Holy Thursday
Do This in memory of me...
Holy Thursday Evening Mass
April 2, 2026 Year A
Readings for
Mass of the Lord Supper:
Reading 1 Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14
Psalm Psalm 116:12-13, 15-16bc, 17-18
Reading 2 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Gospel John 13:1-15
REFLECTIONS:… from Father Daniel
The Evening Mass of the Lord’s Last Supper was the Last Passover meal Jesus ate on earth, but it gave us a lasting sacrifice, the Eucharist. This feast emphasizes the importance of remembering and what it is we need to remember. Jesus said in today’s Gospel “do this in memory of me.”
Tonight’s liturgy seems to tell us there are three things we must always remember. First, Jesus is telling us not to forget he loves us even when we think we don’t deserve it. For example, Just as we washed the feet of the Apostles who deserted him when he was arrested, so he desires to wash us with living water given to us in baptism and sustained and nourished in the Eucharist. Second, Our love for God must show itself in our commitment to God. Third, Our love for others. The second and third things stem from the greatest commandments.
Our first reading tells us how the Jews were to celebrate their release from Captivity. In the Eucharist, we celebrate God’s gifts to us in Jesus. Our second reading is about the Eucharist, and it is the earliest text we have from antiquity about the Eucharist which tells us twice: “do this in memory of me.” Today, what we need to remember is our love for others. The foot washing symbolizes how we are to serve one another. Being willing to care about one another is how we show our love for one another. Therefore our liturgy can be summed up in these three ideas: God’s love for us, our love for God, and our love for one another. When we love and care for others, we become Godlike. Pope Francis reminds us : “The Lord washes our feet so we can come back to the table. The table from which he wishes no one to be excluded. The table which is spread for all and to which all of us are invited.”
