Holy Thursday –
Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper
(Exodus 12:1-8.11-14; I Corinthians 15:23-26; John 13:1-15)
At a Jewish Passover meal the youngest at table asks, “Why
is tonight different from all other nights?”
We might pose a similar question for our Eucharist this evening. How is
this mass different from other masses? A
fitting answer would be that in this mass we emphasize the act of remembering.
The word remember
literally means to put component parts or members back together. When we remember we recreate what existed in
the past to make it present to us now.
This evening we remember three events found in the Scripture
readings. First, we recall God’s
liberating the Israelites from their exile in Egypt
Dogs can remember in a sense, and we regularly pay a compliment
to computers by speaking of their memory.
We must distinguish human remembering from the trivial memories attributed
to animals and machines. When we
remember, we assign to a past event a meaning that shapes our lives. In remembering the liberation of the
Israelites we think of our deliverance from sin. The Father has sent the Son to die and rise
so that our chain of selfishness may be broken.
Remembrance of the first Eucharist allows us to imagine the celestial
banquet in which we hope to participate.
We believe that our following Jesus will bring us to full union with him
and all the saints in eternity. Our
final instance of remembering shows us Jesus’ way. Moved by the Holy Spirit, we render loving service
to one another. Now we can look forward to glory.
