Holy Thursday 2007.  April 5.  Our Lady of Grace.  Exodus 12: 1-8, 11-14.  I Corinthians 11: 23-26. John 13: 1-15.

Jesus did not leave us a passion play, no matter how good and moving it may be, as our way to remember him. Jesus did not commission magnificent music, no matter how powerful it may be, to remember his death and resurrection.   Jesus did not even command that the events of the passion be recorded in the gospels to be read by Christians in later ages.  Of course, the Gospels do tell us about the events of the passion under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  But Jesus did not command that anything be written down.  The Holy Spirit working in the Church authorized the writing of the Gospels – and they are a great treasure in the life of the Church.

Jesus told us to remember him by giving us the sacrament of his Body and Blood, the Eucharist, at the Last Supper.  Jesus said, “Do this in memory of me.”   The Catholic Church has been faithful to this command of Christ for almost two thousand years.  We believe what St. Paul and the early Christian community believed: “As often as you eat this bread and drink the cup you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.”  Because the Eucharist is the only memorial of the Passion commanded by Christ it is the center of the life of our Church and the center of everything that we do as Christians.

Following the ancient tradition of all the Apostolic Churches and the clear and literal meaning of the words of Jesus in the Gospels we believe that the bread and wine of the Eucharist are transformed so that they are truly the Body and Blood of Christ.  The Gospel of John read at tonight’s liturgy doesn’t tell us about the institution of the Eucharist directly, but the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John is filled with words of Jesus that would make little sense apart from our belief that when we gather for the Eucharist we are nourished on the Body and Blood of Christ.    In John’s Gospel Jesus says, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him …. whoever eats this bread will live forever." (John 6: 53-58).  The strong tradition of the early Church is reflected in the words of St. Paul to the Corinthians in today’s second reading:  “The Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, ‘this is my body that is for you.  Do this in remembrance of me.’  In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me’.”   (I Corinthians 11: 23-26)  A major part of the New Testament was written by the Apostle Paul.  Yet, Paul quotes Jesus in his New Testament letters only twice.  The words of Jesus at the Last Supper are one of these two times.  It is obvious that these words were important to Paul and cherished in the community that he served.

Whenever we celebrate the Eucharist we become participants in the sacrifice of Jesus until the end of time and we are nourished, truly and really, on the Body and Blood of Christ.   But that is only the beginning of the full meaning of the Eucharist in the life of our Church.  The Eucharist is not only real presence, it is also transforming presence.  The Church challenges us to ponder the full meaning of the mystery we celebrate in the gift of the Eucharist.  Not only do we offer God perfect worship in the Eucharist, not only are we nourished on the Body and Blood of Christ, we are also transformed into the living presence of Christ in the world.   The Eucharist is the center of Church life for three reasons: It gives perfect worship and praise to God, it nourishes us with the Body and Blood of Christ, and it transforms the members of the Church into the active, living presence of Jesus Christ in the world today.  The account of the Last Supper in the Gospel of John focuses attention on way that the Eucharist transforms us into the living presence of Christ in the word.  The Gospel of John tells us what the Eucharist means in the life of the Church.

Peter said to Jesus, “You will never wash my feet.”   Jesus told Peter, “Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me.”  Our relationship with the human race began when our father and mother welcomed us into life in this world.  They cuddled us, fed us, and cared for us in a way that made us feel valued and important. Sometimes this kind of nurturing does not happen in the life of a child.  Unless it is supplied in some other way, a child may well deal with feelings of inadequacy and insecurity that sometimes look like a preoccupation with self and even selfishness for the rest of his or her life.  Even more profoundly than a mother nourishes her child with the gift of her own body, Jesus nourishes us with the gift of his Body and Blood as our food and drink.   Even more profoundly than a mother’s touch gives comfort to a child and serves the child’s emotional and physical needs, Jesus touches us with the caress of loving service as he washes our feet by his death on the Cross and his affirming presence as our food and drink in the Eucharist.  If we do not let Jesus wash our feet we will not be recreated and redeemed in the divine soothing love we need to love ourselves and to serve one another.

Whenever we celebrate the Eucharist we experience Christ’s profound love for us as he washes our feet.   Being made secure, joyful and strong in Christ’s love we are transformed into the image of the Christ, and having been made like Christ, we are moved to wash the feet of others in imitation of the Christ.

Jesus rose from supper and took off his outer garments.  He took a towel and tied it around his waist.  Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciple’s feet and dry them with the towel.  He said, “If I, the master and teacher have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet.  I have given you an example to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do for one another.”

Tonight the Church teaches us that there are three essential aspects to our belief in the Eucharist:  The Eucharist is perfect worship.  The Eucharist nourishes us with the true Body and Blood of Jesus.  The Eucharist transforms us into the living image of Jesus Christ as we lay down our lives in service to one another.  For the awesome gift of the Eucharist we give God thanks and praise.