Holy Thursday Presentation of Holy Oils and Chrism, Reposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Genaro O.

Diwa 3 March 2009 The evening Mass of the Lords Supper is the end of the Lenten season and the eginning of the !aster or "ascha# Triduu$. %ere we find the c#i$a& and the heart of the who#e ce#e ration of the #iturgica# 'ear( the ce#e ration of the "ascha# Triduu$. The Presentation of Holy Oils and Chrism The oi#s which were #essed during the )hris$ Mass are now we#co$e ' the )hristian co$$unit' as the' egin the ce#e ration of the "ascha# Triduu$ in the Mass of the Lords Supper. So$e $e$ ers of the co$$unit' carr' the oi#s and present the$ at the entrance rite of the Mass. This ritua# high#ights the oi#s as part of the who#e "ascha# ce#e ration since these oi#s wi## e used for the initiation of the catechu$ens of the church for the ce#e ration of !aster *igi# So$e co$$unities as+ the catechu$ens to ring the )hris$ and the oi# for the sic+ ' peop#e who are sic+. This eco$es a catechesis in itse#f as the oi#s are we#co$e ' the co$$unit' to he#p the$ in the various i$portant occasions of their )hristian ,ourne' either in consecrating or in strengthening. The oi#s are then p#aced in the -$ r'( a decent p#ace near the aptister'( so that its #ocation is est seen as re#ated to the initiation of the $e$ ers of the )hristian co$$unit'. One finds the rite for the reception of the %o#' Oi#s in the supp#e$ent to the .o$an Missa#. The Reposition of the Blessed Sacrament -#read' in the seventh centur'( the /#essed Sacra$ent was reserved overnight on %o#' Thursda' for the co$$union on Good 0rida'1 this practice is $entioned oth in the Ge#asian Sacra$entar' and #ater in the eight2centur' .o$an Ordo 3. %owever( these sources refer to the practice in on#' the riefest of ter$s1 the Ge#asian Sacra$entar' $ere#' sa's4 They communicate and reserve of this sacrifice until the morrow; and thence let them communicate. -nd on Good 0rida'4 the deacons go into the sacristy. They proceed with the body and blood of the Lord which remained the day before, and place it upon the altar.

The ru rics in the .o$an Ordo 3 provide no additiona# infor$ation in this regard1 ut an eight2centur' appendi& to this Ordo( of Ga##ican provenance( spea+s of an esta #ished custo$ eing fo##owed4 Mass being finished they communicate in the appointed order, and reserve of the Sancta until the morrow according to custom. 0ro$ the )o$$entarius of the .o$an Ordines we read a passage fro$ the %o#' Thursda' reservation rite 56007 Let it (the ucharist! be carried with veneration by the priest and deacon with other ministers holding a white cloth over it. "nd let this be done without the (precious! #lood, and with thurible and light preceding, until it is in the place of repose; and never let it be without light. 3n .o$e a for$a# procession is first $entioned during the thirteenth centur'4 .o$an Ordo 80 specifies that efore the end of the %o#' Thursda' Mass the ho#' !ucharist( enc#osed in a p'&( is carried fro$ the a#tar ' the ,unior cardina# priest to 9the p#ace prepared(: with a cross and #ights orne efore hi$ and a canop' over hi$. During the Midd#e -ges this procession eca$e increasing#' e#a orate. The .o$an Ordo 8; 5ear#' fifteenth centur'7 the c#eric who carries the !ucharist in the procession is no #onger a #esser assistant priest or deacon as in ear#ier .o$an docu$ents1 instead( the ce#e rant( in this case the pope hi$se#f( perfor$s the office. -nother #iturgica# docu$ent( the )ere$onia#e sanctae ro$anae !cc#esiae 58;867 #ists an e&tensive retinue of participants in the papa# !ucharistic procession1 it a#so specifies the singing of the "ange Lingua on the wa' to the p#ace of reposition( a tradition that has re$ained in the #iturgica# oo+ to the present da'. /' the ear#' seventeenth centur' the procession reached its fu##est stage of deve#op$ent1 in the $oman Missal of 860< the !ucharistic procession is descri ed in considera #e detai#. The recent #iturgica# refor$s of the 89;0s and 8960s have hard#' a#tered the %o#' Thursda' procession in the .o$an .ite fro$ what it was in the $oman Missal 860<. The on#' nota #e differences regard was the canop' and the vesse# in which the Sacra$ent is carried. - canop' is no #onger specified for the procession in the ru rics of the current $oman Missal of "ope "au# *3 589=07. -nd with the reinstitution of a genera# )o$$union on Good 0rida' in 89;;( it has eco$e necessar' to use a ci oriu$ rather than a cha#ice for conve'ing the %o#' !ucharist to the repositor'. The 3nstruction on the "ascha# )e#e rations te##s us that the procession of /#essed Sacra$ent this evening is to repose and transfer the /#essed Sacra$ent to e the co$$union of the faithfu# in the ne&t da's ce#e ration of the Good 0rida'. This #iturgica# rite desires to e$phasi>e the intrinsic connection of the !vening Mass of the Lords Supper Mass and the ce#e ration of Good 0rida' as essentia##' united ecause the' e&press the rea#it' of the sacrifice of cross on the cross. The Lords Supper Mass as the sacra$enta#i>ation of the great sacrifice of cross on )a#var'. The procession( again( is a powerfu# e&pression of the faithfu#s desire and co$$it$ent to fo##ow the Master in the $'ster' which has een ce#e rated. This e&presses in sign their faith and reso#ve to fo##ow the Lord in the act of se#f sacrifice

and %e #eads us in to the greatest $anifestation of Gods #ove in the sacrifice of )a#var'. The one sacrifice which saves us a## eco$es the reason for the sacrifice of each of the fo##ower of )hrist to unite their sacrifices and in the sacrifice of )hrist find their rede$ptive power. ?! fo##ow )hrist in the !ucharistic procession as if ringing with us a## that which can $a+e us one with )hrist. "ope /enedict a#so gives us a ref#ection that can deepen our understanding of this rite of transfer of the /#essed Sacra$ent4 9-t the end of the #iturg' of %o#' Thursda' the )hurch i$itates @esus ,ourne'( carr'ing the /#essed Sacra$ent out of the ta ernac#e to a side chape# to present the #one#iness of Getse$ane( the #one#iness of @esus $orta# anguish. The faithfu# pra' in the chape#( wanting to fo##ow @esus in the pra'er of his #one#iness so that it ceases to e #one#iness. This wa' of %o#' Thursda' shou#d not re$ain a $ere gesture and #iturgica# sign( it shou#d a#wa's e accounted for us as entering into his #one#iness( see+ing hi$ a#wa's( despised( derided( there where he is a#one( where peop#e do not want to +now hi$( and to e with hi$. This #iturgica# ,ourne' is for us an e&hortation to see+ hi$ in so#itude of pra'er. /ut a#so it invites us to see+ hi$ in those who are #one#'( those no od' cares a out( and to watch with hi$( and in the $idst of the dar+ness to renew with hi$ the #ight of #ife( which he is. 3t is his ,ourne' which has $ade the new da' rise in this wor#d( the #ife of the .esurrection which +nows no night. 3n the )hristian faith we o tain this pro$ise.: 5pp9629=( 9@ourne' Towards !aster:7