Holy Thursday: Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper

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.

As Christians, we are called to a deep communion with God through the Body and Blood of Christ. This sacrifice speaks to the boundless love and mercy our Heavenly Father has for us and by receiving the Eucharist, we proclaim our own love for Him and our willingness to suffer whatever is necessary for the salvation of souls. When we eat the Body of Christ and drink His Blood, we proclaim not only our faith in the Lord, but also our intention to listen to His Truth, walk His Way, and live His Life. We accept the cup of salvation and all the sacrifices it holds for us. To be in communion with Christ, is to be in union with His Passion, Death, and ultimately His Resurrection.

Do we seek out communion as often as we can? In what ways do we show our unity with God and other Christians? Are we willing to take up the cup of salvation and all the trials and graces it contains?

O Lord, help us to make a return to you for all the good you’ve done for us through the Blessed Sacrament of the altar.

Amen.

Holy Thursday

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.

“Do this in remembrance of me.” These words are repeated for both the Body and Blood of Christ and are a commandment we keep as dearly as the ten commandments of Moses and the golden commandments to love God and neighbor. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is foreshadowed by the Lord’s Supper. Through the Liturgy of the Eucharist, we fully participate in the Passion and Death of Christ. We make present Jesus’ sacrifice for us through the sacrifice on the altar. We proclaim the death of the Lord each time we partake in the Blessed Sacrament, but we also anticipate the Resurrection and the Second Coming in the same act. Jesus died for our sins and through his death we have been granted the saving grace we need to heal our souls.

Do we keep holy the Sabbath day? In what ways can we prepare ourselves to fully participate in the Lord’s Supper each week? How can we make the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross more meaningful to us so we might receive it more respectfully and worthily?

O Lord, we celebrate your sacrifice on the cross with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths.

Amen.

Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, 'The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.'

We are all invited to the banquets of communion and eternal life. Both the sacrament and the afterlife are intrinsically tied to each other. The Holy Feast of the Blessed Sacrament prefigures the Heavenly Banquet of Life in Paradise. God wants all of us to come, whether good or bad, and to celebrate with His Son. All He asks is that we accept the invitation and prepare ourselves to attend. There are many temptations in this world that can keep us from accepting God’s call to join Him. We can become busy in worldly pursuits or enamored with mortal sins. He also requires that we prepare ourselves for the banquets of communion and eternal life by leading holy lives doing good and avoiding evil. He wants us to put our best foot forward in this life and come to the feast clothed in virtue.

How do we accept God’s invitation to the Eucharistic Feast? How are we preparing ourselves for the Heavenly Banquet? What can we do to avoid the temptations of the world that might lead us to declining God’s call or not preparing ourselves for these feasts?

O Lord, we accept your invitation and shall cloth ourselves in holiness.

Amen.