This is my body given for you
Holy Thursday
As Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday he knew what his fate was to be. Although it was a triumphal entry with the crowds singing, “Hosanna to the Son of David”, Jesus knew that only in a few days hence, the crowds would cry out, “Crucify him, crucify him”.
He entered Jerusalem to embrace his destiny, to fulfil his Father’s will. He knew that his life had come to its final purpose and climax. Thus, he could say, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” (Jn 12:23).
He had gone up to Jerusalem at this time because it was the time for the feast of the Passover when the Jewish people commemorated the exodus from slavery in Egypt.
This feast was celebrated in a family setting and so Jesus organised the celebration of the Passover Meal to be with his twelve disciples. A room was booked and the preparations were made.
As the meal commenced Jesus did a surprising thing. He washed the feet of his disciples. We recall this in our Mass this evening.
This was a powerful testament to his self-understanding. He was Lord and Master, yes, but he took the position of a servant.
His life, as Son of God, was one, as Son of Man, offered up in service, and the ultimate service was to offer his life as a ransom to enable the redemption of humanity.
Then the Jewish ritual meal commenced. For Jesus this was to be the Last Supper he would have with his disciples. It was the final time that he would have his disciples around him.
The shadow of what was to take place the following day hung over his mind and heart. Calvary, his death on the cross, would end his earthly life. They would no longer have him physically with them.
Knowing the fate that awaited him, the ending of his earthly life and mission, what would his legacy be? We all wonder about this: when I am gone what will my legacy be?
For Jesus his legacy would be the memory of him by those who had come to know him. But memory quickly fades. His legacy would be later captured in the books written about him, especially the Gospels.
But books simply record events that are past. They introduce a figure of history.
At the Last Supper Jesus would offer the Twelve and all who would come to believe in him a living legacy. He would provide a sacramental means by which he would continue to be a living presence in the hearts and lives of all those who were his disciples.
Thus, he instituted the Eucharist, as St Paul recorded in the second reading this evening – “this is my body given for you”, “this cup is the new covenant in my blood”.
At the Last Supper, as he instructed the Twelve for the final time, using the image of a vine and branches, he said to them, “Abide in me as I abide in you” (Jn 15:4).
Consider these extraordinary words for a moment: “abide in me as I abide in you”.
These words only make sense in the light of the Resurrection and as Christians down to this day celebrate the Eucharist, fulfilling what Jesus asked of us, “do this is memory of me”.
The institution of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper is the great gift of Christ to all who believe in him. It is the way in which Jesus would continue to live in the hearts and lives of believers over the ages. It is his great legacy to us.
What is important to note about these words is that Jesus says that he will abide in us. Now as the risen Lord, he desires to come to us, to dwell in us. He wants to continue to be with his disciples in a most intimate and personal way. This occurs sacramentally every time we receive Holy Communion. Jesus, the Risen Lord, comes to us, abides in us.
This offering of himself to us requires a response. He invites us to abide in him, and we respond by opening our hearts to receive him.
The Lord desires a profound personal union with each of us as his disciples. He is not content just to have us believe in him and follow his teaching and example.
He wants so much more. He wants to be profoundly part of our lives. He wants live deeply in our hearts and souls.
In speaking about the gift of himself to us in the Eucharist, Jesus said, “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in him” (Jn 6:56). Each time we approach the altar to receive the Body of Christ, the risen Lord Jesus truly comes to us and lives within us. His life flows to us and nourishes our souls.
After receiving Holy Communion, we return to our places. Now this is the time for reverent silence. We shut the world out for these precious moments of personal communion with Jesus, our risen Lord.
We give all our attention to him. At this time nothing else matters but to absorb the miracle of the Lord’s presence. We drink in his personal, intimate love for us, amazed that he would so love us, so be interested in us, so desire to draw us into the circle of his saving work.
In these moments of interior silence, we have indeed come under the grace of salvation. We are lifted up into the spiritual realm where God’s mercy flows upon our souls. In these moments we are so loved. We are in union with the healer of our souls. Life, divine life, is breathed into us.
In these moments we understand the meaning of the words of the Lord at the Last Supper: “This is my body given for you”. Yes, in receiving his Body at Holy Communion, Jesus has given himself to me and for me. A gift beyond all gifts.
Thus, our time after receiving Holy Communion is a most sacred time, a precious time. Christ, as risen Lord, gives himself to us and we receive him with humble gratitude and joy.
All glory and praise to you, O Lord, for such a wonderful gift!
Archbishop Julian Porteous
Thursday, 6 April 2023