The events which unfolded in the upper room, and which we know as the Last Supper, form the centrepiece of the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper. As Jesus and his disciples gathered to remember the deliverance of their fathers from slavery in Egypt through the celebration of the Passover meal, the whole occasion assumed an entirely new significance when Christ shared with them the food of his body and blood. His own body and blood would be at the heart of the new Passover, sealed by his sacrificial death on the cross the following day. The memory of his saving death would be forever enshrined in the Eucharist meal and entrusted to the Church for every generation. A sense of foreboding hangs over this Mass of the Lord’s Supper, yet we participate in with profound gratitude, privileged to take our place at the Lord’s table and to partake of the Bread of Life. Jesus’ act in washing his disciples feet stands as a powerful lesson as to the meaning of the Holy Eucharist where our brothers and sisters are concerned. St. Augustine reflects on the humble Christ surrendering his body and blood into our hands.
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