Holy Thursday: Vesperal Divine Liturgy – The Mystical Supper

Themes: The Mystical (Last) Supper; Jesus washing the feet of the Disciples, the Garden of Gethsemane
Gospel Reading:  Matthew 26:2-20, John 13:3-17, Matthew 26:21-39, Luke 22:43-45, Matthew 26:40 – 27:2

Remember, even though this service takes place in the morning, it is really part of a Great Vespers service for Thursday evening.  The Mystical Supper took place in the evening on a Thursday.  Today, we remember Mystical Supper on Thursday, but in the morning instead of in the evening.

At this service, we remember the Last Supper.  At the time of the Last Supper, two very important events took place.  First of all, Jesus washed the feet of His disciples.  This is a great show of love towards them and also of humility.  Jesus did this to show His service to God and to mankind as well as to teach His disciples how to treat others – to teach them to be humble and servants of the Lord and of mankind.  Let’s really consider this: the Lord and Creator of all cinches a towel around Himself, and bends to the ground to wash the feet of His disciples.  It is a complete condescension of God, a display of utter humility (not humiliation) to teach the disciples that they must be humble towards one another and serve one another.  Did Christ ever ask anyone to prostrate themselves before Him?  No.  People did out of respect, love, and awe, but not because of His command.  His command, rather, is that we follow His example and be humble to one another and serve one another.  His whole ministry on earth was a service to mankind, and even just prior to and during His passion, He continued to be a servant to mankind.  And Jesus’ service was to heal our souls and bodies from the effects of sin and lead us to holiness and His heavenly kingdom.

Second, this is the day of the Last Supper – the mystical event initiated by Christ so that we would always be able to receive Him in our body and soul.  Christ broke bread and shared wine with His Disciples.  We read in Mt. 26:26-28, “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the Disciples and said, ‘Take eat; this is My body.’  Then he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you.  For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”  This event gives each of us the greatest opportunity in the world – to participate in the Kingdom of Heaven by taking God into our bodies - which cleanses us from sin and allows us to be in union and communion with God.  Please note that the formula from St. Matthew aforementioned is exactly what we use in the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom nearly every time we celebrate a Divine Liturgy.

A few more important issues concerning the Last Supper: a) We take this excerpt from St. Matthew literally.  Jesus was not speaking in parables when He was talking about the bread being His Body and the wine being His Blood.  From the very beginning, the Orthodox Church, which was the only Church for centuries, accepted this as fact and never deviated from it.  We call upon the Holy Spirit to make the bread and the wine the Body and Blood of Christ at every Divine Liturgy.  We are not sure exactly how the Holy Spirit makes this change; it is a mystery how it happens.  But we, through faith and the Tradition of the Church, know and accept that the Holy Spirit does consecrate the elements into the Body and Blood of Christ b) we use leavened bread in the Eucharist.  Leavened verse unleavened bread takes on different connotations in different contexts so we cannot look there for definitive answers (although the Church does look to the leavened bread as symbolic of the resurrection).  In the synoptics (the Gospels of Saints Matthew, Mark, and Luke) we hear of the Last Supper being a Passover meal.  In the Gospel of St. John, however, it is clearly not a Passover meal.  We view the Gospel of St. John making clear issues that may have been uncertain in the nascent Church.  Since the Gospel of St. John was written decades after the Synoptics, we consider that what the Church was already practicing is reflected in the Gospel.  St. John makes clear that this was not a Passover meal and that leavened bread was used.  Even in the Synoptics, the use of the word “arton” in all likelihood refers to leavened bread, not just any bread, and certainly not specifically unleavened bread.  Furthermore, it is clear historically that the Church used leavened bread in the Eucharist, and it was not until much later that the western half of the Church started using unleavened bread on a consistent basis.

We also remember the Garden of Gethsemane.  Here, we learn about the obedience of Christ to His Father in Heaven, His intense prayer, and His betrayal at the hands of Judas.  In terms of prayer, we also learn about its power.  How?  In the garden, Christ was agonizing.  He knew what was going to happen to Him and He was anguishing over it.  This shows His humanity.  Nevertheless, His intense and persistent prayer to His Father helped him get through the agony and remain obedient to the will of the Father.  It is vitally important to have a consistent prayer life, privately and publicly.  Privately because it will keep us focus on Christ and help us keep a disciplined life in which we: truly struggle to avoid making sinful decisions, consistently offer thanks to God for His many and profound blessings, ask the Lord for the things we need, and offer supplications for our family, friends, neighbors and even enemies.   Publicly because our private prayer is validated in the community (Divine Liturgy) as we are beseeching God to, “grant that with one voice and one heart we may glorify and praise Your most honored and majestic name…” and later, “…let us commit ourselves, and one another, and our whole life to Christ our God.”

When we remember the Garden and Christ’s prayer, we remember that the disciples all fell asleep, three times, and were unable to respond to Christ’s statement to watch over Him as He prayed.  As much as this was a “request” for their support (Mark 14:32-34), it was also meant to keep them strong against temptations and fear (Luke 22:39-40).  Nevertheless, they all fell asleep and were unable to give support to Christ or keep themselves strong against temptations (particularly to flee from fear).  So that left Christ alone, right?  No.  The Father sent an angel to strengthen His Son during His agony and prayer (Luke 22:43).  Even Jesus needed that help from at that moment, He prayed for it, and received it.  Mind you, it was not so that He would avoid the problem, but rather that He would have the strength to see it through to the end.  Furthermore, it makes clear to us the presence of angels all around us.  There is far more to this world than we can perceive with our senses alone… (“Surround us with Your holy angels, that guided and guarded by them, we may attain to the unity of the faith, and to the knowledge of Your unapproachable glory.” – Prayer from the 6th Hour and also an evening prayer)

Two other very important events occur on Holy Thursday morning.  First of all, during the Divine Liturgy, the priest prepares the reserve sacrament.  The reserve sacrament is Holy Communion that is used only in times of special emergency.  The priest may carry Holy Communion with him (taken from this reserve sacrament) to hospitals, nursing homes, people homes, etc.  During the preparation of the gifts, a second Lamb is taken out of the prosphoro in the same manner as during a Divine Liturgy when a Presanctified Liturgy is scheduled the following week.  During the service of the Proskomidi, the priest takes the portions out of the prosphoro, blesses them, and places them on the paten.  One of the pieces he takes out is called the Lamb.  This piece has the Greek letters, “IC XP NI KA” on it.  This means Jesus Christ conquers.  This is the piece that becomes the Lamb, or the Body of Christ.  Normally, the priest only takes out one Lamb.  However, if there is going to be a Pre-sanctified Liturgy during the week, he will remove another piece from the prosphoro – another Lamb.  Later on, during the Liturgy, the priest calls upon the Holy Spirit to consecrate the bread (Lamb) and wine and to change them into the Body and Blood of Christ.  This happens during the part of the service when we are kneeling (part of the anaphora).  Remember, there are two Lambs on the paten at this point – so there are two pieces of the one Body of Christ on the paten on the altar table.  After the Lord’s prayer, the priest prepares the communion cup.  He takes one of the Lambs and puts some of the consecrated wine – the Blood of Christ, on it.  This makes it communion.  He then takes the portion of the Body and Blood of Christ and places it in a protected place so that it may dry.  After a few days, the priest takes that Holy Communion and places it in the Tabernacle on the altar table (the Holy Table).  The remaining reserve sacrament from the previous year is added to the Communion chalice during this service, or sometimes during the Vesperal Divine Liturgy on Holy Saturday morning.
Second, in Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey), the Ecumenical Patriarch prepares Holy Chrism after this Divine Liturgy.  We receive Holy Chrism at our Baptism or at our Confirmation if we are converts to Orthodoxy.  Holy Chrism “makes us partakers of the Holy Spirit.”  It allows us to receive the Holy Spirit in our hearts, minds, and bodies.  It also allows us to understand, acknowledge, and cultivate the gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to all of us.  The process for making the Holy Chrism takes a long time and involves over 40 different spices and fragrances.  For those of us here in the United States who are in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, only the Ecumenical Patriarch can prepare the Holy Chrism, which he then distributes to all of the churches (Metropolitans and Bishops) under his jurisdiction.  This process begins on the Saturday of Lazaros and culminates with consecration of the Holy Chrism on Holy Thursday.  This only happens about once every ten years or so.
With Love in Christ,
+Fr. Nick