On This Holy Thursday

Homily for Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord's Supper
Exodus 12.1-8, 11-14 Psalm 116 1 Corinthians 11.23-26 John 13.1-15

Why is tonight different from all other nights? How is this Holy Thursday Mass different from all other Masses? In many ways, tonight’s Mass is no different than any other Mass celebrated here or in any other Catholic church any day of the year. A portion of God’s people gather together for prayer. We read from the Scriptures and reflect on their meaning for us. We bring forward simple gifts – bread and wine and water – and the priest or bishop presiding asks, on behalf of the whole assembly, that the Holy Spirit sanctify these gifts so that they may become the Body and Blood of Christ. We sing, we pray, we sit in silence, we share God’s peace, we receive Christ into our very bodies, and we leave here strengthened for our task of mission in the world. All that happens not just tonight, not just on Holy Thursday, but at every celebration of the Eucharist. And yet, tonight is different.

Tonight, we remember. We remember the first time this great gift of the Eucharist was celebrated, on the night Jesus was betrayed, the night before he died. Tonight, we wash feet to remember our Lord’s command to serve one another and to allow us to be served by others. Tonight, we process with the Eucharist to a special chapel where we wait and watch and pray, with Jesus and his disciples. All that we do every year on Holy Thursday. But still, this year is different. This is the Year for Priests, a time when we especially remember the great gift of the priesthood, we priests who are at the service of Christ and his Church, whose lives are not our own. Unworthy though we are, sinners though we be, we have pledged our lives to bring Christ to the world, especially through the Sacraments; to help the people entrusted to our care to themselves become the hands, the feet, the voice of Jesus Christ in a world very much in need of compassion and love; to lead our people to heaven. This Year for Priests makes tonight’s Holy Thursday Mass a momentous anniversary both of the Eucharist and of the priesthood. But even with that, this year is different. Because in the eyes of many people in our world, the priesthood is no longer a trusted vocation. On this Holy Thursday, in this Year for Priests, we are a church under attack, a priesthood under attack. Some of it, rightly so; but much of it, misdirected and unwarranted.

Over the past few weeks, we as a church are confronted once again by the sins and crimes of a few who have broken the sacred trust that we have with our people. Tonight is not the time to dwell on specifics, but suffice it to say, one instance of sexual abuse is too many. We as a Church are saddened and angered by what has taken place all over the world, and we renew our concern for those affected and our resolve to take seriously our responsibilities to safeguard and protect all people, especially children, and to make sure that such abuse never happens again. As one bishop said this week, “People instinctively expect holiness in a Catholic priest, and are especially appalled when he does evil” (Archbishop Thomas Collins of Toronto at his Archdiocese’s Chrism Mass). When one child is harmed, we all feel the pain. When one priest fails, we all feel the pain. Tonight, as priests around the world celebrate this Holy Thursday Mass, we share some of jeers and taunts that Jesus met on his walk to Calvary. And yet we know that Christ is still with His Church. We know that the Holy Spirit still moves among us. We know that the grace of the Sacraments will still lead us heavenward. And so, with heavy hearts, we move forward, we strive for holiness day by day, we celebrate the Eucharist with faith and love, we wash one another’s feet, and we pray for the grace to show the true Christ to the world, the Christ of love and compassion, the Christ of forgiveness and mercy, the Christ of hope and joy. We will not stand back on this pilgrim journey, we will not turn away – we will walk with Christ to the end, by the grace of God.

And so on this night, I ask you to pray for me; pray that I may have the grace and wisdom to shepherd the people of this parish. Pray for all priests, that they may preach the gospel in truth and love. Pray for those who have suffered at the hands of clergy seeming to represent the Church, that they find healing and peace. Pray for our Archbishop, Daniel, that he may be guided by the Holy Spirit as he leads the people of our archdiocese. And pray especially for our Holy Father. It would not be too much of a stretch to say that Pope Benedict has done more than just about anyone else on this earth to purify the Church of those who have taken advantage of their position and committed crimes and sins against people who should have been able to trust them. His leadership as our shepherd has been questioned by many in recent days, in ways that have distorted the truth left all standards of objective journalism by the wayside, and he too is walking the painful road to Calvary this Holy Week. On this night, this Holy Thursday we stand together as one Church, one Body of Christ, wounded and broken on the cross, and yet confident in the power of the resurrection to make all things new. On this night, this Holy Thursday, we beg God to take away all pride and selfishness and to make us all holy, one heart at a time. May this night be different than all other nights because it is the beginning of our salvation.