HOLY THURSDAY - COENA DOMINI

In the Gospel we read that "Jesus sent Peter and John, saying: “Go and prepare for us to eat the Passover”. “Where do You want us to prepare it?” they asked. He answered: “When you enter the city, a man carrying a jug of water will meet you. Follow him to the house he enters, and say to the owner of that house: ‘The Teacher asks: “Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’. And he will show you a large, furnished upper room. Make the preparations there”. So they went and found it just as Jesus had told them. And they prepared the Passover" (Lk, 22,8-13).

But the apostles were not alone. It is not possible that Peter and John, alone and in a short time, bought the lamb, cleaned and cooked it, prepared the unleavened breads and the bitter herbs. They did all this together with Our Lady and the pious women. You know that Our Lady has always been close to Jesus during all his public life, in bilocation or physically, without ever abandoning him. At the beginning of the eighth chapter, Luke says that the twelve, Mary Magdalene, Johanna and Susan, who had been freed from the devil and infirmities, were with Jesus, but also other women, who are not named, served Jesus and the apostles offering their belongings. These women, together with Our Lady, have always accompanied Jesus during his travels, so it was an entire group that moved. The apostles could not think of provisions, food, finding places to sleep; their sisters and especially the mother of Jesus provided for all this. Our Lady and the pious women, together with the apostles, prepared everything in the best way. We can define Our Lady a cook, but also an attendant because she cleaned and decorated. Imagine how lovingly Mary prepared the room to celebrate Easter because, besides Jesus, only she knew what it would have served and only she knew what her Son would have done; in fact, she was aware that Jesus was by the end of his life and would have faced capture, passion and death. Joy and suffering alternated in her heart, but she did not report anything to her companions, she prayed and was happy that the fruit of her work could serve for the solemn Mass that Jesus would have celebrated.

When Jesus arrived, he was welcomed by his mother and other women, who, even if invited by Our Lady, for confidentiality and discretion, gathered in an adjoining room to leave Jesus the opportunity to speak again with the apostles. The Lord did not only say what is told in the Gospel, but certainly also that he would have celebrated the Eucharist, that great mystery, that great sacrament of which he had spoken to them many times previously and communicated to them words that have certainly set them on fire. As the moment of the institution of the Eucharist approached, could not Jesus have the Mother of the Eucharist near him? He called and made her sit next to him. Jesus the Eucharist, Jesus the priest, Jesus victim in the same person, had Mary at his side who, together with the others, received the Eucharist. The love of Our Lady is always surprising: in fact, she did not forget the pious women and said to her Son: "Jesus, my sisters would also be happy to receive you" and Jesus also allowed your ancestors to be present and receive the great sacrament of the Eucharist. At that time, for the first time, the Church was there around the Eucharist in its multiple realities of ministers, since the priests and bishops were present, having been ordained by Jesus, and lay people, represented by you. But we can go further and ask ourselves who encouraged the apostles to celebrate the Holy Mass. It was the Mother of the Eucharist who invited them to repeat Jesus' gesture, because on the night of Holy Thursday the great passion began and the Lord was killed; even if Jesus has risen and has sometimes manifested himself to the apostles, a continuous and persevering presence has been that of Mary who, in addition to being a mother, as we love to call her, is also a teacher and was mother and teacher of the first bishops, of the apostles and first priests.