Holy Thursday -- Morning Prayer

Ave Maria!  In my parish here in Houston, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, we always have Morning Prayer in our chapel on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday.  We gather at 9am, which is when we have our daily morning Mass throughout the rest of the year.  I am always moved by our simple but heartfelt celebration of this hour from the Divine Office, and this morning was no exception.  Our little chapel was almost full of parishioners, from the very young at 2 years of age to the oldest at 88 years.  One of our acolytes, Ola Branche, who is studying to become a permanent deacon, did a fine job leading us in prayer.  Everyone participated loudly and enthusiastically, especially in singing the much-loved hymn "Here I Am, Lord" by Rev. Dan Schutte, S.J.  Even while my heart throbbed with joy, in the context of Holy Week, some of the lines brought tears to my eyes:

I have heard my people cry; all who dwell in dark and sin, my hand will save....
 
I have borne my people's pain.  I have wept for love of them.  They turn away.... 

I will break their hearts of stone, give them hearts for love alone....

I will tend the poor and lame.  I will set a feast for them.  My hand will save.... 

Here I am, Lord...I have heard you calling in the night...I will hold your people in my heart...

In the night of His agony in the garden, Jesus, our Beloved Lord and Master, heard His Father calling Him...calling Him to drink the chalice, to carry the cross, to lay down His life for us, and to hold us forever in His crucified heart, so overflowing with love and mercy.  O come, let us adore Him!

Holy Thursday -- Jesus Our Passover

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Jesus knew that he was about to die.  He knew that he would not be able to eat the Passover again.  Fully aware of this, he invited his disciples to a Last Supper of a very special kind, one that followed no specific Jewish ritual but, rather, constituted his farewell; during the meal he gave them something new: he gave them himself as the true Lamb and thereby instituted his Passover.

...this farewell meal was not the old Passover, but the new one....  It was Jesus' Passover....  The sacrificial lamb is Christ...the death and resurrection have become the Passover that endures.

~from Jesus of Nazareth, Vol. II, Holy Week, by Pope Benedict XVI

Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ!

You are the Passover that is our salvation!

Holy Father's Homilies for Holy Thursday

Available now on the Vatican Web site are the two homilies that Pope Benedict XVI gave in Rome today, Holy Thursday.

Homily at the Chrism Mass, St. Peter's. In this homily, the Holy Father reminds us that "God touches us through material things, through gifts of creation that he takes up into his service, making them instruments of the encounter between us and himself. There are four elements in creation on which the world of sacraments is built: water, bread, wine and olive oil." He then explains a bit about each element and gives a beautiful explanation of the symbolism and significance of the oils that were blessed today at the Chrism Mass.

Homily at the Mass of the Lord's supper, Basilica of St. John Lateran. Here the Holy Father reflects upon the words of Christ from John 17:3: “This is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” He says, in part: "Knowing, in the language of sacred Scripture, is an interior becoming one with the other. Knowing God, knowing Christ, always means loving him, becoming, in a sense, one with him by virtue of that knowledge and love. Our life becomes authentic and true life, and thus eternal life, when we know the One who is the source of all being and all life. And so Jesus’ words become a summons: let us become friends of Jesus, let us try to know him all the more! Let us live in dialogue with him! Let us learn from him how to live aright, let us be his witnesses! Then we become people who love and then we act aright. Then we are truly alive."

Dear Lord, as we celebrate this sacred Triduum, may our knowledge of You grow into the mystery of our becoming Your infinite, self-emptying love for the life of the world. Amen.

The Eucharist: My Only Strength

On this Holy Thursday, I am remembering Cardinal Francois Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan, 1928-2002, who was imprisoned by the Vietnamese Communist regime for 13 years, nine of which he spent in solitary confinement. During those long years of agonizing captivity, the Eucharist was his only strength. As a constant reminder of his imprisonment, he wore ever after as his pectoral cross one he had fashioned out of wood and metal in prison with the help of a sympathetic guard. He said of his cross, "It is not beautiful, but it is for me a symbol, a reminder always to love and forgive and reconcile." It was Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist who enabled Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan to love, forgive and reconcile. O dear Lord, thank You for doing the same for us! May we always hasten to receive Your precious Body and Blood, given to us for the life of the world! Amen.

The Eucharist: My Only Strength

Around the Eucharistic table the harmonious unity of the Church is realized and made manifest; the mystery of missionary communion, in which all feel that they are children, sisters and brothers. John Paul II, Message for the Twelfth World Youth Day, 1997, n. 7

"Were you able to celebrate the Eucharist in prison?" is one question that many people have asked me. And they are right to ask: The Eucharist is the most beautiful prayer; it is the culmination of the life of Jesus. When I answer "yes," I already know the next question: "How were you able to obtain the bread and wine?"

When I was arrested, I had to leave immediately, with empty hands. The next day I was allowed to request in writing the things I needed most: clothes, toothpaste... I wrote to my addressee: "Please, could you send me a bit of medicine for my bad stomach?" The faithful understand what I meant and they sent a little bottle of wine for Mass, which they labeled "stomach medicine," as well as some hosts sealed in a flashlight to protect them from the humidity. The police asked me: "Do you have a bad stomach?"

"Yes," I answered.

"Here’s some medicine for you."

I will never be able to express my immense joy: every day, with three drops of wine and one drop of water in the palm of my hand, I celebrated my Mass.

It depended on the situation, however. On the boat that brought us north, I celebrated at night with the prisoners who received communion around me. At times I had to celebrate while everyone was bathing after calisthenics. In the re-education camp, the prisoners were divided into groups of fifty; we slept on common beds and everyone had the right to fifty centimeters of space. We arranged it so that there were five Catholics near me. At 9:30 p.m. the lights were turned off and everyone had to sleep. I curled up on the bed to celebrate Mass, from memory, and I distributed communion by reaching under the mosquito netting covering us. We made small containers from cigarette packages in which to reserve the Blessed Sacrament. Jesus in the Eucharist was always with me in my shirt pocket.

In The Road of Hope I wrote: "You believe in one strength: the Eucharist, the Lord’s Body and Blood that gives you life. ‘I have come so that they may have life and have it abundantly’ (Jn. 10:10). As manna nourished the Israelites on their journey to the Promised Land, so the Eucharist nourishes you on your road of hope" (n. 983).

We had weekly indoctrination sessions in which the whole camp had to participate. During our break, I and my Catholic companions took advantage of the opportunity to pass to each, or to the other four groups of prisoners, the little container that held the Blessed Sacrament: they all knew that Jesus was among them, he who could heal all their physical and mental suffering. At night, the prisoners took turns for adoration; Jesus helped us in a tremendous way with his silent presence. Many Christians regained the fervor of their faith during those days, and Buddhists and other non-Christians converted. The strength of Jesus’ love is irresistible. The darkness of prison became light; the seed germinated underground during the storm.

Every time I offer Mass I have the opportunity to extend my hands and nail myself to the cross with Jesus, to drink with him the bitter cup.

~Cardinal Francois Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan

"Holy Thursday created these men"

Today, Holy Thursday, I pray in a special way for all priests, particularly those priests so influential in my own life -- the priest who baptized me sixty years ago ... the one who gave me our Lord Jesus in Holy Communion for the very first time ... the priests who have absolved me from my sins in the Sacrament of Penance over and over again, always with such kindness and compassion ... the ones who have counseled me in the ways of the Lord and encouraged me to grow in holiness and love, who have comforted me in my sorrows and supported me in my trials ... the priests who were my beloved spiritual fathers and have gone home to the Father ... the priest who is my spiritual father today, whose unflinching devotion to and undying passion for the Truth challenges me to settle for nothing less, whose wisdom enlightens my ignorance and whose love for our Lord increases my own ... the priests in our parish, especially my dear pastor who loves our parish family so much ... and all the priests in our world today, who strive to be faithful to their priestly vocation, who lovingly minister to us with our many needs, who show us the Father by their lives of love and sacrifice ... and the priests who are troubled, who doubt their calling and are tempted to abandon it, who struggle with their sins and imperfections, who are burdened with loneliness, who feel unappreciated or unloved. Thank you for all our priests, dear Jesus! Bless them and keep them happy in your service. Let them know how greatly you love them. Be their lasting peace and their sure refuge. Heal their brokenness, strengthen their resolve, enlighten their darkness and renew their faith in you. They are yours, all yours, and I entrust them with gratitude and joy to you, O Jesus, our High and Eternal Priest. Amem.

The Eucharist must not prevent us from considering the other sacrament which was instituted on Holy Thursday: Holy Orders. "Do this in remembrance of me." "Do this, as often as you drink [the cup], in remembrance of me."

The twelve apostles are the first twelve priests… Now they are ordained, the first members of an innumerable family. Holiness entered the world with Christ. The Church is holy and what matters to us the wretchedness of individuals, their falls, their betrayals? "The great glory of the Church," writes Jacques Maritain, "is to be holy with sinning members." Until the end of the world, the hands of a few chosen men will never cease to lift up "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world"… The grace of Holy Thursday will be transmitted unto the end of time, unto the last of the priests who will celebrate the last Mass in a shattered universe. Holy Thursday created these men; a mark was stamped on them; a sign was given to them… Such is the immense stream of grace which has its source in the first priestly ordination of this sacred Thursday.

from Holy Thursday: An Intimate Remembrance, by Francois Mauriac