Homily on Holy Thursday: Mass of the Lord’s Supper

We Are Ready For Mission After Being Christified

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily on Holy Thursday: Mass of the Lord’s Supper

Church of St. Bridget of Minneapolis, MN

Thursday, April 2, 2026

What did Jesus do on his final night on Earth? The Gospels tell us that he gathered his closest friends, his Apostles, for what is known as the Last Supper on Thursday. During this very important event, Jesus does three things: First, he institutes the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Second, he washes his disciples' feet. By doing so, Jesus, as Master and Lord, shows us a model of service and teaches us to serve one another, especially the neediest among us. Third, Jesus establishes the New Commandment: “love one another as I have loved you.” This involves selfless love, even in the face of trial and betrayal. Fourth, he institutes the ministerial priesthood, which perpetuates the celebration of the Eucharist.

What is the Eucharist? The Church’s unique and remarkable stance over the centuries is that Jesus is truly, really, and substantially present in the Eucharist. It is the source and summit of the Christian life. The Eucharist is Christ among us—not a symbol or a metaphor, but genuinely and personally present among us. The basis for this unwavering belief is the Bible, but the most important biblical source for this teaching is John chapter 6. It provides the clearest description of the Eucharist in the New Testament. In John 6, Jesus describes himself as the living Bread that comes down from heaven. He also states that unless you eat the flesh and drink the Blood of the Son of Man, you have no life in you. John 6 explains why the Church has insisted for centuries that Jesus is truly, really, and substantially present in the Eucharist. 

Now, what enables us to hold this belief strongly? It is because of who Jesus is. If Jesus were just a human being among many, or merely a great figure, he could speak symbolically like anyone else. But Jesus is not just one figure among many; rather, he is God from God, light from light, true God from true God. Therefore, what he says is what God says. In the Book of Genesis, God speaks and says, “Let there be light, and there was light” (Genesis 1:3). When God said, “Let the earth bring forth vegetation: every kind of plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit tree on earth that bears fruit with it seed in it. And so it happened” (Genesis 1:11). Prophet Isaiah declares that the word of God goes forth and does not return empty without accomplishing its purpose (Isaiah 55:11). In John’s Gospel, we read about the raising of Lazarus from the dead. How did Jesus accomplish this? Through words! “Lazarus, come out,” (John 11:43), and Lazarus came out. To the 12-year-old girl who had died, Jesus says, “Little girl, I say to you, arise” (Mark 5:41), and she gets up. Note this, everybody! It is the same Jesus who commanded Lazarus to come out, who told the little girl to arise, also said, over the Passover bread, “This is my Body,”(Matthew 26:26; Mark 14:22; Luke 22:19) and over the cup of wine, “This is my Blood” (Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24) Jesus is human, but He is not just an ordinary human using symbolic speech, but God from God, Light from Light. Therefore, what he says is. 

What makes the Sacrament of the Eucharist so important? The Eucharist truly makes us eternal. As we receive the Body and Blood of Jesus, we are conformed to Him. We are prepared for eternal life. The Eucharist is how we become Christ-like. That is the connection between Jesus Christ and us. He is not a distant figure we fondly remember from the past. He is not a hero we imitate. No! We are Christified. We are united with Him. This is why St. Pope John Paul II said that the Church comes from the Eucharist. In the Eucharist, we are connected to and with Christ. So, our prayer life, acts of charity, practice of corporal and spiritual works of mercy, the righteous life we strive to live, privately and publicly, come from the Eucharist. Everything we do and say should originate from the Eucharist. 

The Church is not just a social club for like-minded people. It is much more than that. We are not simply members of an organization; we are cells, molecules, and organs of the living body of Christ. Because we belong to Christ’s body, we are connected by the deepest bonds—stronger than family, tribal, or national ties. That’s why we serve one another. The suffering of any one of us is the suffering of all of us. If we were members of a club, we might just see another member’s misfortune as his problem. But if we are cells in a body, then your suffering becomes my suffering. Your need becomes my need. That’s why, following Jesus’ example, the next thing I will do is to wash the feet of twelve people. The washing of feet symbolizes our care for one another. We genuinely care for others because we have been Christified by the Eucharist. We love one another as Christ loves us because we have been Christified by the Eucharist. We wash others’ feet because we have been Christified by the Eucharist. We serve in various roles here in our parish and beyond because we have been Christified by the Eucharist. We obey the Lord’s commandments because we have been Christified. As I mentioned earlier, the night before he died, Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, established a new commandment of love, and founded the priesthood. What ties all of these together? The Eucharist! We can only do all of these if we have been Christified by the Eucharist. 

God bless you!