CHARLOTTE — An overflowing crowd gathered at St. Peter Church on Holy Thursday for the Mass of the Lord’s Supper as Bishop Michael Martin reminded them of the importance of communion – with God and with one another – in what he has characterized throughout Holy Week as a world filled with brokenness.
“The very beginning of these sacred three days challenges all of us to know better why it is that we do what we do,” said Bishop Martin, “and to face the unfortunate truth that many of even some of our best intentions, even some of our best desires, have been twisted by a broken world.”
Holy Thursday is the first day of the Triduum, the three holiest days of the Church’s liturgical year that commemorate Jesus’ Passion, death and resurrection. Holy Thursday recalls Jesus’ celebration of the Last Supper with His disciples, when He institutes the Eucharist and the priesthood, before He is betrayed and arrested. Good Friday commemorates His Passion and death on a cross. The Triduum concludes with the triumphant liturgy of the Easter Vigil on Saturday night, when Jesus conquers death and sin through His Resurrection.
During the Holy Thursday Mass at St. Peter’s, Bishop Martin asked the congregation to delve deeper into the meaning of Lent: “Why are you here? What motivates us? What is at the heart of our deepest longing?”
The answer, Bishop Martin said, and what God wants for us and from us is at the heart of Holy Thursday – communion.
“We see the Communion that Jesus institutes tonight – His sacred Body and Blood – as the greatest gift of communion, that He could be in communion with us for all eternity through what we will celebrate on this altar,” he said. “Why did He create us? So we could be in communion with Him – and not just in communion with Him, so we could be in communion with one another.”
One way to do so, he told the congregation, is to be more focused on others than on themselves.
He recalled that just a few weeks before, he had been at St. Peter’s to film the announcement of his pastoral vision for the Diocese of Charlotte – “Everyone so loves Jesus, that we share Him with others.”
That call to become missionary disciples and be so transformed by God that we share the Gospel with others was vividly demonstrated by Jesus on Holy Thursday, Bishop Martin said. That moment was recalled as, after his homily, he took part in the rite of the washing of the feet, also called the mandatum, which is done in remembrance of Christ washing the feet of His disciples at the Last Supper.
During the rite, Bishop Martin knelt and washed the feet of four people – two men and two women – followed by others from the congregation.
As Jesuit Father Tim Stephens, pastor, explained, “The first wave of folks were volunteers from among parishioners who have been liturgical ministers throughout the year.” After that, anyone in the congregation was invited to come up to the sanctuary to participate. In all, more than 60 people – from young children holding their parents’ hands to an elderly man leaning on his cane to walk up the aisle – came forward for the special moment.
At the conclusion of Mass, Bishop Martin and the altar party processed with the Blessed Sacrament around the church to an altar of repose at the side of the sanctuary. The lights were dimmed, and parishioners knelt in silent adoration – a solemn time meant to commemorate Christ’s agony in the Garden of Gethsemane before His arrest.
— Trish Stukbauer. Photos by Troy C. Hull, Lisa M. Geraci, Brian Segovia, Liz Chandler, Amber Mellon, MaryAnn Luedtke, John Bunyea / Blue Ridge Photo and provided
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