Transcript Diapositive 1

Let our glory be in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ; in
Him we have salvation; through Him we are rescued and
set free.
Psalm: May God have mercy on us and bless
us; may He cause His face to shine upon us
and may He have mercy on us. Reprise: Let
our glory be in the Cross...
Whoever eats of this bread will live forever.
The bread that I will give
Is my flesh, for the life of the world.
My flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.
Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide
in me, and I in them.
Time had come when our Saviour was to realize this marvel of His love for us.
Since He had promised He would give us His flesh and His blood, He was to
wait for the hour of His immolation.
Now His Passion is started; He has already been sold to his enemies; His
life is therefore in their hands; he can now offer Himself as a sacrifice,
and share among his disciples His own flesh and His own blood, as a
sacrificial victim.
Today The Holy Church intends to repeat once again, with a
particular solemnity, what our Saviour has accomplished
during the Last Supper, as He ordered his disciples and
said:
« Do this in memory of me»
Jesus comes to the table where the lamb is served; ;His disciples take
place with Him; they faithfully observe the rites that the Lord had
prescribed to Moses; these rites were to be kept by his people.
At the beginning of the meal, Jesus starts to speak and says to his
apostles : « I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you
before I suffer.»
Jesus was saying this because this Passover would
be the opportunity to establish the new Passover he
had prepared in his love for mankind;
for « having loved his own who were in the world, as
Saint John says, he loved them to the end. »
What is happening today in the Cenacle isn’t an event that has happened only
once in the mortal life of the Son of God, and the Apostles are not the only
privileged guests invited at the table of Our Lord.
In the Cenacle, what is happening is more than a meal, something else as
well as a sacrifice, even though this victim which is offered by the sovereign
High Priest is divine.
Here is taking place a new Priesthood.
How could Jesus have said to men: « Unless you eat my flesh
and drink my blood, you will have no life in you », if he hadn’t
thought establishing on earth a ministry through which he would
renew, till the end of times, what he had accomplished in the
presence of these twelve men?
Here is what he said to those men he had chosen:
« You will do this in memory of me »
By these words he gives them the power to change his flesh
into his body and the wine into his blood: till the end of times,
this sublime power shall be transmitted in the Church through
holy ordination.
Through the ministry of mortal men and sinners, Jesus will
continue to operate the marvel he accomplished in the
Cenacle; and as he is endowing his Church of the unique and
immortal Sacrifice,
According to his promise, he is giving us through this heavenly
Bread, the means to « abide in Him, and He in us».
Today, let us celebrate the institution of Christian Priesthood
The ceremony of the
washing of the feet, opened
by the reading of the Gospel
of the Evening Mass of this
day, is called MANDATUM,
on account of the first word
of the first Antiphon which is
sung at this office.
After the reading in the Gospel
of the account of what Our
Saviour did, the celebrant ties a
towel around himself and walks
towards those he is to wash the
feet.
He kneels in front of each one and kisses his foot after washing it.
Mandatum novum do vobis: I give you a new commandment,
which is to love one another as I have loved you, says the Lord .
Where love is found to be
authentic, God is there.
The love of Christ has gathered
us together into one.
Let us rejoice and be glad in Him.
Let us love each other from the
depths of our heart
Where love is found to be
authentic, God is there.
Therefore when we are together,
Let us heed not to be divided in
mind.
And in our midst may Christ
Our God be.
If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
I will ask my Father, and he will give you another
Advocate to be with you forever »
Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.
If you loved me you would rejoice that I am going to the Father.
Affected, the disciples rose;
the Hymn of Thanksgiving
was recited, and Jesus went out with his Apostles
and headed for the Mount of Olives.
« One of my disciples will betray
me today; woe to that man by
whom I am handed over.»
« The one who has dipped
his hand into the bowl with
me, will hand me over to
sinners.»
( He 7, 26-27)
(He 2, 9b-10 )
( He 4, 14-15 )
JESUS, in order to sanctify the people by
his own blood, suffered his PASSION
outside the city gate.
Let us then go to him, outside the camp and
bear the abuse he endured.
For here we have no lasting city; but we are
looking for the city that is to come.
Through JESUS, let us continually offer to God
a sacrifice of praise, that is an act of faith, fruit
of lips that confess name.