Maundy Thursday

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(Holy Thursday) Thursday, 28 March 2013 : Mass of the Lord’s Supper – Cena Domini, Holy Week (Gospel Reading)

John 13 : 1-15

It was before the feast of the Passover. Jesus realised that His hour had come, to pass from this world to the Father; and as He had loved those who were His own in the world, He would love them with perfect love.

They were at supper, and the devil had already put into the mind of Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Him. Jesus knew that the Father had entrusted all things to Him, and as He had come from God, He was going to God.

So He got up from the table, removed His garment, and taking a towel, wrapped it around His waist. Then He poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel He was wearing.

When He came to Simon Peter, Simon asked Him, “Why, Lord, do You want to wash my feet?” Jesus said, “What I am doing you cannot understand now, but afterwards you will understand it.” Peter replied, “You shall never wash my feet!”

Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you can have no part with Me.” Then Simon Peter said, “Lord, wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head!” Jesus replied, “Whoever has taken a bath does not need to wash, except the feet, for he is clean all over. You are clean, thought not all of you.”

Jesus knew who was to betray Him; because of this He said, “Not all of you are clean.”

When Jesus had finished washing their feet, He put on His garment again, went back to the table, and said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call Me Master and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I, then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you must also wash one another’s feet. I have just given you an example, that as I have done, you also may do.”

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(Holy Thursday) Thursday, 28 March 2013 : Mass of the Lord’s Supper – Cena Domini, Holy Week (Second Reading)

1 Corinthians 11 : 23-26

This is the tradition of the Lord that I received and that in my turn I have handed on to you; the Lord Jesus, on the night that He was delivered up, took bread and, after giving thanks, broke it, saying, ‘This is My Body which is broken for you; do this in memory of Me.”

In the same manner, taking the cup after the supper, He said, “This cup is the new Covenant in My Blood. Whenever you drink it, do it in memory of Me.” So, then, whenever you eat of this bread and drink from this cup, you are proclaiming the death of the Lord until He comes.

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(Holy Thursday) Thursday, 28 March 2013 : Mass of the Lord’s Supper – Cena Domini, Holy Week (Psalm)

Psalm 115 : 12-13, 15-16bc, 17-18

How can I repay the Lord for all His goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the Name of the Lord.

It is painful to the Lord to see the death of His faithful. O Lord, I am Your servant, truly Your servant, You have freed me from my bonds.

I will offer You a thanksgiving sacrifice, I will call on the Name of the Lord. I will carry out my vows to the Lord in the presence of His people.

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(Holy Thursday) Thursday, 28 March 2013 : Mass of the Lord’s Supper – Cena Domini, Holy Week (First Reading)

Exodus 12 : 1-8, 11-14

YHVH spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt and said, “This month is to be the beginning of all months, the first month of your year. Speak to the community of Israel and say to them :

“On the tenth day of this month let each family take a lamb, a lamb for each house. If the family is too small for a lamb, they must join with a neighbour, the nearest to the house, according to the number of persons and to what each one can eat.”

“You will select a perfect lamb without blemish, a male born during the present year, taken from the sheep or goats. Then you will keep it until the fourteenth day of the month. On that evening all the people will slaughter their lambs, and take some of the blood to put on the doorposts and on top of the doorframes of the houses where you eat.”

“That night you will eat the flesh roasted at the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. And this is how you will eat : with a belt round your waist, sandals on your feet and a staff in your hand. You shall eat hastily for it is a passover in honour of YHVH.”

“On that night I shall go through Egypt and strike every firstborn in Egypt, men and animals; and I will even bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt, I, YHVH! The blood on your houses will be the sign that you are there. I will see the blood and pass over you; and you will escape the mortal plague when I strike Egypt.”

“This is a day you are to remember and celebrate in honour of YHVH. It is to be kept as a festival day for all generations forever.”

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Wednesday, 27 March 2013 : Wednesday of Holy Week (Scripture Reflection)

Today we again listen on the story of the betrayal of Judas Iscariot and the Last Supper that our Lord Jesus Christ had with His disciples, on the eve of His suffering and death. This we will commemorate tomorrow as the Maundy or Holy Thursday, the commemoration of the Last Supper of the Lord, when He instituted the Eucharist, and gave us all His Most Precious Body and Most Precious Blood, transformed from the bread and the wine.

He is the Lamb of God, who was brought to the table of sacrifice by his jailors, who did not resist nor fight for His freedom, but laid down His life just like a pure lamb sacrificed, for the forgiveness of sins, except that Christ is so great and so pure, that He alone, as the Lamb of God, is worth the sins of all mankind, ever since the beginning of time, from Adam and Eve our forefathers, and to the end of time.

His Blood that was poured, which He freely gave at the Last Supper, with His Body, became the instrument of salvation, just like the blood of the lamb of sacrifice which purifies away sins, and cleanse the hearts of all the faithful in Christ. It is then up to us, whether we are willing to accept this great gift, or continue to lead our sinful lives in this world and reject the offer of salvation from the Lord.

Will we be like Judas Iscariot? Who spurned the Lord’s love and good works for the sake of money, being a thief he was? Even thieves can repent, but Judas did not, and he allowed greed and evil to enter his heart, and through him, the evil one tried a last ditch effort to stop God’s salvation mission in this world, by trying to kill the very Son of God that had been sent to the world to save it, from the clutches of evil and sin.

We should indeed, reject Satan and his advances, and try our best to live our life according to the teachings of the Lord, that is to follow God’s love and compassionate ways, and obeying His commandments, that is also love. Keep strong our faith in Him, and our hope in Christ, our Lord, crucified and resurrected, that we have hope of eternal life beyond death, providing that we keep strong our bonds with our God.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, pray for one another, and show God’s love to one another, that we will always be strong in faith, hope, and love, the three cardinal values of our faith in God, that we will not fall into temptation like Judas Iscariot did, and will not betray our Lord for worldly goods and desires as Judas did, but be repentant like Peter was, and through our sincere contrition and repentance, we will be rewarded by our Lord.

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Covering of Images and Crosses in churches : First Vespers of the Fifth Sunday of Lent

Today, in the evening of Saturday, 16 March 2013, after the First Vespers of the Fifth Sunday of Lent, the images (statues of saints and our Lord included) and crosses in the Church should be covered, especially if the Bishops’ Conference recommends such a practice.

This is to prepare us for the Holy Week, and to begin the journey towards the Holy Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday), that culminates with the suffering, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The crosses are covered until the Good Friday services, when they are revealed to the people, in the Veneration of the Cross. The other images in the churches remain veiled until before Easter Vigil celebration begins.