_{Holy Spirit Catholic Church
Homilies}

_{Holy Thursday (c) 2010
April 01, 2010}

On the night before he died our Lord thought of two things. He thought of heaven and he thought of earth. He thought of  his Father in heaven and contemplated his wonderful relationship with the Father: all its glory and joy and even ecstasy. What a  tremendous thing to be the son of such a Father and to be about to return home!

Our Lord thought of earth as well, as he turned his attention to us who live here. Since he loved us, he wanted us to share in his own joy and happiness in being the Son of God. "He had loved his own in this world, and would show his love for them to the  end." His prayer for us to the Father was: "That all may be one as you, Father, are in me and I in you . . .  All those you gave me I  would have in my company where I am . . . " (John 17:21ff).

It was in this frame of mind that our Lord instituted the Eucharist, and sign and cause of unity and love in the Church. It is true that we are united to Christ as children of God by means of baptism, but that union is only a beginning, a rudimentary type of oneness. Our union with Christ grows and becomes perfect through our receiving him in Holy Communion. Little by little the Eucharist will transform us into Christ, enhancing and enriching and making more effective that relationship with the Father begun in
baptism.

Our Lord instituted the Eucharist within the context of a family meal, the Last Supper, and we now receive the Eucharist within the context of a family meal, the Mass. A family eating together at the family table and partaking of the same food is a sign of unity. And so our unity with Christ is by its very nature a corporate reality, not an individual one only. It is impossible to come into union with Christ and through him with the Father without coming into union with the other members of God’s family.

Such union must find its expression in charity, love. This is why at the Last Supper Jesus gave both an example and a command of charity. His example of practical charity was one of service to the apostles: he washed their feet. His command was this: "I give you a new commandment: love one another; such as my love has been for you, so must your love be for each other" (John 13:34ff).

The mysteries of this day center around the theme of the unity of the Church: in itself, in its cause which is the Eucharist, and in its application which is love. Let us through this liturgical celebration seek the grace to recognize and appreciate our unity with Christ through the Eucharist, and let us ask for the grace to live this unity by means of our love for one another.