Holy Thursday 7
pm NIGHT
Tonight,
we remember something very simple… and very profound.
We
remember a meal.
The
Last Supper.
But
not just a meal from the past.
Something
that continues.
Sometimes
we measure important moments by how they begin.
A
wedding day.
A baptism.
A milestone birthday.
We
put a lot of effort into getting the moment just right.
I
remember when we were planning a surprise party for my mother’s 70th birthday.
Everything had to be carefully arranged, and we worked hard to keep it a secret
right up to the last moment.
At
one point, my father needed an excuse to leave the house to check the
restaurant, so he told my mother he and my sister and brother-in-law were going
out to shop and look at golf clubs—which wasn’t true. And he was nervous the
whole time that he had given something away. My mother took no notice and was
just glad everyone was doing what they needed to do.
In
the end, the surprise worked. My sister at the party reminded everyone that
this “anxiousness by my father” was also an example of my father’s precision,
service and honesty
But
what we were celebrating wasn’t just her life in the past.
We
were celebrating her life still being lived…
and the life still to come.
And
that’s what tonight is about.
The
Last Supper is not just something that happened once.
It
is something that continues.
At
that meal, Jesus does something astonishing.
He
takes bread and says:
“This
is my body, given for you.”
He
takes the cup:
“This
is my blood, poured out for you.”
And
then He says:
“Do
this in memory of me.”
That
moment did not end in that upper room.
It
continues every time we come to Mass.
The
Eucharist is not just a symbol.
It is not just a reminder.
And it is not just a meal.
In
an ordinary meal, we eat food that is no longer alive in order to sustain the
life that is already in us.
But
in the Eucharist, something very different is happening.
We
receive the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ—who is alive.
And
instead of the food sustaining our life,
He gives us His life.
He
comes to dwell within us.
And
that is what a sacrament is:
An
outward sign that makes present an inward reality.
What
we see is bread and wine.
But what we receive is Jesus Himself—
His Body, His Blood, His life.
But
Holy Thursday is not only about the Eucharist.
It
is also about how we are called to live because of it.
Because
right after giving us the Eucharist…
Jesus
kneels down
and washes the feet of His disciples.
The
Master becomes the servant.
And
then He says:
“As
I have done for you, so you must do for one another.”
So
tonight, Jesus gives us two things:
The
gift of Himself.
And the example of how to live.
There
is a line from the Gospel that Bishop Barron once reflected on—he said it was
printed on a newly ordained priest’s ordination prayer card:
“The
Master has need of it.”
At
first, it sounds like a small detail.
But
it reveals something important.
The
Lord chooses to rely on others.
He
chooses to work through ordinary people.
And
that includes all of us.
The
Master has need of you.
As
a husband.
As a wife.
As a parent.
As a friend.
As a disciple.
Years
ago, before I ever thought seriously about the priesthood, I had an experience
that didn’t seem important at the time.
I
was on a plane coming back from Washington, D.C., and sitting next to me was my
hometown pastor.
We
started talking, and he shared that he was going through a major change—leaving
his parish for a new assignment.
And
I listened.
But
honestly, I didn’t really understand what he was going through. I didn’t
understand priestly life or the diocese. If you asked him, he’d probably tell
you how clueless I was.
But
I was trying to listen.
Looking
back, I see that moment differently.
What
seemed like a coincidence…
was actually a small moment of grace.
I
was being invited to listen.
To care.
To enter into someone else’s experience.
And
that is exactly what Jesus does for us.
The
Letter to the Hebrews says:
“We
do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness.”
Jesus
understands us.
He
enters into our lives.
He
walks with us in our struggles.
And
tonight, He asks us to do the same.
To
listen.
To be present.
To serve.
Because
the Eucharist is not just something we receive.
It
is something we are meant to become.
When
Jesus says,
“This
is my body, given for you,”
those
are not just words for the priest.
They
are words for all of us.
They
are the words of a parent for a child:
“This
is my body, given for you.”
The
words of spouses:
“This
is my life, given for you.”
The
words of someone caring for a loved one:
“This
is my time, my patience, my love, given for you.”
So
the question tonight is simple:
Are
we living those words?
The
people in our lives don’t need us to be perfect.
They
need us to show up.
To listen.
To forgive.
To love.
And
the good news is this:
God
does not choose us because we are strong.
He
chooses us because He loves us.
And
He is faithful.
So
tonight, as we receive the Eucharist,
we
don’t just remember what Jesus did.
We
receive who He is.
And
we are sent to live like Him.
Because
the Master still has need of you.
