9781644135945

The Light of the World
Prayer
O God, from whom Judas received the punishment of his crime and the thief the reward of
his confession, grant us the effect of Thy clemency, that as Jesus Christ our Lord in His passion
gave to each a different recompense according to his merits, so may He bestow the grace of His
resurrection on us who have been delivered from past sins. Who liveth and reigneth with Thee
forever. Amen. (Collect for Holy Thursday.)
Holy Thursday
At the Lateran Basilica, the church of the Holy Redeemer, we are to witness today the
readmission of the penitents into the community of the faithful. They have been excluded
from the Offertory procession and from Holy Communion. But the time of their penance
is now ended, and they may again approach the altar with their gifts and receive Holy
Communion. We share in their joy and gratitude. The prayer they say when they offer
their gifts, we make our own. “I shall not die, but live” (Offertory). We recall today also
the events of the life of Jesus that distinguish Holy Thursday. We commemorate this day
Jesus’ departure from Bethania, the Last Supper, the washing of the feet, the institution of
the Holy Eucharist and of the priesthood, Christ’s farewell discourse, the journey to the
Garden of Olives, the agony in the Garden, the betrayal by Judas, and the apprehension
of Christ. Holy Thursday is particularly dedicated to the memory of the institution of
the Holy Eucharist.
“Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them unto the end” ( Jn 13:1). He
continues to love them in the Holy Eucharist. His love was not satisfied by His suffering and
death on the cross; He wished to remain with us always. Yes, he wished to do more: He wished
to become the nourishment of our souls, to fill us with His own life, and to unite Himself to us.
He is the vine, we are the branches. Christ loved His own to the end — the end of the cross;
He will continue to love them until the end of time in the tabernacle. This is a love without
bounds; this is our treasure in our poverty. This is the extraordinary good fortune of Christians,
that Christ loves them with an infinite love. “As the Father hath loved Me, I also have loved you.
Abide in My love” ( Jn 15:9). We, too, must love Him with all our strength.
Christ gave the apostles an additional proof of His love in the washing of their feet. Today
the liturgy closely associates the washing of the feet with the reception of Holy Communion;
when Holy Communion is distributed to the faithful, she uses this prayer: “The Lord Jesus,
after He had supped with His disciples, washed their feet, and said to them: Know you what
I, your Lord and Master, have done to you? I have given you an example, that you also may
do likewise” (Communion). Daily Holy Communion and the love of our neighbor are complementary.
“If we love one another, God abideth in us, and His charity is perfected in us. . . .
If any man says: I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar. For he that loveth not his
brother whom he seeth, how can he love God, whom he seeth not?” (1 Jn 4:20.) How can
such a man receive Holy Communion worthily? On the other hand, the worthy reception of
Holy Communion impels us to love the other members of the mystical body of Christ. The
antiphons sung during the washing of the feet show this connection: “A new commandment
I give unto you: that you love one another as I have loved you, says the Lord. Blessed are the
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