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14
April

RAMBLINGS
From the Pulpit on Holy Thursday
• From Lent to Paschal Triduum

The Lenten season lasts until the Thursday in Holy

Week ushering us into "Liturgy of all Liturgies," com-
monly known as the "Sacred Triduum." This liturgical
event is so important, it spans three days! It begins
with the evening Mass of the Lord's Supper, is contin-
ued through Good Friday with the celebration of the
passion of the Lord and Holy Saturday, reaches its
summit in the Easter Vigil.

All the words and gestures in the liturgy of those

days, underline as it were, St. John’s dense asser-
tion: "Having loved his own who were in this world
he loved them to the very end " (cfr. John 13:1). Love
spurs Our Blessed Lord to work in overdrive: he be-
queathes unto them a new commandment of love;
he institutes the Eucharist and desires that the cele-
bration of the Eucharist be perpetuated through the
priesthood.
 • The Holy Thursday Liturgy

In his instruction on these holy days, Pope Francis points out that,
"We begin the Triduum, by celebrating the Mass of the Lord’s Supper,
as we recall Christ’s offering of his body and blood to the Father,
which he gave to the Apostles as food for their nourishment, with the
command that they perpetually celebrate these mysteries in his
memory."
On Holy Thursday, the Supreme Pontiff adds, "we recall also the Lord
washing the Apostles’ feet, through which he showed that the pur-
pose of his life and passion is to serve God and neighbor, a service
which we are called to imitate by loving one another as he loved us.

It is owing to this that our Holy Father explains: This purpose is also
expressed in our Baptism, when the Lord’s grace cleansed us from
sin and we "put on the new man" in the image of Christ (Col 3, 10).
And it happens each time we partake in the Eucharist and enter into
Communion with Christ to obey his commandment to love Him as he
loved us. If we receive Holy Communion without being sincerely
ready to wash each other’s feet, he said, we do not acknowledge the
Lord’s Body, since Jesus’ service is to give of himself totally."

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 Probably all the features of the Holy Thursday liturgy are familiar with
the exception of two unique features: the Washing of the Feet and the
Transfer of the Holy Eucharist. Each one brings out an important
aspect of the Mass and helps us understand why the Vatican Council
calls the Eucharist the "source and summit of the Christian life." (LG
11) In the Washing of the Feet we see the humility of Jesus. His dis-
ciples were taken by surprise.

• The Stole and the Towel

The Stole and the Towel is the title of a book, which sums up the
message of the Italian bishop, Tony Bello, who died of cancer at the
age of 58. On Maundy Thursday of 1993, while on his deathbed, he
dictated a pastoral letter to the priests of his diocese. He called upon
them to be bound by "the stole and the towel." The stole symbolizes
union with Christ in the Eucharist, and the towel symbolizes union
with humanity by service. The priest is called upon to be united with
the Lord in the Eucharist and with the people as their servant. Today
we celebrate the institution of both the Eucharist and the priesthood:
the feast of "the stole and the towel," the feast of love and service.

The Church Fathers saw the Washing of the Feet as an indication of

post-baptismal cleansing: "Whoever has bathed has no need except
to have his feet washed, for he is clean all over." (Jn 13:10) In our
understanding, this refers to the forgiveness of sins we receive
through the Sacrament of Reconciliation – and the Eucharist itself.
Every time that we kneel down in confession and accuse ourselves of
falling short of God's grace (the same whenever we pray the Lord's
Prayer) we ask for God's mercy and pledge to be merciful too.

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 • From Albanian Blood Feuds to Granting Clemency
In societies that have not been penetrated by Christianity forgiving is
inconceivable. According to people who have been there, the country
of Albania is one of the more challenged countries in the world. It is
on the fringe of Europe, but it has none of the advantages enjoyed by
Western nations. One of the reasons may be Albania’s culture of re-
venge. It is unlike anything seen elsewhere in the modern world. It’s
common in Albania to have blood feuds which date back many gen-
erations. In each family, the men of the family bear a solemn obliga-
tion to avenge any harm done not only to their families, but also to
their ancestors’ families, and this obligation is passed down to each
son as soon as he reaches an age of responsibility. If one man kills
another man, the family of the victim is required to seek vengeance
on any male members of the killer’s family, even decades later if nec-
essary. James Pettifer, author of the Blue Guide to Albania, reports
that there are "some 2,000 blood feuds going on in Albania and that
as many as 60,000 people are involved."

Wherever people have embraced Christianity stories of ready forgive-

ness are not short in supply. One such story concerns St. John Gual-
bert. John and his men were lying in ambush on the hill near the
church of San Miniato waiting to kill the man who had murdered
John’s brother. The enemy walked straight into the trap, and when he
realised that he had fallen into the hands of a man from whom he
could expect no mercy he threw himself shrieking into the dust of the
road. Then John suddenly remembered that it was Good Friday: he
leaped from his horse and fell on his knees beside his intended
victim, took him in his arms and bade him go in peace. But when af-
terwards he hurried into San Miniato and fell on his face before the
crucifix, then, according to the legend, Christ leaned down from the
cross and embraced the young man who had forgiven as God forgives
us.

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 • Commonplace Charity that Builds our Communities

In a Commonweal article, Fr. Nonomen talks of the Problems of the

Church Downstairs to illustrate what Catholics can learn from Alco-
holics Anonymous. He says:

The little church downstairs has a good problem: it needs more

chairs. Every day of the week, sometimes twice a day, its growing
congregation gathers in our church hall basement to share stories
and a common identity. Sometimes they cry. Often they laugh. Usual-
ly, there’s applause. They mix it all up with a good pot of coffee, and
somehow healing happens.

Alcoholics Anonymous has been meeting downstairs for as long as I

can remember. I started thinking of those meetings as the "church
downstairs" shortly after a parishioner told me how she came to join
our parish after first going to church "downstairs" for several months.
One Sunday morning, she decided to try going to the Mass upstairs
and ended up reconnecting with her Catholic roots. She’s been at-
tending both ever since. Her story gave me a powerful image of the
spirituality of the AA meetings rising through the floorboards and en-
riching the vitality of the whole parish community. And sitting in on
some sessions helped me understand how much we can learn from
AA and the way its members practice their "religion."

First there is a genuine and low-key sense of welcoming. This isn’t a

matter of some grinning bobble-head standing at the door to shake
every new hand. In fact, AA is at its most hospitable after the meet-
ing is over. No one is bolting for the door when the last word has been
pronounced. Instead, people stay around for another cup of coffee,
especially if someone new has joined them. This sense of welcome
stretches out into the parking lot as well, in the small groups that
continue their private chats long after the official meeting has ended.

Another thing I’ve noticed is how well the church downstairs rallies

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 around the weak and the powerless. Even those some might relegate
to the social fringe are met with acceptance in the group, not least
because a common denominator—we are all powerless over alco-
hol—remains central. Although this instinct to support the weak
ought to come naturally for Catholics, who’ve grown up with a theolo-
gy of the Cross and a healthy dose of St. Paul, sometimes I think we
talk a better game than we play. It’s painfully obvious, for instance,
that we’re not so good with people who live or love differently from
the dictates of the marriage canons. Neither are we very supportive
of those who don’t register a particularly strong blip on the parish
radar. Can we offer alternatives to the family whose kids miss more
religious education classes than they attend? Do we really want to
understand and embrace those "once-a-month" Catholics who may
be more likely to show up for pasta night than for the Eucharist? Are
the people of the parish council a respected voice of the congrega-
tion, or just a maintenance crew formed in fulfillment of the law? All
of us are needful beings, and keeping that reality in the foreground
might go a long way toward fashioning a more open and attractive
community.

One more thing AA groups demonstrate so well is the belief that ev-
eryone has a story to tell and a right to be heard. This belief is essen-
tial not only to the Twelve Steps, but to the sense of commonality and
communion that is generated in the group. Everyone can learn some-
thing from another person’s story: this is another lesson we Catholics
can profit from. In a church where so many people feel that their sto-
ries are ignored, encouraging this kind of productive conversation on
a parish level would clearly be a hit. The challenge lies in providing
opportunities for it. After-Mass coffee hours are not enough. Finding
ways to provide adults some space to talk freely about their lives and
concerns and faith is a crucial element for a dynamic parish.

The little church downstairs warmly welcomes strangers. They shore

up the weak. They listen to what everyone has to say. Surely this is
part of the reason why their church has to ask for more chairs, while

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so many of ours have empty pews.

• Mary: Queen and Mother of Mercy

The example of Jesus is best emulated by Mary. It leads her to inter-

cede for the newlyweds staring shame in the face at the wedding
feast at Cana and since then countless Christians have witnessed her
unfathomable charity. St. Bernard says that the Church calls Mary
"The Queen of Mercy" because she opens the abyss of the Mercy of
God to whomsoever she wills, when she will, as she wills, so that
there is no sinner, however great, who is lost if Mary protects him. Let
us ask her to be our guiding star as we seek to dispense mercy in our
day to day interactions.