And then in all parishes in the evening a mass is offered. This special mass is called the Mass of the Lord's Supper. This mass recalls the Last Supper. Principally, it recalls the Institution of the Eucharist, which also is the institution of the Priesthood. I spoke about the in depths of the Easter Triduum liturgies on the podcast post on Monday. As Saint Paul says in the Second Reading, "I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes."
In Holy Thursday as well, we have the washing of the feet, recalling the same action which Christ himself did at the Last Supper, washing the feet of the twelve apostles, and calling them to do the same. Most importantly, calling them to be as servants, as Christ often asks. He does not call them to be exultant of themselves, but rather to act as servants. As the gospel todya recounts, "So when he had washed their feet and put his garments back on and reclined at table again, he said to them, “Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.”"
But this Holy Thursday, I want to talk about a silent danger facing the church. Trent Horn recently talked about the fact that Catholicism is facing a great decline, more than other Christian denominations, especially Protestantism.
I have met many Catholics who can be ambivalent to this issue, "Why should I worry? They are seeking God? They have found God?". This attitude is dangerous, and more than that, it is incompatible with what the church herself teaches.
Above all, Holy Thursday stands to teach us about the church. Jesus himself left us the Church. The Church is important, and is neccesary for salvation, as has been held by the church from the beginning. She holds this because Jesus founded the church, upon the Apostles, most principally upon Peter, "the rock", who would be the head of all the apostles, and the church.
In this way, the search for truth, is found completely in the church, and in here the true search for God can be made. We see this in Augustine's Confessions. Augustine spent much of his early life searching for God, but in it all he found himself restless, until he found peace in scripture, and complete peace as he found the Church, that is, the Catholic Church.
This silent danger facing the church, is this loss of faith, the loss of people. More than that, we do not care about numbers. We do not want to look good in this poll, or that poll, what we want, is to bring more and more souls to salvation. I believe in many ways a lot of our pasotrs have lost this true and deep care for the souls they care for.
More than that, this is an issue we must take and face head on. We can't look past this issue. Our pastors must be willing to face this issue head on. I recently looked on my other blog, Liturgical Review, on an article written by Archbishop Cordelione, of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, in which he said the most pressing issue which faces the church, is the liturgy, and the liturgy is the thing we should be focusing on improving, in order to keep people in the church.
I completely agree with the Archbishop. The liturgy is the way people will expereince the church, whether they are Catholic or Not. The liturgy, and the parish experience, is the Catholic Church people see.
Which is also why priests and deacons, in homily, can't be afraid to talk and care, and be willing to face issues in their homilies, and talk about issues that face the salvation of their souls.
Above all, pastors must be willing to care for souls beyong just those in the pews at Sunday mass, but be willing to go and reach out, especially in their communities.
There is a quote from Mother Theresa: "We cannot separate our lives from the Eucharist; the moment we do, something breaks. People ask, 'Where do the sisters get the joy and the energy to do what they are doing?' The Eucharist involves more than just receiving; it also involves satisfying the hunger of Christ. He says, 'Come to Me.' He is hungry for souls.". The Eucharist is the most important thing we have as Catholics, given to us by Christ, and we recall that today. It is what we experience at mass. Above all, it is what we must draw close into as Catholics. If we are willing to draw close to Christ in the Eucharist, we too are also able to draw close to the church, and understand what she teaches, and why she is neccesary.
Holy Thursday reminds us of the importance of the Eucharist, which Christ himself established, and left to the church. And we to must remember his example of service. We must remember to, Judas sat and ate with Jesus, and Jesus washed Judas's feet. Jesus knew that Judas would betray him, yet he still did all this. At our parishes, their will be people who are faithful, but in the end will betray Christ, will betray the faith. We, ourselves, must avoid that attitude ourselves.
We must grow in our faith, but also be willing to share it. Sharing of and caring for souls, is not just a job for shepherds and pastors, but for each and every Catholic faithful. Because when Christ comes back, he will not ask you how others responded to the faith, but how you personally responded to the faith, and how you personally shared that faith with others.
Let Holy Thursday remind us of the important of the church, for only in she is Christ truly present. Only at the Catholic Mass do we have the Real Presence, in the Eucharist, just as Christ instructed his apostles, and just as he did.
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