HOLY THURSDAY: CHRISM MASS AND THE LORD'S SUPPER

VATICAN CITY, APR 1, 1999 (VIS) - At 9:30 a.m. today, John Paul II presided at the Chrism Mass in St. Peter's Basilica, during which the commitment to priestly service was renewed, the oil for the anointing of the sick, of catechumens and chrism were blessed.

In his homily, the Pope said that Holy Thursday "is the day in which we especially recall the priesthood which Christ instituted at the Last Supper, uniting it indissolubly with the Eucharistic sacrifice."

Christ, he continued, "has made us partakers in his unique priesthood, so that all altars throughout the world and in all periods in history could represent the bloody and unique sacrifice of Calvary. Holy Thursday is the great feast of priests."

"We serve Christ so that his unique priesthood might always live and work in the Church for the good of the faithful. We serve the Christian people, our brothers and sisters, that through our sacramental ministry, they might partake ever more fully in Christ's redemption."

At 5:30 p.m., John Paul II presided in St. Peter's Basilica at the concelebration of the Lord's Supper. During the liturgy, he washed the feet of twelve priests, and during the offertory, received a donation which will go to victims of the earthquake in the Colombian dioceses of Armenia and Pereira.

"The Church," said the Pontiff in the homily, "lives on the Eucharist. ... As a sacramental renewal of the sacrifice of the Cross, it is the summit of the work of redemption. (The redeeming work) proclaims and makes that Mystery present today, which is a source of life for every person."

John Paul II recalled that after the consecration, "the priest proclaims 'Mysterium fidei!' ... Yes, today we particularly understand that the 'mystery of the faith' is truly great, and the simplicity of the Eucharistic symbols - the bread, wine, altar, and fraternal banquet - ever more exalt its depth."

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