Holy Thursday – Mass of the Lord’s Supper

Cuan Mhuire, Addiction Centre, Bruree

This year we are celebrating a Jubilee or Holy Year. It’s special. It only happens every twenty-five years. A key moment in this year’s Jubilee celebrations in Rome is happening on Sunday week. Pope Francis is going to be canonising (declaring a saint) a young Italian teenager, Carlo Acutis, who died a few years ago. I want to tell you a little about him because he helps us understand what we are celebrating today – the Lord’s Supper and the New Commandment of love.

Carlo has brought such hope to so many people all over the world. And yet he was an ordinary young lad, big into sport, he loved soccer – a big fan of AC Milan, loved music, he enjoyed hanging out with friends. But what I want to share with you this evening is that he had a great love for Jesus in the Eucharist. He had a great love for the Mass.

Carlo Acutis said that he was struck by Jesus’ promise before he ascended into heaven two thousand years ago: “I will be with you always”. Jesus had found a great way to be with us always and that is the Eucharist. At the time of the Apostles, they could see him in flesh and blood walking the streets of Jerusalem. But he is still close to us. And just as Jesus helped people in so many ways during his life on earth, so now he still helps us through the Eucharist. As Carlo put it, All we need to do, however, is to go into the nearest Church, and we have “Jerusalem” right outside our front door!

When he made his First Holy Communion at seven years of age, he said something amazing: “My life plan is to be always close to Jesus.” And from then on he decided to go to Mass every day. Soon his mother and some of his relations and friends who hadn’t gone to Church before, began to come with him.

This evening, we are remembering the Last Supper when Jesus first gave us the great gift of the Eucharist, the Mass. He showed what it meant when he washed the feet of Peter. He came close to Peter, knelt down and washed his feet. The Eucharist is the moment when God wants to come very close to us, to help us, share our pain and suffering, serve us. As just as he said to Peter, so we also says to us –you too now go out and do the same: draw close to people, help them, listen to them, be a gift of yourself to them with your smile, your patience, your friendship.

We might say – but I don’t really see Jesus at Mass. I don’t see Jesus in the Eucharist. That’s true in the sense that Jesus is hiding himself, as it were, in the Eucharist. We don’t see him with these human eyes. What we see is bread and wine. But there is such a thing as the eyes of faith. He is there generously giving himself to us. Carlo liked to tell the story of a monk in Italy who was full of doubts as to whether the consecrated host was actually the Body of Christ. One morning while he was celebrating Mass, the host he was holding in his hand changed into flesh. Carlo liked that story because it emphasised that Jesus is really present at the Mass, in the Eucharist, when we receive Holy Communion.

Carlo also explained how at Mass at the Consecration while the priest would be saying “take this all of you and eat; this is my body given up for you”, showing us the consecrated host and “take this all of you and drink from it; this is my blood”, showing us the chalice, he would take that moment as a unique opportunity to simply tell God all he needed. That was when his prayer was most intense at Mass. He really believed Jesus listened and heard him. Then after receiving Holy Communion he also had another very simple prayer: “Jesus, come right in! Make yourself at home!”.

He to spend a short time before the Tabernacle in adoring Jesus in the Eucharist. He always felt he could confide something in Jesus, he could also complain, question him about his silence and tell him that he do not understand. And he felt Jesus would give him peace inside him.

Carlo used to say:  If people understood the importance of the Eucharist, instead of big queues into soccer matches or big celebrity concerts, there would be such long lines to receive Communion that you would not be able to enter the churches! He often said you go straight to heaven if you go to Mass often. Going to Mass helps us especially in dangerous situations that could harm our eternal salvation. He was convinced that when you go to Mass, you meet Jesus. And when you receive the Eucharist you are receiving Jesus into your life in a really deep way. The Eucharist is truly the heart of Jesus.

One final thing about Carlo. Carlo had a Hindu minder, called, Rajesh. He taught Rajesh how to pray the Rosary and he explained to him about the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Rajesh was struck by Carlo’s kindness. For instance, after Christmas one year, when he had received many toys, he brought them to a local park and sold them and asked him to give the money to some people who were sleeping rough in front of our local church. Seeing Carlo’s faith in Jesus in the Eucharist and how Carlo lived out that faith in his life like Jesus, he decided he wanted to become a Catholic.

Dear Friends, in this year’s celebration of the Last Supper, let us remember the example of Carlo Acutis’ great love for the Eucharist. It is a great gift that has been handed on to us. Let’s not take it for granted. And then, let’s also make sure that as well as drawing close to Jesus in the Eucharist, at Mass, or before the Tabernacle, we will make the effort to draw close to those around us, including those we might feel less inclined to reach out it.