Holy Thursday

Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with his Apostles many, many years ago.  Special arrangements were made by Peter and John, and the greatest care was given to these preparations.  This should remind us of the great pains we should take to prepare ourselves for each Mass we attend. The same Sacrifice of Christ, where He gave Himself to us, is a renewed, unbloody sacrifice at each Mass.

Today, we should meditate on the love Jesus has for each one of us, and how we respond to it.  In our everyday lives....how do we greet Him in our regular dealings, in our love for the Church, in acts of atonement and reparation, in charity towards others, in preparation and in thanksgiving for Holy Communion, in our desire to co-redeem with Him, in our hunger and thirst for justice....Jesus gives Himself to us in the Eucharist to strengthen us in our weaknesses, to be there with us in our loneliness.

Take the time today to speak to Him as the Apostles did, let us tell Him our concerns and share our joys.  Let us remember to thank Him for being among us.

When Jesus is telling the Apostles of what will take place in the days that follow, He tells them of what we hear so many times in the Gospel....."This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you" (John 15:12).  Jesus calls us, through his Apostles, to love our neighbor, who is one with Christ.

This Holy Thursday let us ask ourselves if the people around us, whom we spend the greater part of our lives with, know that we are disciples of Christ.  In our daily dealings with our family and friends are we loving them as Jesus loves us?  Do we show charity in our thoughts, words, and deeds? As Jose Escriva said, "This love is not something reserved for important matters, but must be exercised above all in the ordinary circumstances of daily life."

"Greater love has no man than this, that he should lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13).

May God bless you and yours abundantly!