Introit

Kyrie

 

Gloria

 

Collect

O God, who have called us to participate
in this most sacred Supper,
in which your Only Begotten Son,
when about to hand himself over to death,
entrusted to the Church a sacrifice new for all eternity,
the banquet of his love,
grant, we pray,
that we may draw from so great a mystery,
the fullness of charity and of life.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever

First Reading  Ex 12:1-8, 11-14

The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,
"This month shall stand at the head of your calendar;
you shall reckon it the first month of the year.
Tell the whole community of Israel:
On the tenth of this month every one of your families
must procure for itself a lamb, one apiece for each household.
If a family is too small for a whole lamb,
it shall join the nearest household in procuring one
and shall share in the lamb
in proportion to the number of persons who partake of it.
The lamb must be a year-old male and without blemish.
You may take it from either the sheep or the goats.
You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month,
and then, with the whole assembly of Israel present,
it shall be slaughtered during the evening twilight.
They shall take some of its blood
and apply it to the two doorposts and the lintel
of every house in which they partake of the lamb.
That same night they shall eat its roasted flesh
with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

"This is how you are to eat it:
with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand,
you shall eat like those who are in flight.
It is the Passover of the LORD.
For on this same night I will go through Egypt,
striking down every firstborn of the land, both man and beast,
and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt—I, the LORD!
But the blood will mark the houses where you are.
Seeing the blood, I will pass over you;
thus, when I strike the land of Egypt,
no destructive blow will come upon you.

"This day shall be a memorial feast for you,
which all your generations shall celebrate
with pilgrimage to the LORD, as a perpetual institution."

Responsorial Psalm  Ps 116:12-13, 15-16bc, 17-18

R/. Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.

How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD. R/.

Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds. R/.

To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people. R/.

Second Reading 1 Cor 11:23-26

Brothers and sisters:
I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you,
that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over,
took bread, and, after he had given thanks,
broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you.
Do this in remembrance of me."
In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying,
"This cup is the new covenant in my blood.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.

Verse Before the Gospel  Jn 13:34

Gospel Jn 13:1-15

Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come
to pass from this world to the Father.
He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.
The devil had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand him over.
So, during supper,
fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power
and that he had come from God and was returning to God,
he rose from supper and took off his outer garments.
He took a towel and tied it around his waist.
Then he poured water into a basin
and began to wash the disciples' feet
and dry them with the towel around his waist.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him,
"Master, are you going to wash my feet?"
Jesus answered and said to him,
"What I am doing, you do not understand now,
but you will understand later."
Peter said to him, "You will never wash my feet."
Jesus answered him,
"Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me."
Simon Peter said to him,
"Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well."
Jesus said to him,
"Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed,
for he is clean all over;
so you are clean, but not all."
For he knew who would betray him;
for this reason, he said, "Not all of you are clean."

So when he had washed their feet
and put his garments back on and reclined at table again,
he said to them, "Do you realize what I have done for you?
You call me 'teacher' and 'master,' and rightly so, for indeed I am.
If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet,
you ought to wash one another's feet.
I have given you a model to follow,
so that as I have done for you, you should also do."

Catena Nova (These are offered for reflection during adoration of the Blessed Sacrament before the Respository)

I understand that, each time we contemplate with desire and devotion the Host in which is hidden Christ’s Eucharistic Body, we increase our merits in heaven and secure special joys to be ours later in the beatific vision of God. (St. Gertrude the Great)

Jesus Christ, who opposes good to evil, is our true Mother. We have our being from Him, where the foundation of motherhood begins, with all the sweet protection of love which endlessly follows. As truly as God is our Father, so truly is God our Mother. … Our true Mother Jesus bears us for joy and for endless life, blessed may He be. … Our precious Mother Jesus can feed us with Himself, and does, most courteously and most tenderly, with the Blessed Sacrament, which is the precious food of true life. (Julian of Norwich)

I desire but this one grace, and long to be consumed like a burning candle in His holy Presence every moment of the life that remains to me… and to acknowledge that burning love He shows us in this wonderful Sacrament. Here His love holds Him captive till the end of time. It is of this one can truly say, “Love triumphs, love enjoys, Love finds in God its joys.” (St. Margaret Mary Alacoque)

There is a mystery, the greatest of all mysteries – not that my adored Lord is in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar – His word has said it, and what so simple as to take that word which is truth itself? – but that souls of His own creation, whom He gave His life to save, who are endowed with His choicest gifts in all things else, should remain blind, insensible, and deprived of that light without which every other blessing is unavailing! (St. Elizabeth Ann Seton)

Go and find Him when your patience and strength run out and you feel alone and helpless.  Jesus is waiting for you in the chapel.  Say to Him, ‘Jesus, you know exactly what is going on. You are all I have, and you know all things. Come to my help.’  And then go, and don’t worry about how you are going to manage.  That you have told God about it is enough.  He has a good memory. (St. Jeanne Jugan)

The Lord is present in the tabernacle in his divinity and in his humanity. He is not present for his own sake but for ours: it is his delight to be with the ‘children of men.’ He knows, too, that, being what we are, we need his personal nearness. In consequence, every thoughtful and sensitive person will feel attracted and will be there as often and as long as possible. And the practice of the Church, which has instituted perpetual adoration, is just as clear. (St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross)

Our silence demands of us constant self-denial and plunges us into the deep silence of God where aloneness with God becomes a reality. The Word of God is speechless today. In the Eucharist his silence is the highest and the truest praise of the Father. We need silence to be alone with God, to speak to him, to listen to him, to ponder his words deep in our hearts. In silence we are filled with the energy of God himself that makes us do all things with joy. The fruit of silence is prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is love, and the fruit of love is service. To be only all for Jesus we need a deep life of prayer. How do we learn to pray? By praying.  Let us adore Jesus in the Eucharistic silence. Souls of prayer are souls of great silence. We must endeavor to live alone with Jesus in the sanctuary of our inmost heart. In reality there is only one substantial prayer, Christ himself. One voice which unites in itself all the voices raised in prayer. (St. Teresa of Calcutta)

(There is no homily)

Intercessions

We pray for the Church in every place: that all of us might give witness to a life centered upon Jesus Christ, nourished on his Body and Blood, and called to serve in his name.

We pray for Pope Francis: that he might continue to witness a life committed to Jesus and his Gospel, love for the poor and neglected, honouring the gift of creation.

We pray for all bishops, priests and deacons: that they might witness to lives that offer prayer before every action, show humility in the service of their people, and love for the Eucharist and the Sacred Scriptures.

We pray for the suffering of our world: that peace will come to Ukraine and every place enduring war, that hope be given to refugees everywhere, and justice to survivors of abuse of every kind.

We pray for all Christians: that we might possess hearts of mercy, passion for justice, and devotion in prayer.

We pray for those who ate the flesh and drank the blood of the Lord in this life: that they will be raised up on the last day according to Christ's promise.

O God, in the fullness of time you revealed your love  in Jesus the Lord.  On the eve of his death, as a sign of your covenant ,he washed the feet of his disciples and gave himself as food and drink. Give us life at this sacred banquet and joy in humble service, that, bound to Christ in all things, we may pass over from this world to your kingdom,  where he lives with you now and always in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen. (ICEL; 1998)

Offertory Motet (Thomas Tallis)

 

Verily, verily I say unto you,
except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man
and drink His blood, ye have not life in you.
Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life,
and I will raise him up at the last day (bis)
For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood
dwelleth in me, and I in him.

Communion Antiphon

 

This is my Body which is given up for you; this is the cup of the new covenant in my Blood, says the Lord.  Each time that you partake thereof, do it in memory of me.  V/. The Lord is my shepherd; * there is nothing I shall want. Fresh and green are the pastures * where he gives me repose. Near restful waters he leads me; * he revives my soul.

Procession to the Repository or Closing Hymn

 

Now, my tongue, the mystery telling of the glorious Body sing, and the Blood, all price excelling, which the Gentiles' Lord and King, in a Virgin's womb once dwelling, shed for this world's ransoming.

Given for us, and condescending, to be born for us below, he, with men in converse blending, dwelt the seed of truth to sow, till he closed with wondrous ending his most patient life of woe.

That last night, at supper lying, 'mid the twelve, his chosen band, Jesus, with the law complying, keeps the feast its rites demand; then, more precious food supplying, gives himself with his own hand.

Word-made-flesh true bread he maketh by his word his Flesh to be; wine his Blood; which whoso taketh must from carnal thoughts be free; faith alone, though sight forsaketh, shows true hearts the mystery.

Reposition of the Blessed Sacrament