The Lord's Supper (HOLY THURSDAY - B)

MARCH 28, 2024 - THURSDAY
MAUNDY THURSDAY / HOLY THURSDAY (White)
(Mass of the Lord's Supper - Mass in the Evening)
Lectionary: 39
CYCLE B - YEAR II

Reading I
Ex 12:1-8, 11-14

The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 
“This month shall stand at the head of your calendar; 
you shall reckon it the first month of the year.
Tell the whole community of Israel: 
On the tenth of this month every one of your families
must procure for itself a lamb, one apiece for each household.
If a family is too small for a whole lamb, 
it shall join the nearest household in procuring one 
and shall share in the lamb 
in proportion to the number of persons who partake of it.
The lamb must be a year-old male and without blemish.
You may take it from either the sheep or the goats.
You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, 
and then, with the whole assembly of Israel present, 
it shall be slaughtered during the evening twilight.
They shall take some of its blood 
and apply it to the two doorposts and the lintel 
of every house in which they partake of the lamb.
That same night they shall eat its roasted flesh 
with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
“This is how you are to eat it: 
with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand,
you shall eat like those who are in flight.
It is the Passover of the LORD.
For on this same night I will go through Egypt, 
striking down every firstborn of the land, both man and beast,
and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt—I, the LORD!
But the blood will mark the houses where you are.
Seeing the blood, I will pass over you; 
thus, when I strike the land of Egypt, 
no destructive blow will come upon you.
“This day shall be a memorial feast for you, 
which all your generations shall celebrate 
with pilgrimage to the LORD, as a perpetual institution.”

Responsorial Psalm
116:12-13, 15-16bc, 17-18

R. (cf. 1 Cor 10:16)  Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.

How shall I make a return to the LORD
    for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
    and I will call upon the name of the LORD.

R. Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.

Precious in the eyes of the LORD
    is the death of his faithful ones.
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
    you have loosed my bonds.

R. Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.

To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
    and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
    in the presence of all his people.

R. Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.

Reading II
1 Cor 11:23-26

Brothers and sisters:
I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, 
that 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.”
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, 
you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.

Verse Before the Gospel
Jn 13:34

I give you a new commandment, says the Lord:
love one another as I have loved you.

GOSPEL
Jn 13:1-15

Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come
to pass from this world to the Father.
He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.
The devil had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand him over.
So, during supper,
fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power
and that he had come from God and was returning to God,
he 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 the disciples' feet
and dry them with the towel around his waist.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him,
"Master, are you going to wash my feet?"
Jesus answered and said to him,
"What I am doing, you do not understand now,
but you will understand later."
Peter said to him, "You will never wash my feet."
Jesus answered him,
"Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me."
Simon Peter said to him,
"Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well."
Jesus said to him,
"Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed,
for he is clean all over;
so you are clean, but not all."
For he knew who would betray him;
for this reason, he said, "Not all of you are clean."
So when he had washed their feet
and put his garments back on and reclined at table again,
he said to them, "Do you realize what I have done for you?
You call me 'teacher' and 'master,' and rightly so, for indeed I am.
If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet,
you ought to wash one another's feet.
I have given you a model to follow,
so that as I have done for you, you should also do."

REFLECTION:

Holy Thursday celebrates deep signs of the mystery of God's love. In the washing of the feet and the giving of his body and blood, we find signs of Jesus' service and love. His invitation is to allow him to serve us and to receive his body and blood. Maybe in prayer today you can imagine him washing your feet, allowing this intimacy as he touches you in service and care. He wants to be close to you like this. His invitation is that we are as open to him in love as he is to us. We have all been recipients of service in our lives. Maybe in prayer today give thanks for the service of anyone who has brought us close to God. Engage them in your memory; allow your heart to be enlarged in thanks to them and to God whose love works with and through them.

PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, let me hear You call my name today as Your friend. Give me the grace to believe and receive it. AMEN.

The Fulfillment of the Scriptures (HOLY THURSDAY - MASS OF CHRISM Readings - A)

 
APRIL 06, 2023 THURSDAY 
HOLY THURSDAY (MASS OF CHRISM- Mass In The Morning)
(White)
CYCLE A - YEAR I
Lectionary: 260

Reading I
Is 61:1-3a, 6a, 8b-9

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
            because the LORD has anointed me;
He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly,
            to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
            and release to the prisoners,
To announce a year of favor from the LORD
            and a day of vindication by our God,
            to comfort all who mourn;
To place on those who mourn in Zion
            a diadem instead of ashes,
To give them oil of gladness in place of mourning,
            a glorious mantle instead of a listless spirit.
You yourselves shall be named priests of the LORD,
            ministers of our God shall you be called.
I will give them their recompense faithfully,
            a lasting covenant I will make with them.
Their descendants shall be renowned among the nations,
            and their offspring among the peoples;
All who see them shall acknowledge them
            as a race the LORD has blessed.

Responsorial Psalm
89:21-22, 25 and 27

R.        (2)  For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

“I have found David, my servant;
            with my holy oil I have anointed him.
That my hand may always be with him;
            and that my arm may make him strong.”

R.        For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

“My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him;
            and through my name shall his horn be exalted.
He shall say of me, ‘You are my father,
            my God, the Rock, my savior!’“

R.        For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

Reading II
Rv 1:5-8

[Grace to you and peace] from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness,
the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his Blood,
who has made us into a Kingdom, priests for his God and Father,
to him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.
Behold, he is coming amid the clouds,
            and every eye will see him,
            even those who pierced him.
All the peoples of the earth will lament him.
            Yes. Amen.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God,
“the one who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Verse Before the Gospel
Is 61:1 (cited in Lk 4:18)

The Spirit of the LORD is upon me;
for he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor.

Gospel
Lk 4:16-21

Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,
and went according to his custom
into the synagogue on the sabbath day.
He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
            The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
                        because he has anointed me
                        to bring glad tidings to the poor.
            He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
                        and recovery of sight to the blind,
                        to let the oppressed go free,
            and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.
Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,
            and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them,
“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
 

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

Jesus lists his priorities: all who are restricted or confined are invited to freedom. I realise that I am included, called to new liberty and life. What does Jesus have in mind for me? Where is he calling me to freedom, to life?

PRAYER:

Lord, this is a scene I would love to have witnessed. Let me unroll it slowly.

brotherSEPH's HOLY WEEK REFLECTION FOR HOLY THURSDAY: TRUE REPENTANCE

 

 "TRUE REPENTANCE involves a change of heart and not just a change of behavior."

- Ezra Taft Benson

He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things."

- Luke 24:46-48

But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

- Luke 19:8

In popular culture today, and often in Christian culture, repentance is a matter of feeling sorry. “Repent of your sins” (not that many people speak this way anymore) means, “Be sorry for what you have done.” Such sorrow seems often to be remorse over having been found out more than genuine sadness over having done wrong.

Biblical repentance usually includes feeling sorry for our behavior. But repentance is not a matter of feelings, but of choices and actions. In Scripture, “to repent” means “to turn around and go the other direction.” It’s a change of purpose, intention, and values. It means living in a whole different way, turning from sin, turning to God, and walking in his paths.

Zacchaeus offers an accurate, stirring picture of repentance. The tax collector, hated for his collusion with Rome and for getting rich by taking advantage of the people he taxed, has a life-changing encounter with Jesus. Luke doesn’t even tell us what, if anything, Jesus said to encourage Zacchaeus’ response. But the response is stunning: “I will give half of my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much” (19:8). Talk about repentance! Zacchaeus doesn’t just feel bad about his past behavior. He resolves to change it dramatically, to make right what he has done wrong. Implicitly, he will live in a radically different model from this moment on.

When God meets us and stuns us with his grace, we rightly do more than feel a little bad. We embrace his grace in a way that transforms our lives. We begin to live in a whole new key, joining the symphony of the kingdom of God. To be sure, we do this imperfectly, hitting many bad notes along the way. But a life of repentance means that we continue to turn to God, again and again, seeking him and seeking to honor him by how we live each day.

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION:

Have you ever experienced repentance in any way like that of Zacchaeus? When? Why did you repent? What gives you a desire to leave behind your sin in order to live more fully for God?

Dear Lord, thank you for this powerful picture of repentance. Zacchaeus models something that happens when we encounter you in your justice and righteousness, in your love and grace. When we truly meet you, we feel drawn to turn our lives around, not in order to earn your favor, but in response to your favor freely given. Thank you!

PRAYER: 

Lord, help me to repent daily of my sin. Help me to be an instrument of the repentance of others. May I always receive Your words in love and offer them in the form of love that is most effective. Jesus, I trust in You.

Help me, Dear Lord, even today, to live a life that moves in your direction. Help me to say “no” to sin and “yes” to you all day. AMEN. 

HOLY WEEK REFLECTION FOR HOLY THURSDAY: TRUE REPENTANCE

 "TRUE REPENTANCE involves a change of heart and not just a change of behavior."

- Ezra Taft Benson

He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.

- Luke 24:46-48

But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

- Luke 19:8

In popular culture today, and often in Christian culture, repentance is a matter of feeling sorry. “Repent of your sins” (not that many people speak this way anymore) means, “Be sorry for what you have done.” Such sorrow seems often to be remorse over having been found out more than genuine sadness over having done wrong.

Biblical repentance usually includes feeling sorry for our behavior. But repentance is not a matter of feelings, but of choices and actions. In Scripture, “to repent” means “to turn around and go the other direction.” It’s a change of purpose, intention, and values. It means living in a whole different way, turning from sin, turning to God, and walking in his paths.

Zacchaeus offers an accurate, stirring picture of repentance. The tax collector, hated for his collusion with Rome and for getting rich by taking advantage of the people he taxed, has a life-changing encounter with Jesus. Luke doesn’t even tell us what, if anything, Jesus said to encourage Zacchaeus’ response. But the response is stunning: “I will give half of my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much” (19:8). Talk about repentance! Zacchaeus doesn’t just feel bad about his past behavior. He resolves to change it dramatically, to make right what he has done wrong. Implicitly, he will live in a radically different model from this moment on.

When God meets us and stuns us with his grace, we rightly do more than feel a little bad. We embrace his grace in a way that transforms our lives. We begin to live in a whole new key, joining the symphony of the kingdom of God. To be sure, we do this imperfectly, hitting many bad notes along the way. But a life of repentance means that we continue to turn to God, again and again, seeking him and seeking to honor him by how we live each day.

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION:

Have you ever experienced repentance in any way like that of Zacchaeus? When? Why did you repent? What gives you a desire to leave behind your sin in order to live more fully for God?

Dear Lord, thank you for this powerful picture of repentance. Zacchaeus models something that happens when we encounter you in your justice and righteousness, in your love and grace. When we truly meet you, we feel drawn to turn our lives around, not in order to earn your favor, but in response to your favor freely given. Thank you!

Lord, help me to repent daily of my sin. Help me to be an instrument of the repentance of others. May I always receive Your words in love and offer them in the form of love that is most effective. Jesus, I trust in You.

Help me, Dear Lord, even today, to live a life that moves in your direction. Help me to say “no” to sin and “yes” to you all day. AMEN. 

HOLY THURSDAY (B): Jesus Washes The Feet Of His Apostles

 

April 01, 2021, Thursday
(MAUNDY THURSDAY / HOLY THURSDAY)
(Mass of the Lord's Supper - Mass in the Evening)
CYCLE B - YEAR I

Lectionary: 39

Reading I

Ex 12:1-8, 11-14

The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 

“This month shall stand at the head of your calendar; 

you shall reckon it the first month of the year.

Tell the whole community of Israel: 

On the tenth of this month every one of your families

must procure for itself a lamb, one apiece for each household.

If a family is too small for a whole lamb, 

it shall join the nearest household in procuring one 

and shall share in the lamb 

in proportion to the number of persons who partake of it.

The lamb must be a year-old male and without blemish.

You may take it from either the sheep or the goats.

You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, 

and then, with the whole assembly of Israel present, 

it shall be slaughtered during the evening twilight.

They shall take some of its blood 

and apply it to the two doorposts and the lintel 

of every house in which they partake of the lamb.

That same night they shall eat its roasted flesh 

with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

“This is how you are to eat it: 

with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand,

you shall eat like those who are in flight.

It is the Passover of the LORD.

For on this same night I will go through Egypt, 

striking down every firstborn of the land, both man and beast,

and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt—I, the LORD!

But the blood will mark the houses where you are.

Seeing the blood, I will pass over you; 

thus, when I strike the land of Egypt, 

no destructive blow will come upon you.

“This day shall be a memorial feast for you, 

which all your generations shall celebrate 

with pilgrimage to the LORD, as a perpetual institution.”

Responsorial Psalm

116:12-13, 15-16bc, 17-18

R. (cf. 1 Cor 10:16)  Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.

How shall I make a return to the LORD

    for all the good he has done for me?

The cup of salvation I will take up,

    and I will call upon the name of the LORD.

R. Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.

Precious in the eyes of the LORD

    is the death of his faithful ones.

I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;

    you have loosed my bonds.

R. Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.

To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,

    and I will call upon the name of the LORD.

My vows to the LORD I will pay

    in the presence of all his people.

R. Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.

Reading II

1 Cor 11:23-26

Brothers and sisters:

I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, 

that 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.”

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, 

you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.

Verse Before the Gospel

Jn 13:34

I give you a new commandment, says the Lord:

love one another as I have loved you.

GOSPEL

Jn 13:1-15

Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come

to pass from this world to the Father.

He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.

The devil had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand him over.

So, during supper,

fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power

and that he had come from God and was returning to God,

he 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 the disciples' feet

and dry them with the towel around his waist.

He came to Simon Peter, who said to him,

"Master, are you going to wash my feet?"

Jesus answered and said to him,

"What I am doing, you do not understand now,

but you will understand later."

Peter said to him, "You will never wash my feet."

Jesus answered him,

"Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me."

Simon Peter said to him,

"Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well."

Jesus said to him,

"Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed,

for he is clean all over;

so you are clean, but not all."

For he knew who would betray him;

for this reason, he said, "Not all of you are clean."

So when he had washed their feet

and put his garments back on and reclined at table again,

he said to them, "Do you realize what I have done for you?

You call me 'teacher' and 'master,' and rightly so, for indeed I am.

If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet,

you ought to wash one another's feet.

I have given you a model to follow,

so that as I have done for you, you should also do."

REFLECTION:

Holy Thursday celebrates deep signs of the mystery of God's love. In the washing of the feet and the giving of his body and blood, we find signs of Jesus' service and love. His invitation is to allow him to serve us and to receive his body and blood. Maybe in prayer today you can imagine him washing your feet, allowing this intimacy as he touches you in service and care. He wants to be close to you like this. His invitation is that we are as open to him in love as he is to us. We have all been recipients of service in our lives. Maybe in prayer today give thanks for the service of anyone who has brought us close to God. Engage them in your memory; allow your heart to be enlarged in thanks to them and to God whose love works with and through them.

PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, let me hear You call my name today as Your friend. Give me the grace to believe and receive it. AMEN.