Liturgy of the Word

1st Reading:

Ez. 12:1-8, 11-14

Ps. 116:12-13, 15-16, 17-18

1 Cor. 11:23-26

Jn. 13:1-15.

Some Notes from the Ordo:

The Lenten Season ends as the Evening Mass of the Last Supper begins.

The Chrism Mass (for more on this Mass, see Palm Sunday, Today’s Thoughts to Live By) takes place in the morning, unless for pastoral reasons it is transferred to an earlier day during the week. At the Chrism Mass, the oil of catechumens and the oil of the sick are blessed. The Chrism that is used for Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders, as well as for the consecration of altars and the dedication of churches, is consecrated. Balsam, an aromatic resin, is poured into the oil. The sweet smell reminds us of the sweet “order of sanctity” to which we are all called.

Some Notes on Holy Thursday:

Holy Thursday is also known as Maundy Thursday, a name that comes from the Latin word, “mandatum,” mandate or commandment, the first word of Jesus in Jn. 13:34 — “Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos” — “A new commandment I give you that you love one another as I loved you.” In 2016, Pope Francis permitted the washing of the feet of women.

Holy Thursday initiates the Paschal Triduum, the three days that commemorate the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus. It ends on the evening of Easter Sunday. During the time of Jesus, a day is reckoned from “sunset to sunset.”

Thus, the first day is from the evening of Holy Thursday to the evening of Good Friday. On this day, everything happens: the Last Supper, the institution of the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Jesus, the institution of the Holy Priesthood, the washing of the disciples’ feet, the Agony of Jesus in Gethsemane, betrayal and arrest, sentencing, His Passion, Death, and burial.

On the second day — the evening of Good Friday to the evening of Holy Saturday — nothing happens. We pray and wait with our Blessed Mother for the Resurrection. On the third day, tradition says that our Lord rose from the dead at midnight.

At the Last Supper, Jesus took bread and wine and gave them to his disciples as his Body and Blood. This became central to Christian worship and pointed directly to the Cross. Then Jesus washed the feet of the disciples. Jesus, their Lord and Teacher, took the place of a servant. True greatness is not found in status or power, but in humble service.

He also gave them a new commandment — to love one another as he had loved them in costly self-giving that he would demonstrate on the Cross. Later that night, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane. There he prayed in deep anguish and sorrow, yet he submitted himself to the will of the Father unto death.

For the Liturgy, the tabernacle should be completely empty before the celebration. The Gloria is sung, accompanied by the ringing of church bells, which are then silent until the Easter Vigil.

After the homily, the Washing of the Feet takes place.

At the place of Reposition, the Blessed Sacrament should be reserved in a closed tabernacle or pyx. The altar is stripped bare, symbolic of the abandonment of Jesus by his disciples and the stripping of Jesus by the soldiers before his crucifixion. A sufficient number of consecrated hosts should be reserved for Communion the following day.

A plenary indulgence is obtained with the usual conditions, when the reserved Blessed Sacrament is adored for at least one half hour. The practice of visiting seven churches (Visita Iglesia) on Holy Thursday is an ancient practice that probably originated in Rome. During the visit, the religious devotion of the Stations of the Cross is done.

1st Reading, Ez. 12:1–8, 11-14. Ezekiel prophesies the exile and captivity of Israel.

2nd Reading, 1 Cor. 11:23-26. This is the earliest narrative of the Last Supper and the institution of the Holy Eucharist.

Gospel, Jn. 13:1-15. The Washing of the Disciples’ Feet.

On Holy Thursday, Jesus bequeathed his own Body and Blood to us before his immolation on the Cross. He gave us the Holy Priesthood to perpetuate what he had done. Such humble self-giving sacrifice of love and service is a model we are to follow in our own lives.

Prayer: O God, you have called us to participate in this most sacred Supper, in which your Only Begotten Son, when about to hand himself over to death, entrusted to the Church a sacrifice new for all eternity, the banquet of his love. Grant, we pray, that we may draw from so great a mystery, the fullness of charity and of life, through Christ our Lord. Amen.