On the day before he was to suffer, for our salvation and the salvation of all, that is today, he took bread in his holy and venerable hands, and with eyes raised to heaven to you, O God, his almighty Father, giving you thanks… – Excerpt from the Roman Canon (Eucharsitic Prayer I), Roman Missal 3
rd Ed., for Holy Thursday
Today is a day in the liturgical year of the Church that is unlike any other – it is the first of the sacred three days of the
Paschal Triduum – it is the day when we commemorate the Lord’s Supper. It is a most solemn day, it has immense significance for Catholic Christians: it reveals the depth of God’s Love through the life and words of Christ, the establishment of the Priesthood of the New Covenant, and the institution of the Most Holy Eucharist.
In these most strange times, we unite differently than in years past. This Holy Thursday we are united in the Faith of the Church: through reading and meditating on
the Sacred Scriptures for the Holy Mass, together in our
desire to receive the Most Holy Eucharist, and, perhaps, viewing
liturgies on screens. No doubt, for each of us, this is a difficult day. Later in the evening, I would suggest praying the Rosary – perhaps both the Luminous and the Sorrowful Mysteries – praying the
Litany of the Most Holy Eucharist, and reading through a few chapters of Saint John’s Gospel (13-17) – so as to further unite yourself to our Savior, who commands us to ‘watch and pray.’
As a recommendation for a further reading on the Eucharist, perhaps during weeks of the Easter Season, I would strongly recommend: “Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist” by Dr. Brant Pitre (ISBN:978-0385531863). I have read and re-read this book at least 3 times, cover-to-cover, and referenced it numerous times. This book was the base text of an Adult Education Study I did several years ago… obviously, I strongly endorse it. Also, Brant Pitre is a very good Catholic Author – he has a several books, and I have no doubt that they would be worth reading.
The Sacred Paschal Triduum
Just a reminder, as we begin the Paschal Triduum (and Easter Sunday) while we are limited to our homes:
Bishop Ronald W. Gainer has invited the faithful to join with him, remotely, for a digital Holy Week and Easter Masses. All live streams of Holy Week and Easter Masses will be recorded and available for view after the scheduled Mass, at the
Diocese of Harrisburg YouTube Channel.
Bishop Gainer’s Holy Week and Easter Sunday schedule is as follows:
Holy Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
Good Friday at noon
Easter Sunday at 9:30 a.m.
More information is available on the
Diocese of Harrisburg Website, a special page has been dedicated to “
digital Holy Week” for your convenience. This is a great privilege, to be able to join with Bishop Gainer – even remotely – for these important liturgies.
Before we conclude, a note or two about tomorrow…
Tomorrow, is Good Friday – a day of universal fast and abstinence from meat – when we observe in the most somber manner the Death of the Lord Jesus.
I offer these notes, a day early, so that you can prepare to engage Good Friday as much as possible – given the many restrictions it will be difficult, but worth the effort.
A Final Word…
Please pray for me – your Parish Priest – pray that I will be more authentically conformed to the image of Christ the Great High Priest, especially the virtues of His Most Sacred Heart: pray that I will become a good priest.
During these unique and challenging times, all the members of the Parish continue to be in my prayers throughout the Paschal Triduum. It is a great sadness that we will be apart during these holy days, for these most important liturgies, and that we will not be physically gathered as we commemorate these sacred events of our Lord’s life, death, and resurrection. Let us unite ourselves spiritually, through our devotion to the Word of God.
In his
last Holy Thursday Letter to Priest, Pope Saint John Paul II offered a heart-felt reflection… while in a hospital bed … he offered words to priests, words that I are my own personal reflection today:
… if the whole Church draws life from the Eucharist, all the more then must the life of a priest be "shaped" by the Eucharist. So for us, the words of institution must be more than a formula of consecration: they must be a "formula of life".
On this special day of the Priesthood and the Eucharist, once again, I ask for your prayers for me: pray that the Most Holy Eucharist – the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass – will be my formula of life!
Know of my prayers for you, please pray for me!
Father Wilke
Saint Joseph, Guardian of the Redeemer, pray for us!