Holy Thursday & Stumbling Blocks to Hope
An excerpt from Opening the Holy Door
The liturgy for Holy Thursday evening is one of my favorites of the liturgical year. The first part of the liturgy is a respite from Lent. We get to sing the Gloria, the priests and deacons are in white or gold vestments, and the altar is decked out in flowers. If you didn’t know what happens next in the story, this chapter is pretty uplifting. Jesus lovingly washes his disciples’ feet, and we get the gift of the Eucharist and the priesthood. What could go wrong?
But we do know the next chapter. And it hangs over the liturgy and its silent conclusion. After Mass, it is customary for the Eucharist to be brought to an altar of repose and for people to remain in adoration. We keep watch in the garden.
There, that night, Jesus needed his bishops the most. He had chosen these men as friends, confidants, literal companions, ones with whom he broke bread. And they abandoned him.
The day we celebrate the institution of the priesthood is the day we remember that the first priests were all failures hours later.
We are faced with the difficult reality that Jesus chose to institute a visible Church, one that is made up of flawed human beings. He chose to work through sons and daughters of Adam and Eve: bishops, priests, and you and me.
When these members of the visible Church disappoint, hurt, and abandon us, we have to remember that we are not alone. I am with Jesus, being abandoned by those who were supposed to stand by my side.
But this panel is a sign of hope in the face of that reality…
Why is the panel a sign of hope? Find out in my book, Opening the Holy Door: Hope-filled Reflections from St. Peter’s Basilica.
Every day, you and I face a choice: in the face of our sin, will we be Peter or Judas?
Happy holiest days of the year, friends! I encourage you to take these days to really step away from the ordinary, daily rush of life and try to somehow enter into the mysteries. Whether that is taking time to sit in silence and read the four Passion narratives, whether it’s spiritual reading like Fulton Sheen’s Life of Christ, or whether you have the opportunity to participate in the beautiful liturgies of the Triduum (they’re the best!), don’t allow these days to pass by like every other day.
This is Jubilee Week. This is the week our debt was paid, our shackles removed, our punishment was lifted. Now it’s up to us to participate with Him, to accept it, to work it out with fear and trembling.
On the other side of these events, I’d recommend not slipping back into our pre-Lent habits. Form a small group with your friends and read Opening the Holy Door together. The Jubilee isn’t even half over. (You can get a free discussion guide here.)
Just what I needed to hear today! I’ve already read the book, but it’s nice to hear that specific reflection today. Thank you!