Mass of the Lord’s Supper: Understanding
the mystery of the Eucharist
Homily of
Cardinal Justin Rigali
Mass of the Lord’s Supper
Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul
March 20, 2008
Dear Friends,
Here in this Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul we are celebrating
the second Mass of Holy Thursday. It is called the Mass of the Lord’s
Supper.
Earlier this morning we celebrated the Chrism Mass. It was a magnificent
assembly of priests and people, including a number of young people. During
the Mass, I blessed the holy oils for the catechumens and the sick, and
I consecrated the sacred Chrism, which is used in anointing those who
are baptized, confirmed and ordained to the priesthood.
In the homily at that Mass I spoke about the priesthood of our Lord Jesus
Christ, its relation to the Eucharist, and how important it is in the
Church. I expressed our gratitude and support for the lives and ministry
of our priests. All of our priests, in the presence of God’s people,
renewed their commitment to sacred celibacy and faithful service.
This evening the texts of Sacred Scripture immerse us in the mystery of
the Eucharist. To understand the liturgy that we are celebrating we must
speak about the Eucharist itself, about the priesthood, without which
the Eucharist cannot exist, and about Christ’s commandment of love
and service. Jesus says: “I give you a new commandment. Love one
another as I have loved you.”
Today is the anniversary of the institution of the Eucharist. It is also
the anniversary of the institution of the priesthood. The two sacraments
go together. There can be no Eucharist without the priesthood. The priesthood
exists to make the Eucharist possible.
The Gospel of Saint John that we proclaimed this evening takes us to the
Last Supper. Actually Saint John does not speak about the Eucharist. The
other three evangelists—Matthew, Mark and Luke—describe its
institution. Saint Paul does so also. Saint John, on the other hand, presumes
it and goes on to speak about Christ’s attitude of love and service,
which was the reason Christ instituted the Eucharist and the priesthood.
These then are the three elements that make up our Holy Thursday reflection:
1) the gift of the Eucharist, 2) the gift of the priesthood and 3) Christ’s
love for us manifested in washing the feet of His apostles in humble service.
The institution of the Eucharist is beautifully described for us by Saint
Paul in his First Letter to the Corinthians. This Letter was written only
about twenty years after the Death and Resurrection of Jesus. This is
the first account of what took place at the Last Supper. It precedes the
other accounts written by Matthew, Mark and Luke.
The words that Saint Paul records are the basic formula that we hear pronounced
in every Eucharist: “This is my body which will be given up for
you.” “This is the cup of my blood. … It will be shed
for you. …” And finally: “Do this in memory of me.”
Christ’s command — “Do this in memory of me”—links
the Eucharist and the priesthood. The Church teaches that the Apostles
whom Jesus had chosen to celebrate the Eucharist passed on this power
to their successors in the priesthood. And so tonight the command of Christ
is once more fulfilled: “Do this in memory of me.”
But what is it that we are doing in memory of Christ?
The Church evokes the memory of Christ’s Last Supper, but she does
this in a sacramental way. She makes this Supper sacramentally present
for us.
We know also that this Last Supper was the proclamation—as Saint
Paul says—of the Death of the Lord. The Last Supper was also the
anticipation of the Sacrifice that Christ would consummate on Good Friday
by His Death on the Cross, and that the Father would ratify by raising
Him from the dead.
And so the Church teaches that each Eucharistic celebration, each Mass,
is the sacramental re-enactment of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus.
Our Eucharist tonight brings us into contact with the Redemption that
Jesus accomplished by His Paschal Mystery.
The Eucharist re-presents sacramentally the Last Supper. It re-presents
the Sacrifice of Calvary. It makes actual in our lives the whole liberating
action that Jesus accomplished by his Death and Resurrection.
Holy Thursday for us, then, means the Mass and the priest who celebrates
every Mass: our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Holy Thursday also means the
love that motivated Jesus to gather His Apostles together at the Last
Supper and to die for them, and for all of us, on Good Friday.
Finally Holy Thursday means for us the challenge to follow Jesus in the
loving service that He performs for His apostles by washing their feet.
Jesus was willing to serve others generously. He was willing to give His
life in sacrifice for the redemption of the world.
Tonight Jesus gives us the privilege of joining in the celebration of
His Eucharist, which is both Sacrifice and Supper. But He also challenges
us to embrace His sentiments, to take on His attitude, to love one another
as He has loved us, to be willing to surrender ourselves in service to
one another.
“Do you realize what I have done for you?”—Jesus says
to us. “You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’
and rightly so, for indeed I am.”
Tonight His final words to us are these: “I have given you a model
to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.”
Dear friends: this too is Holy Thursday: a new way of loving, giving and
serving; a new way to be a family, to be a community, to be the Church;
a new way to be a spouse, a parent, a son or daughter, a priest, deacon,
religious or seminarian, a dedicated single person; a new way to live
the life of Jesus and to follow Him to His Death and Resurrection. Amen.