1962 Missal - Commentary on the Mass Readings: Thu, Apr 2 (Holy Thursday)

3rd day, April 2nd, Holy 3rd day.

The epistle from the first letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians chapter 11 verses 20

through 32.

Brethren, when you come therefore together into one place, it is not now to eat the Lord

supper.

For everyone take it before his own supper to eat, and one indeed is hungry and another

is drunk.

What, have you not houses to eat and drink in, or despise eat the Church of God and put

them to shame that have not?

What shall I say to you, do I praise you?

In this I praise you not.

For I have received of the Lord that which I also delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus,

the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread, and giving thanks, broke, and said,

take ye and eat, this is my body which shall be delivered for you.

This do for the commemoration of me.

In like manner also the chalice after he had supped, saying, this chalice is the New Testament

in my blood.

This do ye, as often as you shall drink, for the commemoration of me.

For as often as you shall eat this bread and drink the chalice, you shall show the death

of the Lord until he come.

Therefore whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily,

shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.

But let a man prove himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of the chalice.

For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself,

not discerning the body of the Lord.

Therefore are there many infirm and weak among you, and many sleep.

But if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

But whilst we are judged, we are chastised by the Lord, that we be not condemned with

this world.

The Apostle here calls the Lord supper, the charity or agape feast observed by the primitive

Christians, and repreends the abuses of the Corinthians on these occasions, which were

the more criminal because these feasts were accompanied with the celebrating the Eucharistic

sacrifice and sacrament.

Everyone takeeth before his own supper to eat.

The sense here seems to be that he took and brought with him what he designed to eat

with others and giveeth that supper.

But as soon as some were met, without staying for others as he orders them in verse 33,

the rich placing themselves together began this supper and did not take with them their

poor brethren who had brought nothing or had nothing to bring.

By this means, one indeed is hungry and another is drunk, while the poor had nothing but shame

and confusion.

By this means of eating and drinking without temperance and moderation, they were by no means

disposed to receive afterwards the Holy Eucharist.

He tells such persons that committed these disorders that if they be so hungry that they

cannot fast, they should eat before they come from home.

We find these agape forbidden to be made in the churches in the 28th canon of the Council

of Laudicea, a little before the General Council of Nicaea.

In St. John Chrysostom's time, and from the first ages, everyone received the sacrament

of the Holy Eucharist fasting, as it is probable this was one of the things which St. Paul gave

orders about when he came to Corinth.

He must not imagine that because Christ instituted the Holy sacrament and gave it to his apostles

after he had sup with them, that the apostles, or the pastors of the church, their successors,

could not order it to be received fasting and kneeling for greater reverence and devotion.

I have received of the Lord, but I also handed on to you, that is, by a revelation of Christ,

as well as from others who were present with him.

He speaks of the Holy sacrament itself, of the words of consecration as the evangelist

had done, and of the real presence of Christ's body and blood.

As often as you receive, it shall be with it of out and grateful remembrance of his sufferings

and death for your sake.

He puts everyone in mind that, whosoever shall eat this bread, so-called bread from

the outward appearances, or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall by such a sacrilege

be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

That he eateth and drinketh judgment or condemnation to himself, not discerning the difference

between celestial food and other meats, and not considering it to be truly the body of

the Lord.

If the words of our Savior, this is my body, work to be understood in a metaphorical and

figurative sense only.

Is it probable that St. Paul writing 24 years afterwards to the newly converted Gentiles

at Corinth would have used words which clearly express a true and real presence of Christ's

body in the Eucharist without one word to signify that this was to be understood in a figurative

sense only?

Benjaminius, a native of Spain and a priest who flourished under the reign of Constantine,

in about the year 329, has left us the life of Christ in hexameter verse, where speaking

of the institution of the Eucharist, he says, Christ taught his disciples that he delivered

to them his own body.

And when he gave them the chalice, he taught them that he had distributed to them his blood

and said this blood remits the sins of the people, drink this, it is mine.

In saying that those who eat and drink unworthily are guilty of the body and blood of the Lord,

and that they do not discern the body and blood of the Lord, this demonstrates the real

presence of the body and blood of Christ, even to the unworthy communicant, who otherwise

could not be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord, or justly condemned for not discerning

the Lord's body.

The real presence in the sacrament is also proved by the enormity of the crime in its

profanation.

St. John Chrysostom shows that the unworthy receiver imitates the Jews in crucifying

Jesus and trampling underfoot his sacred blood, hence the dreadful punishments we read

of in verses 27 and 30.

He says that in punishment of the sin of receiving unworthily, many are in firm, visited with

infirmities, even that bring death, which is meant by the words, many sleep.

But it is a mercy of God when he only punishes by sickness or a corporal death and does

not permit us to perish forever or be condemned with this wicked world.

To avoid this, let a man prove himself, examine the state of his conscience, especially

before he receives the holy sacrament, confess his sins, and be absolved by those to whom

Christ left the power of forgiving sins in his name.

If we judge ourselves in this manner, we shall not be judged, that is, condemned.

The Gospel from John chapter 13 verses 1-15.

Before the festival day of the past, Jesus, knowing that his hour was come, that he should

pass out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved

them unto the end.

And when supper was done, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas the son of

Simon the Ascariot to betray him, knowing that the Father had given him all things into

his hands, and that he came from God and goeth to God.

He riseth from supper and layeth aside his garments, and having taken a towel girded himself.

After that he puteth water into a basin, and began to wash the feet of the disciples,

and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.

He comeeth therefore to Simon Peter, and Peter sayeth to him,

Lord, does thou wash my feet?

Jesus answered and said to him, Would I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter?

Peter sayeth to him, Thou shalt never wash my feet.

Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou shalt have no part with me.

Simon Peter sayeth to him, Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands in my head.

Jesus saith to him, Key that is washed, needeth not, but to wash his feet, but is clean

holy, and you are clean, but not all.

For he knew who he was that would betray him, therefore he said, You are not all clean.

Then after he had washed their feet and taken his garments, being set down again, he said

to them, Know you what I have done to you.

You call me Master and Lord, and you say, Well, for so I am.

If then I, being your Lord and Master have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one

another's feet.

For I have given you an example that as I have done to you, so you do also.

Hey, dot commentary.

When St. John says before the festival day, he means in the evening, or later evening

after sunset, on the 14th day of the month of Nissan, when the great feast of asimes or

unleavened bread began.

And when supper was done, by this we must not understand that the supper was entirely

over, for we afterwards find that Jesus sat down and gave bread to the traitor.

But these words only mean that all had partook of refreshment, and might be their forset

to have sucked.

So succinct to Gustin.

He knew that he went out from God and would return to God, but at the same time he did

not leave God when he went out from him, nor us when he returns to him.

And though he went out from God and returns to him, yet here he condescends to perform

the office not of the Lord God of the universe, but of a man and a slave.

And this says St. John Chrysostom that he might tread all pride under foot, doing everything

himself on this occasion to teach us with what eagerness we ought to perform the duties

of humility.

If we compare the text of the four evangelists, it will appear that the washing of the

feet preceded the institution of the blessed Eucharist of which St. John is silent.

St. Ambrose and St. Bernard show that this washing was mysterious and significant of the

very great purity expected of those that received the blessed Eucharist.

St. Peter says, My master, my Lord, the true son of the living God, will thou wash the

feet of me thy servant thy disciple, a poor vile sinner, this must not be.

If I wash thee not, thou shalt have no part with me.

At this, Peter as one thunder struck replied, Lord, not my feet only, but my head, whatever

my Lord pleasedeth.

The feet are always apt to contract some dust or dirt, and in the mystical sense, he

that is washed by the sacraments of baptism or penance from greater sins must still endeavor

to cleanse and purify his affections from lesser failings of human frailty.

And you, my apostles, are clean from greater offenses, but not all of you, meaning the

traitor Judas.

It is impossible that the extremities of the soul, if we may be allowed the expression, should

not as long as we tread upon this earth, receive some stain or other, even if in the opinion

of men, the soul appear just.

Many indeed after baptism are covered with the dust of sin even to the head, but those

who are disciples indeed need only to wash their feet.

So says origin.

The foulness of the feet when the rest is clean signifies the earthly affections and remains

of former sins remitted which are to be cleansed by devout acts of charity and humility.

So says St. Ambrose.

Though the disciples were clean, still he washed their feet, conformable to those words

in the book of Revelation chapter 22, he that is clean, let him be cleansed still.

So says origin.

You also ought to wash one another's feet, not that he made this a standing precept according

to the letter, but designed it as a lesson of humility.

We find this custom literally observed in several churches, as is now done every year

by diverse prelates and by Christian kings and princes.

He gives us an example of a more elevated act of virtue that we may at least learn to

practice the lower degrees of it.

For he indeed was their Lord, but when we perform this office, we can but do it to our

fellow servants.

So says St. John Chrysostom.

This it is blessed Peter which you were ignorant of, but which he promises to explain afterwards.

So says St. Augustine.