Reflections for Holy Thursday 2020!
All Christians everywhere irrespective of the denominational differences celebrate different seasons in the liturgical year. Lent is a very important season of all the seasons; Holy week is a very important week of all the weeks; and the Triduum is very important three days of the Holy Week leading to the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ. Today, Holy Thursday, we begin the Triduum and continue for the next two days namely Friday and Saturday. Sunday, we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus, a celebration of Joy, jubilation, faith and hope!
Catholics all over the world celebrate today as the day of double blessings. Blessings of the institution of the Holy Eucharist and institution of the Holy Priesthood. Jesus instituted these two blessings to continue the legacy of His presence in the world among us. These two, the Holy Eucharist and the Holy Priesthood are inseparable parts of the life of any Catholic. It is only a priest who can transubstantiate plain bread into the Body of Christ invoking the intervention of the Holy Spirt in the context of the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. It is the Eucharist that serves as the power house providing strength and courage for a priest in his priestly journey and ministry. In practical life, it is very much like two sides of the same coin; which means, without priests we cannot have Eucharist, and without Eucharist priests cannot survive.
Today, we are going through a difficult time in our history, where the world needs Holy Priests, Powerful Prophets, and Wonderful Kings more than ever in the past.
Catholics have been anointed as Priests, Prophets, and Kings on the day of their Baptism. Priests as they are chosen for ministerial priesthood, are anointed again on the day of their priestly ordination. Today, we are going through a difficult time in our history, where the world needs Holy Priests, Powerful Prophets, and Wonderful Kings more than ever in the past.
The world needs Holy Priests today to pray constantly for the faithful who are struggling spiritually, emotionally and psychologically in their daily lives.
The world needs Holy Priests today as powerful prophets of the time to inspire and motivate the faithful, especially when they seem to be losing their faith and hope. It is the duty of our priests today to inspire and instill in the faithful a ray of faith and hope.
The world needs Holy Priests today as wonderful kings/leaders of the local communities to lead and guide the faithful when they seem to be distracted, diverted and missing their goal. Therefore, priests are important today as it has always been in the past.
Let us not forget the fact, dear sisters and brothers, as St. Peter writes, (1Peter 2:9) that we are all a chosen race, a holy nation, a royal priesthood, and a people set apart for a special mission and ministry by the Lord who called us! Therefore, each of us is important and special. We all need each other for the Glory of God!
With Prayers,
Fr Tomy Puliyan, MSFS
“Holiness and Happiness through Wellness and Wholeness”