Yesterday, we talked about the tragic betrayal of Judas Iscariot. Tomorrow, our minds turn directly towards the agony that Jesus experiences on his way to Calvary. Yet, today, Holy Thursday, is truly a beautiful, joyful day in the liturgy of the Church and it stands out as one of the great days of the year. This is the Thursday that we rightfully call HOLY.

I seldom go over three paragraphs on any given day on this blog. Therefore, I find Holy Thursday joyfully frustrating. There is so much here, so much that is beautiful, so much that we have to think about, pray over and for which we should thank God so I ask for your patience in putting up with the inadequacy of these few brief sentences.

The first thing that should strike us in today’s liturgy is the extraordinary example of humility that Jesus gives the apostles as he kneels before them and washes their feet.

The next awesome revelation today is a reminder of the institution of the Eucharist as the central act of worship in the Catholic Church. Here we celebrate that one of the seven sacraments that we call blessed.

Finally, with the institution of the Eucharist by our Lord, the Last Supper, we have the implicit establishment of the priesthood where frail human beings are commissioned to carry on the work of Jesus but, in a very special way, to bring about his continued presence, the center of our faith, the source of our strength, the cause of our joy.

Truly, this Thursday is Holy.

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