Holy Thursday
“Mystery Transcending” by the author.
“The Highway to Heaven”
The sun is beginning its descent—a warm and glowing ember in the vast and endless sky. Triduum is upon us. Jesus’ day in Jerusalem draws to a close; we are called to join him in the upper-room. We sit within the pews, incense filling our senses, as we gaze upon the altar—an offering of sacrificial love and foretaste of the wedding feast which awaits us. We know there can be no Easter without Good Friday; no love without sacrifice. Tomorrow we must journey to Calvary, yet today, on Holy Thursday, we are filled with hope and the reality that with the Institution of the Eucharist Jesus is always present with us.
As I reflect upon today’s readings, the beautiful fulfillment of the Old Testament, the New Covenant, and the foreshadowing of the Wedding Feast of the Lamb, my soul is filled with wonder. Today, Christ gives us the Holy Eucharist— the summit of our Catholic Faith—divine nourishment for our souls and bodies, His true presence—body, blood, soul, and divinity—and the ability to commune with Him and Heaven in the humblest of forms! Words cannot begin to fathom the amazing and transcending beauty of this mystery! We behold with our eyes and see with our hearts, and like numerous saints have understood, realize, contained within the veil of bread, is the greatest love story ever told.
In Exodus, we hear about the Passover: the sacrifice of an unblemished lamb, painting its blood upon the doorposts and lintel, and eating its flesh so the Lord will pass over and not strike the Israelites with death. And in Corinthians, Jesus says: “This is my body that is for you… This cup is the new covenant in my blood.” Jesus is the Paschal Lamb; we must eat of His flesh and drink of His blood if we are to have eternal life within us and dwell within His kingdom. We see that the Holy Eucharist is not symbolic, but truly Jesus present for us to receive.
In the Gospel, Jesus declares, “If I, therefore, the master and teacher have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet.” I love this Gospel reading. At our wedding reception, my husband and I washed each other’s feet while a portion of this Gospel was read instead of doing a garter toss. Every Holy Thursday, I reflect upon this and the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. When Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, the Bridegroom was washing the feet of His Church—the Bride of Christ. In doing so, Jesus not only gave us a model to follow in serving our fellow brothers and sisters, but a model to follow in the Sacrament of Marriage—love entwined with sacrifice and suffering.
Today, as the Holy Eucharist is reposed at the end of Mass, we “Behold the Lamb of God,” and look forward to the days ahead, knowing Jesus is truly and forever present with us for, “The Eucharist is my highway to Heaven!” Blessed Carlo Acutis reminds us!
Joelle Schlotter is an author and illustrator of children’s books and novels, and blogs about living liturgically and building the domestic church. You can learn more about her here.