A Model to Follow: Reflections on the Readings for Holy Thursday-Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper

If you have not already read the readings you can find them here.

Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14
Psalm 116
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
John 13:1-15

There are those who will claim that the Old Testament has been replaced by the New and no longer has any relevance. But the New Testament is a fulfillment of the Old and, as such, extends and amplifies the lessons therein. That the lessons may have been completed does not make them any less valid or relevant. Once you complete the mathematics lessons of elementary school, you don’t forget them. They continue to form the basis of daily living and further study in mathematics. The readings for Holy Thursday present a similar example.

In the first reading the Lord gives Moses and Aaron instructions for the first Passover. Some of the key aspects include taking an unblemished lamb, roasting it, applying some of its blood to the doorposts (to mark the homes of the Lord’s people for the Lord to “pass over”), and “That same night they shall eat its roasted flesh with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. ... you shall eat like those who are in flight,” dressed appropriately with “your staff in hand.”

“This day shall be a memorial feast for you, which all your generations shall celebrate with pilgrimage to the LORD, as a perpetual institution.” Jesus faithfully observed Passover as well. This perpetual institution is continued in every Mass we celebrate.

This memorial is a focus of the responsorial psalm. In today’s readings a phrase from St. Paul’s first Letter to the Corinthians is combined with Psalm 116. Psalm 116 is a thanksgiving psalm and one of the “Hallel” psalms (from which we get Hallelujah) sung at Passover. By doing this the Church is clearly connecting the Passover (a todah or thanksgiving meal) with the Eucharist. “Eucharist” means thanksgiving. And the Passover meal was considered a thanksgiving meal, just as our celebration of the Eucharist is not only a sacrificial liturgical meal, but also one of thanksgiving, as the psalm says, “To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving.” And the blessing cup which we drink is the cup of salvation putting us in communion with Jesus.

The second reading also reiterates the connection between the Passover feast and the Last Supper (“the night he was handed over”). The formulaic nature of the reading points directly to the liturgical aspects of both the Passover feast and the Mass (both todah meals). The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible (ICSB) explains, “Theologically, this rich biblical tradition leads us to see the Eucharist as the todah offering of the New Covenant. The featured elements of the meal as well as the focus on a divine act of salvation make the connection luminously clear.” As we hear in the prefaces to the Eucharistic prayers, “It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord.”

If we have learned anything about Jesus we should know that just about everything He did had a purpose, including a subtle lesson for all of His followers. In the gospel reading St. John recounts the washing of the apostles’ feet. Here Peter objects as such an act was considered an act normally performed by a slave rather than the presiding host. Jesus corrects him reminding him of the need for humility, telling all of them, “I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.”

Jesus’ washing of the apostles’ feet is more than just an act of humility and an example for us to follow. It is also connected to the act of ordination. From the ICSB, “The foot washing may be a sign of priestly ordination as in the OT (Ex. 40:12, 30-32). Against this background, Jesus washing Peter and the disciples parallels the scene of Moses washing Aaron and his sons on the day of their consecration to the priesthood (Lev 8:6).” This is even more evident when coupled with the command cited by St. Paul, “do this ... in remembrance of Me.”

If we read beyond this selection we see another interesting interchange between Jesus and Judas. Like Jesus comment to Peter which gets him to change his attitude toward being washed, Jesus says, “Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” This sets the apostles ask each other who it might be. Jesus then makes the open gesture of giving a morsel to Judas, thus identifying him to John who asked Jesus directly who it was. It seems plausible to me that, like His correction to Peter, Jesus was giving Judas one last opportunity to change and come back into the vine, especially when you consider the statement in the other gospels He says, “woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed.”

We see here a continuing theme of the need for us to follow Jesus’ example through our lives here on earth. We have the perpetual institution of celebrating the Passover through our Eucharistic feast. We have the need to serve one another. The gospel acclamation, also take from this chapter of John’s gospel tells us, “I give you a new commandment, says the Lord: love one another as I have loved you.” Even for the Eucharist itself Jesus tells us to “Do this in remembrance of me.”

The Greek word used is anamnesis which dictionary.com defines (among other definitions) as “a prayer in a Eucharistic service, recalling the Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension of Christ.” The ICSB word study on “remembrance” summarizes this. “It is only Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross that powerfully remits our sins. His priestly offering is then perpetuated throughout history, being drawn into the present every time the Eucharistic liturgy is celebrated. Unlike those in the OT, this liturgical ‘memorial’ not only reminds us of His saving death, but re-presents it before us in a sacramental way (Lk 22:19: 1 Cor 11:24-26; CCC 1341, 1362).”

From this we can have a greater insight into why the Church calls the Eucharistic celebration as the “source and summit of Christian life.” (Lumen Gentium 11, CCC 1324).

The memorial of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday is an important celebration in preparation for Easter. Most, if not all, parishes will conduct the celebration, including the washing of twelve parishioners’ feet. Likewise, the pope does the same, emphasizing the importance of this tradition on the road to salvation. To better connect to Jesus and this important event, take the opportunity this Holy Thursday to attend the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper.

After the mass another ceremony takes place. As the Mass is not celebrated on Good Friday or Saturday before the Easter Vigil, a ciborium with hosts for the Good Friday memorial is set aside to be transferred to an appropriate place of repose. This is usually done with incense and a procession around the church. This may be preceded by a period of adoration. The altar is stripped and any crosses that cannot be removed are veiled.