Sermon by Father Alex McAllister SDS                   Index

Maundy Thursday—2002      Homily

There are very few occasions in the Roman Missal when the rubrics give an instruction as to what must be preached. In fact I think Maundy Thursday is the only occasion when such an instruction is given. It says: 'The homily should explain the principal mysteries which are commemorated in this mass: the institution of the Eucharist, the institution of the priesthood and Christ's commandment to love.

Well if you've got all night…

This evening we celebrate first and foremost the institution of the Eucharist—the Last Supper of the Lord before his passion, death and resurrection. In this meal Christ was in an extraordinary way able to sum up all that was about to happen and leave it with us ever after as a constant reminder and link with those wonderful events.

In the mass we are united with Jesus in a most powerful way—those events of his death and resurrection are made present and he continues to share his body and blood with us in the most intimate communion there could ever be.

The watchword for us Catholics down through the centuries, especially in times of persecution, has always been: It’s the mass that matters. In this simple phrase we hold the very core of our faith.

We take those words of Jesus very seriously: Do this in memory of me. And every time we celebrate the Eucharist we bring him and his message of love not only to mind but also made present on the altar—His body and blood hidden under the form of bread and wine.

This deep and powerful connection that we have with Our Lord in the mass helps us to keep true to everything he taught us, it helps us to keep faith with him and to constantly rededicate our lives as his present-day disciples.

We reverence the Eucharist because we believe that in the Eucharist Christ is present among us in a most powerful way.

And we who are Priests hold the Eucharist especially close to our hearts because it is our privilege and duty to preside at it day by day, week by week. And together with our special ministers we have the honour of distributing the Eucharist to those who approach to receive the Lord.

At the Last Supper, Jesus showed his disciples how to exercise their ministry. He put on an apron and went around and washed their feet. In this way he provides us with the model for all Christian ministry and shows us that the greatest among us is the one who serves.

Imperfect though our lives might be, we are not afraid to follow his example because by doing so we are sure that we will learn to become more like him.

Getting down on our knees before others and performing for them the most basic of tasks just as Our Lord did will surely do us good.

Humbly baring our feet and letting someone else wash them will also unite us with Christ just as it did for the Apostles in the Upper Room.

Witnessing our brothers and sisters in the Christian community literally following Christ’s command will also draw us in to this greatest of all mysteries.

Whichever our role is, tonight in this mass we more deeply take to ourselves Christ’s command to love one another. We learn from him who is the greatest of all teachers; who teaches us by example that there is nothing higher than to give loving and humble service to our brothers and sisters in the human family.

There is another task that we perform tonight—we receive the Holy Oils blessed by the Bishop yesterday in the Cathedral: the oils that are used throughout the year in the various steps of Christian Initiation and in the Sacrament of the Sick.

These Holy Oils have their role in opening the way to salvation through the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation and in healing the sick. They remind us of the tremendous work of teaching the young and caring for the sick that constantly goes on in every community.

These ministries of teaching and caring are in themselves a wonderful expression of Christ’s great Mandate to love one another. This work goes on continually in this parish—may it ever flourish and cause our community of faith to be more perfect sign of Christ’s love for the world!