Sermon for the Mass “In coena Domini” – Holy Thursday – 2 April 2026, Year A

My dear brothers and sisters,

In today's service, we begin to follow Jesus more closely on his path to the Cross.

This path begins with the Last Supper, where Jesus entrusted himself to us in the Eucharist and also appointed his Apostles as priests to carry out his mission on earth.

Jesus not only had dinner with the Apostles that evening, but he also wanted to teach them what they should do. And this shows the magnitude of God's love for us.

Jesus wanted to come into the world, to teach the truth, to live with us, to die for us, and before he died, he wanted to leave behind the Eucharist, with which he will continue to be with us. Therefore, the Gospel we read today begins with these words: “Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. He loved those who were his in the world, and he loved them to the end.”

Jesus wanted to show such great love that he began the Last Supper by washing the feet of his apostles. These were the feet that would carry his teachings throughout the world. Washing feet also demonstrates Jesus' great humility. He does not sit on a king's throne and command others what to do. He himself bows down to show, with example and humility, what each of us should do.

Later, during the Supper, Jesus bequeathed to us the Eucharist and the priesthood. Therefore, today is the day Jesus established the priesthood and the Eucharist.

The two inseparable mysteries I want to discuss in today's service are: What does the Sacred Mass mean? Does anyone know the deep meaning of everything that happens in the Mass? Because it seems so repetitive.

Pope Pius XII, in his document *Mediator Dei*, describes the Holy Mass. He explains what the Holy Mass is as follows: "The sacrifice of the Holy Mass is not a pure and simple commemoration of the passion and death of Jesus Christ. The Mass is a true and proper sacrifice, the same sacrifice the priest once made on the cross, offering himself without bloodshed. The priest offers himself as a sacrifice to the Father."

The Golgotha sacrifice and the Eucharist sacrifice are the same sacrifice. So, in the Holy Mass, we are present at the moment Jesus is crucified. And during each liturgy, Jesus offers the sacrifice through the priest. And Jesus is sacrificed.

And Pope Pius XII continues to explain: “When the priest ascends the altar, he gives his tongue and hand to Jesus. The priest offers the Mass for all people. In the Mass, the priest does the same as Jesus did at the Last Supper, and also performs the act of surrender that was performed on the Cross.” In the Holy Mass, the priest offers himself and all people to God. The difference is that Jesus offered himself in a bloody way at Golgotha, that is, by shedding his blood, while at the Last Supper and on the altars of our churches, this sacrifice is offered without bloodshed ("bloodless").

When the priest says the words of blessing over the bread and wine, it is Jesus himself speaking. The priest gives voice to Jesus. During the liturgy, Jesus' Body and Blood are also separated. The body is on the bread, and the blood is in the cup. So what happens when a person dies? The body separates from the blood, right?

Therefore, in Mass, we witness the actual death of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus does not die again in every Mass. He died only once. However, the Church's belief teaches that in Mass, we are present at the moment Jesus was crucified. It's as if we've been transported to that moment. That's why Mass is so important. And the lives of the saints bear witness to this.

Padre Pio had the wounds of Jesus in his hands. And every Mass he celebrated lasted 4 hours. In every Mass, he felt all the pain of Jesus' Cross. So in Mass, we participate in Jesus' Cross. God is truly present in Mass. And when we receive Communion, God wants to be with us too.

In Ayinde, we also pray to God for the salvation of the whole world. And we receive all these blessings through the priests. Jesus initiated this priesthood at the Last Supper. Jesus chose some to be closer to Him. Jesus chose some to be the representatives of His continued presence on earth.

Jesus chose those who would follow him most closely and sacrifice their lives on the altar of the Mass for the salvation of the world. Priests have the duty of being sacrificed for the salvation of the world. In the Mass, they offer themselves as sacrifices and beg God for the forgiveness of their sins. And to become a priest, you must be consecrated by a bishop. And this consecration comes from the first blessing at the Last Supper. At the Last Supper, Jesus consecrated the first priests. This is our faith.

Today, after distributing communion, we will pray quietly to Jesus in the Eucharist, and then we will carry him together to the chapel. After leaving Jesus in the chapel, we will quietly end the service. After the service, anyone who wishes may remain in the chapel with Christ Jesus for a while. In worship, let us accompany Jesus in his suffering before his arrest. Jesus spent the entire night in prison, awaiting his crucifixion and death the next day. Today, we rang the bell for the last time while reading the Gloria. The bell will only ring again during the Gloria at the Easter Night Mass.

Tomorrow will be a day of silence, fasting, and prayer in remembrance of Jesus' crucifixion. Tomorrow at 5:30 PM we will read the Way of the Cross prayer, and at 6:00 PM we will hold the Crucifixion Commemoration.