Thursday 9th April 2020
Holy Thursday
Exodus 12:1-8,11-14, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, John 13:1-15
The next three days which is called Tridium, is the most important celebration in the Catholic faith. Today we celebrate three events, namely; the institution of the Holy Eucharist, the institution of the Catholic Priesthood and the command to love and serve one another. Jesus will succeed in instituting all these before being captured for an execution which we shall mark Tomorrow being Friday. We are therefore encouraged to spend sometime with Jesus tomorrow evening as he is captured to be executed on Friday. On Saturday night, we will be getting ready for Easter to celebrate his victory over death, hence our salvation attained.
In the first reading of today, we see the Jewish celebration of the passover which originated from the Old Testament. We remember that the last plague in Egypt before the Israelites were allowed to go was the death of all the first born Egyptian sons. God had commanded Moses to instruct the Israelites to kill a year old lamb and use the blood to mark their door posts. With this mark, the angel of death passed over their houses. It is this passover which marked their salvation from Egypt that all Jews come to Jerusalem every year to celebrate.
It was this passover that Jesus was also celebrating in the gospel reading of today, nevertheless, instead of killing a lamb to celebrate it, Jesus decided to offer himself as the new everlasting sacrifice to take our sins away. Before dying on the cross for us tomorrow, he will first of us give us his body and blood as a sacrifice for our sins today.
In the gospel reading of today, we see Jesus giving us his body and blood as our new paschal sacrifice. With the institution of the Holy Eucharist today, we no longer need lambs to atone for our sins every day like the Jews because Jesus has done it once and for all through the sacrifice of the cross.
In the same gospel reading of today, after instituting the sacrifice of the Mass, he told his disciples to do same always in memorial of his sacrifice of the cross. The mass therefore is our new passover in an unbloody manner, we do not kill lambs again to mark it because Jesus has become our Pascal Lamb.
For the mass to continue to be celebrated, Jesus instructed his Apostles to continue to celebrate it. With this injunction, it means that priests will be needed to celebrate the sacrifice of the Holy Mass. Today therefore is the birthday of all priests. You can wish your priests happy birthday today and celebrate them. The priesthood is a priceless gift God has given to Man. We must respect and cherish this gift. If there is no priest, there is no sacrament.
Peter could not understand why Jesus the master was washing the feet of his disciples, no wonder he refused Jesus to wash his feet. He was therefore made to understand that his call to be a priest and offer the sacrifice of the Mass for the people is to be done in humility, and to remember that he is called to serve the people of God.
Let us therefore celebrate and thank God for these gifts today; the Holy Eucharist and the Holy Orders. Let us do this thanksgiving in sober reflection, as we keep watch with Jesus tonight as he is about to give his life as our new Passover Lamb. Even from your homes on lockdown or quarantine, celebrate your salvation wrought for you by Jesus. Spend some time in prayer today. God bless you. Amen
Fr Michael Osatofoh Eninlejie MSP
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