We celebrate this night the institution of two sacraments by the Lord Jesus: the sacrament of Eucharist, and the sacrament of Holy Orders. It is a great night of remembrance.
This Passover Meal that Jesus shared with his Apostles could have just been a simple "last supper" for them to share together. Everyone present knew that the time was up for Jesus' life on earth. The plotting was rampant! The conspiracy was rehearsed! The lies were formulated! The false witnesses were coached! The well-intentioned religious leaders were going to try to eradicate what they conceived in their hardness of heart and blindness of mind was a threat to the stability of the Jewish religion – the very Son of God (and Son of Man)!
Jesus could have simply used this last "get-together" to be a final recapitulation of his teaching and as much as possible a final preparation for the great scandal that they would witness later that night, and during the next day!
And that is EXACTLY WHAT JESUS DID!
He recapitulated EVERYTHING about himself by tying irrevocably and forever the events of that meal with the events of the next day! By taking the bread and the wine and telling the gathered Apostles "this is now my body" "this cup is now the cup of my blood – which will be shed for your tomorrow – so that the sins of everyone may really and truly be forgiven" he made that Passover Meal different from all others: and made it the foundation of a liturgical rite that would go on until the end of time.
Jesus wanted everyone, in every age, in every part of the world to know how much God his Father loved them, how much he himself loved them, and how he went to the absolute limits of love to absorb our entire fallen humanity so that he could redeem it and transform it by his love; by his brutal, self-sacrificial death on the Cross; by his resurrection from the dead!
This is the recapitulation of why Jesus came!
This Eucharistic Presence – in the consecrated bread and wine – would be the focal location of his Real Presence until the end of the world. And so he commissioned those present: the Twelve to "do this in his memory until he comes again!" They received the spiritual power and the juridical right to confect the Eucharist (and all of the other sacraments) at that time: them and their duly ordained successors and helpers. The life of the Church would flow from the Eucharist as the central sacrament: the source and summit of our Catholic Christian belief!
However, to be clear about the role of Apostle – Jesus – as St. John recounts in the gospel passage – after the meal – washed the feet of the disciples as a sign of humility and service. Then he said: "As I have done, so you must do!" Entrusting them with such an amazing treasure as the sacraments of the Church – Jesus wanted to be very insistent that they were NOT to exalt themselves and become conceited by virtue of their office – they were to administer the flock of God with deep humility and as servants after the example of their Lord who sent them!
And so on this special night, which is different from all other nights: we recall and represent that one night when Jesus made bread his body, forever; and wine his blood, forever – so that right here and now we are there and then with him and them: the commissioned servant helpers he commanded to do the same - so that we could become as divine as the elements become during the sacramental rite. By dying and rising Jesus raised our fallen humanity to the heights of divinity – really and truly!
We thank him for providing such a means to stay in touch with us, to reside in us, to be our help and our strength as we unite the realities and sufferings of our lives with the Cross he will endure the next day!
Your plan for our salvation, O God, is magnificent to behold!
Help us always to be thankful for what you have so lovingly done for us!
O Sacrament Most Holy! O Sacrament Divine! All praise and all thanksgiving, be every moment thine!
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