Holy Thursday
Today we celebrate the institution of the Eucharist on what is (more or less) the anniversary of the Last Supper. Pope Benedict, in his book Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week: From the Entrance Into Jerusalem To The Resurrection, spends some time discussing whether this was a traditional Passover meal, or whether perhaps it was celebrated the day before the date of Passover to specifically impress upon the Apostles that this was an entirely new Passover.
Issues of the date aside, this is the beginning of the shortest season of the liturgical year: the Holy Triduum (Triduum Sacrum): Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday (the Vigil of Easter). The principal liturgies for these days, from tonight’s Mass through to the Easter Vigil, are really one continuous liturgy, with the Entrance Rites on Thursday night and the final Recessional at the dawn of Easter.
It begins with the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper. The Church explains “the mysteries that are commemorated in this Mass: the institution of the Eucharist, the institution of the priesthood, and Christ’s command of brotherly love”.
Take this, all of you...
Why an evening Mass? Passover is celebrated in the evening.
A rite particular to this Mass is the “Washing of the Feet”, where the priest washes the feet of twelve men of the Parish, recalling Christ washing the feet of the Apostles at the Last Supper (John 13:1-15). I have always found this particular rite a touching moment of simple humility.
“Gifts for the poor, especially those collected during Lent as the fruit of penance, may be presented in the offertory procession while the people sing Ubi caritas est vera.” (source)
There are any number of musical versions of this great text.
This is the version we typically sing: http://youtu.be/QNvanA1Q0Ew (sorry, no embedding)
This is the Taizé version, which we’ve also sung, though it is only the antiphon:
This is the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, singing Duruflé’s magnificent polyphony setting:
After the Communion Prayer, there is no final blessing. The Holy Eucharist is carried in procession through Church and then transferred into a place of reposition, in our case the Lady Altar. We chant Saint Thomas Aquinas’ great hymn Pange Lingua.
After the Mass, it’s back to Gethsemane. The altar is stripped bare, crosses are removed or covered, and the church is open for silent adoration, to answer Christ’s invitation “Could you not, then, watch one hour with me?” (Matt 26:40)
In short, this is the beginning of the high holy days of the year. I invite everybody to come! If you happen to be in Tacoma, please come to my parish tonight. Mass begins at 6:30.
As a side note, I’m currently offering up to the Lord an exquisite pain in my right shoulder due to a pinched nerve. While typing has been smooth, it has made moving the computer mouse somewhat problematic, so although I wished to expand this already lengthy article with some personal thoughts on the liturgy, those will have to wait.
Please pray for me, as I do for you.