Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper

Lectionary: 39

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

Our Triduum is a three-part ceremony, beginning on Holy Thursday, continuing on Good Friday, and concluding with the Vigil and Mass of Holy Saturday evening. The attentive will notice that we begin the Lord’s Supper of Holy Thursday with the sign of the cross and conclude the evening with a solemn procession, but no final blessing.

The Liturgy of Good Friday begins in silence without the sign of the cross. A prayer known as the collect gathers the attendants into a congregation. That subdued service ends with a quiet post-communion prayer. But no final blessing.

The Easter Vigil begins like Good Friday without a sign of the cross. After lighting the sacred fire, we enter the church and the cantor intones, "Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing, choirs of angels!" The Mass concludes with the presider’s blessing – a sign of the cross – and the glorious dismissal. The Triduum, a single ceremony of three days, begins and ends with the sign of the cross.

We should also notice that the Jewish sabbath begins with sunset on Friday. With that in mind, we understand that Jesus died on the very day on which he presided over the Last Supper. The banquet and the crucifixion are a single event. His drinking wine (albeit vinegar) during his ritualized execution ties that event to the ceremonial meal. 

I think that’s important because several mysteries comprise a single event: the Last Supper, Crucifixion, Resurrection, Ascension, and Pentecost are all one event. When you and I participate in the Mass – that is, when we offer the sacrifice of the Mass – we are offering with Jesus his body and blood for our sins and the atonement of the whole world. 

We do more than watch the Mass; this is not theater; there is no audience. The typical congregation of laity and presider enter that heavenly sanctuary with Jesus before the throne of God His Father. Silently we hear his prayer for us and offer our Amen to everything he says and does. All time is present in this moment: the past from the instant of creation; the present time of uncertainty and confident faith; and the future glory when strife will have ceased and all will be reconciled. God has blessed us with that expectation.