by Fr. Tommy Lane
Our second reading tonight from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor 11:23-26) is very precious to us. It is the oldest account we have of the Last Supper. Paul wrote it about two decades after Jesus, even before the Gospels were written. During the Passover celebration, at the breaking of the bread, the apostles would have expected Jesus to speak about the unleavened bread and explain it as a reminder of their ancestors’ redemption from slavery in Egypt and their speedy departure. For example, during Passover now, this is the explanation, “Behold, the bread of poverty that our ancestors ate while in the land of Egypt. All who are hungry come and eat.” (Rabbi David Silber A Passover Haggadah: The Seder p6) But Jesus changed the words and said the bread is his body, “This is my body.” Not only that, but he said, “This is my body which is for you.” (1 Cor 11:24) His body would be given up for them. Just as the Passover lamb was sacrificed so that its blood would smear the doorframes to save the Hebrews in Egypt, Jesus saw himself as the Passover Lamb of the New Covenant. Jesus knew he would die the following day, but he saw his death would not be in vain and would be “for you,” for his disciples and for the world. Then the apostles consumed the bread. Celebrating Passover was not just sacrificing a lamb; the lamb had to be eaten during the meal. Jesus, the New Covenant Passover Lamb, is consumed in the Eucharist by his followers in order to share his life.
Then Jesus took the cup of wine. The cup at that point during the Passover (third cup) was called the Cup of Redemption, remembering the blood of the Passover lamb shed for their redemption. The apostles would have expected Jesus to pronounce a blessing over it such as this one in Passover nowadays: “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.” (Rabbi David Silber A Passover Haggadah: the Seder p53) But Jesus added something new: “This cup is the new covenant in my blood.” (1 Cor 11:25) Sometimes in the Old Testament, wine is called “blood of the grape.” But Jesus said it was his blood. He, and not the lamb, is the one who redeems. Not only that, but Jesus said it is the new covenant in his blood. His death ushers in the New Covenant. The bread is his body offered for us and the wine is his blood shed in sacrifice for our redemption in the New Covenant.
Jesus said, “Do this in memory of me.” (1 Cor 11:24, 25) Remembering during a liturgy, in the Jewish understanding, was not just remembering or reenacting an event such as the first Passover in Egypt. It was much more. It was participating in and sharing in the benefits of the original. When Jesus asked the apostles to “Do this in memory of me,” he was not just asking them to remember or reenact what he did during the Last Supper. He was saying that in the future, when they would celebrate with bread and wine as he just did, they would participate in and share in what Jesus just did, the offering of himself for the redemption of us all. That is why Paul wrote in the last verse of our second reading tonight,
For as often as you
eat this bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the death of the
Lord until he comes. (1 Cor 11:26)
As often as we eat this bread and drink this cup, we participate in and share in the redemption that Jesus, the Passover Lamb of the New Covenant, brings us. On another occasion Jesus said,
unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. (John 6:53-56)
During Mass, we are spiritually present at Calvary and share in the redemption Jesus brings us at Calvary. That is why the Mass is the greatest prayer. That is why attending Mass is so important. That is why the Eucharist is so important. The Eucharist is the love of Jesus for you. There is no better way for you to be with Jesus and for Jesus to be with you, than Mass. At Mass, we are with Jesus and he with us, like no other way. At Mass, Jesus says to you, “This is my Body for you.” He cannot give you anymore. No wonder that I have heard reports of people shedding tears in church before coronavirus lockdowns because they knew they were going to be deprived of Jesus in the Eucharist. At Mass we are with Jesus and he with us, like in no other way.
Being with Jesus at Mass is not just a gift for ourselves. It impels us to love others. That is why our Gospel tonight is the foot washing (John 13). Jesus performed what was considered a menial service and said,
I have given you a
model to follow,
so that as I have done for you, you should also
do.” (John 13:15)
There is no better way for you to be with Jesus and for Jesus to be with you than Mass, but we also love the presence of Jesus in others by washing their feet in whatever form that may take.
© Fr. Tommy Lane 2021
This homily was delivered in a parish in Ireland.
More Homilies for Holy Thursday
Jesus our Passover Lamb consumed in the Eucharist 2015
Jesus shares his priesthood with the apostles during the Last Supper 2008
The Eucharist and the Priesthood were born during the Last Supper
Related Homilies:
Homilies on Priesthood Homilies on Vocation