HOMILY FOR THE HOLY THURSDAY, LITURGICAL CALENDAR YEAR B
HOMILY FOR THE HOLY THURSDAY, LITURGICAL CALENDAR YEAR B
THEME: The spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for he has anointed me.
BY: Fr Deotacious Chikontwe SMA
READINGS OF THE DAY
Exodus 12:1-8,11-14
Psalm 115:12-13,15-18
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
John 13:1-15
LITURGICAL COLOUR
WHITE
INTRODUCTION
Good morning my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate the Maundy Thursday also populary known as the Holy Thursday, or the celebration of the Last Supper of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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HOLY THURSDAY
On Holy Thursday we celebrate three anniversaries:
1) the anniversary of the first Holy Mass.
2) the anniversary of the institution of ministerial priesthood, in order to perpetuate the Holy Mass, to convey God’s forgiveness to repentant sinners and to preach the good news of salvation.
3) the anniversary of Jesus’ promulgation of His new commandment of love: “Love one another as I have loved you.”
ABOUT THE LITURGICAL READINGS OF THE DAY
All three of the readings are connected to the Eucharist.
In the first reading, God gives the Hebrews two instructions: prepare for the moment of liberation by a ritual meal and make a symbolic mark on your homes to exempt yourselves from the coming slaughter.
In the second reading, Paul suggests that the celebration of the Lord’s Supper was an unbroken tradition from the very beginning of the Church by which Christians reminded themselves of the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Today’s gospel describes how Jesus transformed the Jewish Passover into the Eucharistic celebration. After washing the feet of his apostles and commanding them to do humble service for each other, Jesus concluded the ceremony by giving his apostles his own Body and Blood under the appearances of bread and wine as spiritual food and drink, in addition to serving the roasted Pascal lamb.
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THE FEAST OF TODAY?
1) A challenge for humble service . Our celebration of the Eucharist requires that we wash one another’s feet, i.e., serve one another, and revere Christ’s presence in other persons. In practical terms, that means we are to consider their needs to be as important as our own and to serve their needs, without expecting any reward.
2) A loving invitation for sacrificial sharing and self-giving love . Let us imitate the self-giving model of Jesus who shares with us His own Body and Blood and who enriches us with His Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist. It is by sharing our blessings – our talents, time, health and wealth – with others that we become true disciples of Christ and obey his new commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you.”
3) An invitation to become Christ-bearers and Christ-conveyers:
“Go forth, the Mass is ended,” really means, “Go in peace to love and serve one another’’ We are to carry Jesus to our homes and places of work, conveying to others around us the love, mercy, forgiveness and spirit of humble service of Christ Whom we carry with us.
CONCLUSION
May the Lord continue to bless us and guide us in our journey as pilgrims on a mission.
Happy Feast Day to All the Roman Catholic Priests, May God continue to bless you.
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