Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks welcomed more than 2,000 people to Saint Patrick’s Cathedral Thursday evening for the celebration of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper.
In his opening remarks, Archbishop Hicks reflected on the significance of the evening, giving thanks to Almighty God for the gift of the Eucharist and the example of loving service Jesus gave his disciples when he washed their feet at the Last Supper.
Concelebrants of the Mass included Archdiocese of New York Auxiliary Bishop Edmund J. Whalen, vicar for clergy; Monsignor Luke M. Sweeney, S.T.L., vice-rector of St. Joseph’s Seminary; Monsignor Joseph LaMorte, vicar general of the archdiocese; Father Enrique Salvo, rector of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral; Father Donald Haggerty; Father Ryan Muldoon; and Father Zachary Presutti, S.J.
‘The sacrament of love’
Father Haggerty delivered the homily, reflecting on the Eucharist as what he called “the sacrament of love,” and urging the faithful to renew their personal devotion to the real presence of Christ.
Drawing on St. Thomas Aquinas, Thomas à Kempis, and the witness of St. Teresa of Calcutta, Father Haggerty described the Mass as a triangle uniting the words of Jesus at the Last Supper, the sacrifice of the Cross, and every celebration of the Eucharist throughout history. He recounted the story of St. Thomas Aquinas, who, when asked by Christ what reward he desired for his theological writing on the Eucharist, replied simply: “Only you, Lord.”
Father Haggerty quoted Thomas à Kempis on the longing for union with Christ in the Eucharist: “My soul longs for your body, my heart is athirst to become one with you. Give me yourself. That is all I want. Apart from you, there is nothing able to bring me comfort. Without you, I cannot exist. Without these visits of yours, I cannot live.”
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He also invoked the prayer of the angel of Fatima, which he said was likely intended not for 1917 but for our own era: “Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I adore you profoundly, and I offer you the most precious body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, the sacrileges, and the indifference by which he is offended.”
Washing of the feet
A special feature of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper is the washing of the feet, recalling the moment described in John 13 when Jesus washed his apostles’ feet as an act of humility and service. Archbishop Hicks performed this symbolic act during the liturgy. He washed the feet of five resident scholars from Thrive for Life, and five Saint Patrick’s Cathedral volunteers.
The Mass concluded with a procession of the Blessed Sacrament through the sanctuary of the cathedral, carried by Archbishop Hicks.
“Today we started the most holy days of our Church. It’s an opportunity for us at this particular liturgy on Thursday to do two things: to wash the feet, and to celebrate the institution of the Eucharist, the bread and the wine that become the body and blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ,” Archbishop Hicks said in response to media questions after the Mass.
“The washing of the feet tells us that we need to go out and serve others, to see the face of Christ in our brothers and sisters, and truly love others in the world,” Archbishop Hicks said.