Holy Thursday: Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper
We should glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ,
for he is our salvation, our life and our
resurrection;
through him we are saved and made free.
—Introductory Rites
(See Gal 6:14)
God’s grace and the Church’s assistance are offered freely to us
tonight: By God’s gift, through water and the Holy Spirit, we have been
reborn to everlasting life. In divine goodness, may he continue to pour
out blessings upon us, sons and daughters of the Most High. May he
make us always, wherever we may be, faithful members of his holy
people.
What we were about in these ritual moment is well explained by
the rite itself. We use the Latin lex orandi, lex credendi to suggest that
the Church’s prayer both explicates and shapes what the Church
believes. For example, in the preface for the Dedication of a Church (I),
our prayer defines not just our holy space, but our relationship as the
Body of Christ to the house of the Church: “Here [in this house of
prayer] you reveal your presence / by sacramental signs, / and make us
one with you / through the unseen bond of grace. / Here you build your
temple of living stones, / and bring the Church to its full stature / as the
body of Christ throughout the world …”
As the Easter feast begins again, we might profitably look to the
rites of the Triduum to explain what we believe about the Passion,
Death and Resurrection of Jesus, and our own place in that Paschal
Mystery.
Our place in the Paschal Mystery
Vatican II solemnly declared what the folks who take Genesis and
the Sabbath rest seriously already knew to be true, that the proper use
of just about anything can work toward our salvation:
Thus, for well-disposed members of the faithful, the liturgy
of the sacraments and sacramentals sanctifies almost every
event in their lives; they are given access to the stream of
divine grace which flows from the paschal mystery of the
passion, death, the resurrection of Christ, the font from
which all sacraments and sacramentals draw their power.
There is hardly any proper use of material things which
cannot thus be directed toward the sanctification of men
and the praise of God (SC 61).
This is a teaching to enrich and enliven both peaks and valleys, the
days and the decades of our lives. Death is stalking us all. Jesus turned
and faced death, captured the energy of fear death wields over us and
grappled the whole thing to a standstill. We are all going to die, but we
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can seize the meaning of death, rename it Love, offer it for the sake of
the community, come away wounded but with a new destiny
And so we come to the Triduum with mind and heart renewed.
The Rubrics for the day remind us that “The tabernacle should be
entirely empty; a sufficient amount of bread should be consecrated at
the Mass for the communion of clergy and laity today and tomorrow.”
As we come to this day mindful of our Jewish roots, might this
instruction not remind us of the directions for the Passover which call
for the home to be swept clean so that all leavened products are
removed? We begin our eucharistic action this night knowing that we
begin again, remembering and celebrating the new Passover of cross
and resurrection, the ultimate word of truth and love: ancient mystery,
ever new.
We are also instructed that “During the singing of the Gloria, the
church bells are rung and then remain silent until the Easter Vigil,
unless the conference of bishops or the Ordinary decrees otherwise.”
Catholics of a certain age often wondered (and heard various answers)
about when Lent ended. This rubric settles it. Lent ends as we begin
the Triduum. We still fast on Good Friday and until the Vigil begins, but
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it is not the Lenten fast of penance and preparation, but an anticipatory
fast. The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy alerts us to the distinction:
During Lent penance should not be only internal and
individual, but also external and social. The practice of
penance should be fostered in ways that are possible in our
own times and in different regions, and according to the
circumstances of the faithful; it should be encouraged by the
authorities mentioned in Art. 22.
Nevertheless, let the paschal fast be kept sacred. Let it be
celebrated everywhere on Good Friday and, where possible,
prolonged throughout Holy Saturday, so that the joys of the
Sunday of the resurrection may be attained with uplifted
and clear mind (SC 110).
Note how specific is this rubric: “the washing of the feet follows
the homily.” For reasons that seem to contradict the gospel, some
presiders invite people to wash their hands instead. Jesus has already
ruled on this practice in his reply to Peter in John’s gospel proclaimed
just moments before: “Simon Peter said to him, ‘Lord, not my feet only
but also my hands and my head!’ Jesus said to him, ‘He who has bathed
does not need to wash, except for his feet …” (13:9-10).
Some congregations omit this ritual foot washing entirely. It is
hard to give a reason to support their innovation given the response of
Jesus to Peter who had first wanted no part of the ritual: “Peter said to
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him, ‘You shall never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered him, ‘If I do not
wash you, you have no part in me’” (Jn 13:8).
Note also the directive: “At the beginning of the liturgy of the
eucharist, there may be a procession of the faithful with gifts for the
poor.” Could there be a day better suited for such a procession with
checks and cash, foodstuffs, clothing and whatever else might be needed
locally, nationally or internationally?
During the procession, it is
suggested that “where charity and love are found, there is God” be sung.
What hymn could be more appropriate?
Note, too, that the Mass concludes with the prayer after
communion. The transfer of the Holy Eucharist follows. “After a period
of silent adoration, the priest and ministers genuflect and return to the
sacristy.” There is neither blessing nor dismissal today. We are going
home, but this liturgy is spread over three days; there will be no
dismissal until the conclusion of the Vigil.
 From: “Death, Delight and the Paschal Mystery: Another Look at the
Triduum,” by William C. Graham, in Ministry and Liturgy, February
2006.
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