum: “Triduum Sacrum”, or Easter Triduum, or the Three Days. A celebration that began with Holy Thursday also known as Sheer Thursday or Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.
Interestingly, it is known as Sheer Thursday that is of penance that implies cleansing. Or Maundy Thursday because of (“Mandatum novum do vobis” “a new commandment I give to you”; John 13:34), the new commandment of love Jesus gave his disciples and us in the Last Supper.
The Holy Thursday before Easter is the commemoration of Jesus Christ’s institution of the Eucharist during the Last Supper. It is also the lovely remembrance of the first Eucharistic Meal, when, Jesus himself celebrated it with his disciples replacing the Jewish Passover and Unleavened Bread celebration.
It is also the day, Jesus instituted the sacrament of the Holy Order or the Ministerial priesthood. The profound call to a selfless life of service of the priest to his brothers and sisters, besides being their mediator between them and God. A serviceable life was demonstrated by and through the washing of his apostles´ feet.
As well as, the giving of the new commandment of love, “love another as I (Christ) have loved you (John 13:34), which replaces the old commandment “love your neighbour as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18; Mark 12:31). By this new commandment, Jesus called his followers to life love, and sacrifice he exemplified before them.
OUR THEME
The event of the Holy Thursday puts us in the intensive mood of our redemption. It begins with Jesus washing his disciples´ feet, celebrating the Last Supper, giving them the new commandment of love. As well as ending up with a quiet moment of prayer and silence with a deep sense of physical, mental and emotional agony in the Garden, the arrest and all-night trial.
The major theme of the Holy Thursday is love and sacrifice that lead to authentic worship of God and service to others. This is key to Jesus’ sacrifice to us all: “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John15:13).
There is an authentic call to worship God by genuinely offering ourselves to Him and others in love. The Eucharistic Meal is a love-sharing of self with God and humans. We partake and eat Love-itself (God is Love, 1John 4:8) to become what we eat (Love: Christ) and be what we ate with others in lovely service.
The Eucharist indeed is always and everywhere offered for the intentions of thanksgiving, reparation, petitions, and adoration. However, above all, it is a Love-feast, where God in Jesus Christ freely, wholly, and completely gave Himself to us.
Therefore, whenever we participate actively and consciously in this Holy Sacrifice of the Cross. We are challenged to become what we celebrated and ate.
FIRST READING: EXODUS 12:1-8, 11-14
The first reading of today reminded us of the event of the first Passover meal of Israel that marks their liberation from slavery in Egypt. The feast of the spotless lamb prefigured the Eucharistic meal and Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away our sins and delivers us from slavery to sins.
God through Moses gave the Israelites liturgical details on how to go about the Passover Feast that brought about their liberation from slavery.
The specific time and date of this festival celebration, unblemished animals that could be goats or sheep. It must be an animal of one-year-old for each family or shared among families of smaller numbers. It should be roasted over the fire and eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
The blood should be used to mark the lintel of the doorposts a seal of identification to be free from the angel of death. The meal should also be eaten with a sense of preparedness mentally or physically. They should be fully dressed in girdle round the waist, sandals on the feet and the staff in the hand, and the meal eaten hastily with no leftover.
Though it is Israel´s liberation, it is as well the Passover of the Lord when God does the marvellous work of salvation and liberation. Hence, it should be celebrated in remembrance of this wondrous work of God.
The Psalmist in Psalms 116 sings the praise of the marvellous and wondrous work of God´s salvation in the lives of his people. With a response from St. Paul´s comment on the Eucharistic Meal, “Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ” (1 Cor. 10:16).
SECOND READING: 1 CORINTHIANS 11:23-26
St. Paul in his first letter to the Christian community of Corinthians refreshes our memory not only of the solemn and sacred tradition of the breaking of bread in the early Christian communities. He also reminds us of the spirituality of the Eucharist as a fulfilment of Christ´s remembrance: his life, death, and resurrection. Whenever we celebrate the Eucharistic meal he left us a memory.
There are three powerful words Paul uses to remind us of the need and essence of the Eucharist in our lives as Christians. First, it is a command or obligation to celebrate and live the Eucharistic spirituality in the Christian community. Second, it is a new covenant seal with the body and blood of Jesus Christ. And thirdly, it is a proclamation of benediction and thanksgiving to God the Father through the action of the Holy Spirit in Christ Jesus, our Lord, and Saviour.
THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 13:1-15
Jesus lays down to us the greatest example of humility Christ. He as Lord and Master washed the feet of his disciples and gave them the greatest commandment of all: to love one another as I have loved you. This is the most extreme love of all.
It is also very important to know that even when Jesus was going through the crucible of betrayal he poured out the greatest love: the sacrifice of his body and body. In the same way, he showed them the most empathetic way of serving others in life. In other words, Jesus’ bitter experience never embittered him against those around him. Rather he was more empathetic, amicable, and loveable towards all.
In summary, the Eucharist is love and sacrifice. It is the greatest demonstration of love where God gave all of Himself through a sacrificial offering of his Only Begotten Son. The implication is all who celebrate and live the Eucharistic spirituality must love and sacrifice their lives for God and others.
The celebration of this Holy Thursday invites us to four things very important:
1. The institution of the Sacred Order of the Ministerial Priesthood as a call to service of God and humanity in humility and self-giving. A call exemplified in the washing of the feet of his disciples. It is also a sacrament of unmerited grace and honour no one takes upon himself but given and granted by God alone. Hebrews 5:3-5
2. The institution of the Most Holy Eucharist in the holy act of thanksgiving to God and a Living Sacrifice of redemption to set us free from sin and its slavery. As well as a perpetual presence of Christ with us as an everlasting memorial. The Eucharist is always and everywhere offered for four ends or universal intentions: thanksgiving, reparation, petition, and adoration.
3. It was a profound moment that culminates the life, teachings, and deeds of Jesus Christ in love-action of words: “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life for his friends.” (Jn. 15:12-13) and inaction: of a bloodless way gave his body “Take and eat; this is My body.” Mt. 26:26 and his blood “Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.… “Mt. 26:27-28 in demonstration of the bloody sacrifice of the cross.
4. The most solemn moment of the Garden of Gethsemane: a moment of Prayer, a moment of Life-decision, and the total submission to the Father´s will amidst tears, cries, and shouts. This solemn sober moment in Christ’s life was a moment of physical, emotional, and psychological pains and anguish.
(a) Physically: Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Mt. 26:39:
(b) Emotionally: “And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” Luke 22:44:
(c) Psychologically: “Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me. Yet not My will, but Yours be done.” Then an angel from heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him.” Luke 22: 42-43
The whole action of Jesus Christ on Holy Thursday is built on and around love and sacrifice for us. He did not only gave us the command to love like him but taught us to love as he did: sacrificially, unconditionally, unforgivingly, generously, and understandingly. A perfect example for us to do and live with our brothers and sisters.
Fundamentally, the Holy Eucharist is the Holy Sacrifice of the Cross on Good Friday in an unbloodied manner. The sacrificial sharing and self-giving love of Christ on Holy Thursday in the forms of the bread (his body) and the wine (his blood) was the repetition on the Cross on Good Friday.
OUR PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, as we celebrate this solemn day of your greatest gifts to us: the Eucharist and the Serviceable Priesthood in the quarantine of our home: the domestic church and the half-empty church less of your people. Help us to come to appreciate these gifts and to be grateful for them, help us to become what we eat: Christ and each time we celebrate may the Our breaking-Bread and Our Blessing-Cup become for us communion with the Body and Blood of Christ. Amen
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