Thursday of Holy Week
On Thursday of Holy Week two important events take place in the Church: The Chrism Mass, and the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper. At the Chrism mass, all the oils needed for each diocese for the coming year are blessed at the Cathedral. The parish priests receive these oils after mass to return them to their parishes.
At the Last Supper, the institution of the Eucharist took place. We were given the outline of the first mass: “Do this in memory of me.”
These two important events have a definite connection. Paragraph 1324 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “The Eucharist is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life.’ The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch.” The Chrism blessed at the morning mass for the distribution to the parishes is used for “the other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate.”
This is a huge feast day for our Church!