'You are there' (Holy Thursday homily)

 About 12 years ago, I made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

I walked the original Way of the Cross 

through the streets of Jerusalem 

and stood in the place of the Last Supper, 

the Garden of Gethsemane, Golgotha, and the empty tomb.

I was with other priests, and we had Mass – at Calvary! Right there!

We had Mass at the empty tomb: 

the very stone on which Jesus had lain was our altar.

Because the Mass is God’s work, not merely a human one, 

it is always and everywhere the one eternal Sacrifice. 

Every Mass brings us to Calvary.

Yet when we gather this evening with awareness of what we are doing, 

there is something truly electric about it.

All of Lent has led us here. 

We have prayed, fasted and shared our blessings with others, 

so that we, like the Apostles, 

can prepare to celebrate the Passover with the Lord.

The Passover, remember, was first celebrated in Egypt.

God’s People were slaves, and on that night, 

God executed judgment on Egypt, and Israel fled in haste.

Tonight, I want to illuminate some familiar parts of Mass.

To grasp the deeper meaning of the Sacrifice of the Mass, 

Let’s start by recalling what happened 

when God brought his People to Mt. Sinai.

There, in addition to giving Moses the Ten Commandments, 

God detailed how they were to worship: 

how the sanctuary and altar were to be arranged, 

and the sacrifices offered.

After this, Moses led the elders of Israel 

up Sinai to ratify the covenant. Scripture tells us, 

“They saw God, and they ate and drank” the sacrifice.

Think about that in relation to the Last Supper, and the Mass:

“They saw God and they ate and drank.”

Now you know why the altar is traditionally elevated.

As at Sinai, we ascend to meet God.

In a few minutes, we will go up to this altar, and on your behalf,

address the God of Sinai, our Father.

When we all sing, “Holy, Holy, Holy,” 

You and I are joining the heavenly hosts adoring Almighty God!

The same angels who beheld Calvary with amazement.

Some of us remember the old TV show “You Are There,” 

which transported viewers back to historic moments. 

But this is infinitely greater than any television program. 

Brothers and sisters, right now, we are there—

at Calvary, at the tomb, and in heaven, all at once.

The priest then says, ‘Graciously accept this oblation.’ 

An oblation is simply an offering—

your prayers, works, joys and sufferings—

placed on the altar in the form of bread and wine. 

It stands for you.”

The priest extends his hands over the gifts like this, 

evoking the image of a dove—the Holy Spirit.

In the Old Testament, God’s Fire descended upon the sacrifice. 

On Pentecost, that same fire came down upon the Church.

In the Mass, it is the Holy Spirit who makes our offerings

“become for us the Body and Blood of your beloved Son, Jesus Christ.”

At the Last Supper, the disciples would not have been surprised 

If the Lord had pointed to the roasted lamb on the table 

while speaking of covenant and sacrifice.

But that’s not what Jesus does.

Instead, he took bread and wine and said, 

“This is my Body, given for you. 

This is my Blood of the new and eternal covenant. Eat and drink.” 

This was something entirely new. No one had ever done that before.

It is the following day, on the Cross, when he completes the Passover. 

He took a final sip of sour wine from a sponge, and declared, 

“It is finished.”

After the Resurrection, when he showed himself alive, 

the Apostles finally understood. 

Our Holy Mass flows from that command on Holy Thursday: 

“Do this in memory of me.”

Notice how the priest lifts up the Body, then the Blood.

This is a Sacrifice: Christ offers himself to the Father.

The priest is there to be Christ to us, 

and to be us, in Christ, to the Father. 

The separation of body and blood recalls his death.

When the priest later puts a part of the Sacred Host into the chalice,

It signifies the reunion of Christ’s Body and Blood, 

pointing to his Resurrection.

At a certain moment, the priest sings, “The mystery of faith.” 

It is as if a flashing sign lights up over the altar: 

“This—right here—is the moment! 

This is the pulsing heart of the whole mystery!

Afterward, the priest begs the Father 

to accept this “pure victim, this holy victim.” 

Of course the Father accepts the sacrifice. 

Yet these words sum up the entire drama of salvation.

Without Jesus, none of us can be saved. 

Everything in the Old Testament led to this. 

Tonight, in this Mass, the moment when Jesus offered himself 

once for all is made present for us. 

This is the pivot point of all history.

Tonight, we are there: in Jerusalem, at the Cross. 

The Blood of the Lamb protects us. 

The flesh of the Lamb is our salvation.