Holy Thursday of the Lord’s Suppor John 13,1-15

In 1 Corinthians, it says: “For I received from the Lord what I delivered to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was delivered up, took bread, gave thanks, broke the bread and said, “This is my body for you. Could you do this in my memory? Likewise, after the meal, he took the cup and said. This cup is the new covenant in my blood. As often as you drink from it, do this to remember me.” We also find these words in all the evangelists, and they are especially recalled to us today on Maundy Thursday.
Sermon
I want to emphasize the words: “Do this in remembrance of me.” Let us imagine what would have happened if the apostles had not fulfilled this commission! We would not celebrate the Eucharist, i.e., no Holy Mass. Then Jesus would not be indeed and personally present among us. Thank God the apostles fulfilled this mission, so Christ is still present where the Eucharist is celebrated. The highlight of every Holy Mass is the words of consecration spoken by the priest over the bread and wine. The Holy Mass is, therefore, the ceremony in which we remember the entire history of salvation – but not just remember it, but visualize and experience it. In every Holy Mass, we hear the Word of God and can receive his body. We are with Jesus at Calvary, are reminded of his death, and rejoice that he is risen. Even if it seems impossible to us, we must be aware that in every Holy Mass, this remembrance of suffering, death, and resurrection is carried out. Jesus has left us something of unimaginable value. After every Holy Mass, we should go to the world to proclaim that Jesus lives and loves us.
There would be none today if people had made up the Holy Mass with its various ceremonies. Everything human will perish or change, but the Holy Mass will last until the end of time because it is God’s work. The Holy Mass is the source of many graces. A good relationship with the Holy Mass is the distinguishing mark of a Christian. It is a pity that many people pay too little or no attention to Holy Mass. Especially in Western Europe, only a few believers attend Holy Mass. I recently read a statistic about the Catholic Church in the Netherlands. In several dioceses, less than one percent of the faithful attend Holy Mass. Having the right attitude towards Mas is essential, and you get that from good role models. If parents are indifferent to Mass, you can’t expect children to have a good relationship with Holy Mass.
But there is also the other side – only some places can celebrate Holy Mass anytime. Here is an example: King Henry VIII of England broke away from the Catholic Church and forbade Catholics from celebrating Holy Mass. A priest was caught celebrating Holy Mass and was put on trial. He was asked whether he did not know that the king had forbidden Catholic priests to celebrate Holy Mass. He answered that he did know. The judge then asked who had authorized him to celebrate Mass. The priest replied: “Jesus said: Do this in remembrance of me. So I am only fulfilling Christ’s command.” He was then executed.
Even today, thousands of believers still make great sacrifices to be able to attend a Holy Mass, and Christians are persecuted in many countries around the world. We live in a free country, and we should take the opportunity to attend Holy Mass every Sunday and on public holidays! It gives us strength for our everyday lives.