Holy Thursday

 

HOLY THURSDAY (2025)

The Last Supper is the manifestation of Jesus's love for the disciples. Jesus loved the world, people and his disciples. He made known his love to them. St. John Bosco says, ‘It is not enough that we love the young but they should know that we love them and they should love in return.’ It is God who loves us first, and the love of God is concretely manifested to us in the Second person of Jesus, the Son of God. Jesus showed his love by accompanying the disciples, preaching, teaching and working miracles. The Apostles shared the Last meal with Jesus as a sign of their love for Jesus. A meal brings together the persons and the sharing food unites us. Sharing food with someone is becoming part of that person and accepting them as connected and wanted persons. Do we share food with others? Do we offer food to others? Do we accept those who offer food to us?

Love of God for us manifested is the daily life in one’s interaction with others. The young people fall in love and they learn from it. In this regard the young people should be trusted and given a chance. They learn about life and love in the course of their life. Love life is a reality, but it could be misleading and open-ended. Real love is not possible in this world. The real love in which the humans grow has to be in love of God. One can be confused in one’s love for others. One must name one’s relationship to others. The purpose of love is to care, share and wish for the ultimate good of the other. In true love, there is no expectation, but one has to give without any condition. The love of human understanding is conditioned and limited. In his book Summons to Life, Martin Israel says, “A fool in love is a fool for God.” Love in this world takes different paths, but it has to find its meaning in the love of God, which is the ultimate end of love. Jesus tells us to love one another, for he himself is Love. God is love. The love of God is manifested in Jesus.

Memory: Memory is good and bad. Jesus tells them ‘Do this in memory of me.’ Think of a visit to your home or any place you have been to before.  One visiting the known places one is connected with memories. On visiting the old place, one does the same old things, maybe eating the same old food of the place, sitting or walking in the old places of visit, meet or talk to the same old people of the place, recall the memories of the past connected to the place and so on. The memories come alive, and you feel you are reliving the old memories in the new time. The Last Supper and the memory of the Eucharist are similar. One celebrating the mass we relive the memory of Jesus giving his body as food and his blood as drink as food and drink for eternal life. We Catholics are blessed with the sacrament of the Eucharist. In the Eucharist, we encounter the real Jesus. He is present in our churches, chapels and the tabernacle, waiting for us to have loving conversation with us.

Priesthood is a vocation to pray and offer sacrifice to God. Jesus offered sacrifice to the Father on behalf of the people of God. The sacrifice of love is an expiation of sins for eternity and a way to reconcile the old and new into the present. The sacrifice of Jesus sanctified the universe and people. The sacrifice of the priests sanctifies them and the people of God in the present. The priest is called to pray and offer sacrifice to God in the footsteps of Jesus. A priest is called suffer for the sake of his people. Mama Margret, the mother of Don Bosco, tells him that beginning to offer Mass is to suffer for the kingdom of God. A priest has to be a model of prayer and devotion to God. A priest is a person of God who has a relationship with God. A priest has to be a messenger of God to the people. It is possible only when the priest is a man of prayer.

Charity is purity. Holy Thursday brings to our mind the charity of Jesus to humanity. He was able to be charitable because he was pure and chaste. Purity of thought and action is necessary for a person to go out of oneself to serve, lead and guide. His charity to humanity gave life and life to the full. Charity is self–sacrificing to give life to others. A person of charity does not think of themselves but for the good of others. Charity teaches everything of the life of Christ. Learn to be charitable to oneself and others. Charity is another name for Christianity. Charity made Jesus give his body and blood as food and drink for humanity. Charity does not count the cost but counts the connections it can make for the good.

Service in action is love. Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. As we know well, it is only the slaves who wash the feet of their masters. Service is out of altruistic love. Service is made business, and service charges are collected. In the name of service, a lot of business is made. Service is not a service if it is connected with money. Service connected with money becomes a business and only uses the other for gain. In the service of Jesus, there is no gain but only the loss of oneself on the cross. He even entrusted his mother, Mary, to be our mother. Giving only knows giving, not expecting and receiving. Service is to give oneself without expecting anything in return; that is love, charity and true service. Let us check on our services for people. Is our motive for service, love and charity, or is it a business to make life, which is a loss and not again in Christ?

Fr Putti Anthaiah Sdb