When the hour came, he took his place at table with the apostles. He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, for, I tell you, I shall not eat it again until there is fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and said, “Take this and share it among yourselves; for I tell you that from this time on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which will given for you; do this in memory of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you.”

Luke 22:14-20

When Jesus sat down with His apostles at the Last Supper, it was a thanksgiving meal. The Jewish people had, since the time of Moses, celebrated the Passover in gratitude for what God had done for them in freeing them from the chains of slavery in Egypt.

Now Jesus sat down with His closest friends, His inner circle, to celebrate and give thanks to God. Only this time, Jesus introduced a radical change to the meal. Rather than a meal that celebrated what God had done for His people in freeing them from slavery in Egypt, Jesus turned the meal into one of thanksgiving for what He was about to do to free all people from the chains of sin. Rather than celebrate this meal in remembrance of what God had done for them in Egypt, Jesus instructed the apostles to do this “in memory of me.”

Every Eucharist is a meal of thanksgiving. We give thanks to God for the sacrifice of Jesus that is our salvation. At every Mass, the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ – His life, passion, death, resurrection, and ascension – is made present on the altar so that those gathered may participate in the one sacrifice, joining our own sufferings, such as they are, with those of Christ. In this way, our own sufferings, such as they are, united to those of Christ, are efficacious for the salvation of the world.

What a glorious gift God has given us in empowering us to join our sufferings with Christ for the salvation of the world. Let us give thanks for this great gift, and for all gifts God has given us on this day and every day. Glory to God in the highest!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Be Christ for all. Bring Christ to all. See Christ in all.