HOLY THURSDAY: CHRISM AND "CENA DOMINI" MASSES

VATICAN CITY, APR 12, 2001 (VIS) - At 9:30 this morning, Holy Thursday, John Paul II presided in the Vatican Basilica over the concelebration of the Chrism Mass, during which priestly vows were renewed and the oils used for catechumens, to anoint the sick, and for confirmation were blessed.

In his homily the Pope affirmed that the renewal of priestly vows "is a rite which acquires full value and significance as an expression of the journey of sanctity, to which the Lord has called us on the path of the priesthood. It is a journey which each makes in a very personal way, seen by God alone, Who searches and knows hearts. Nevertheless, in today's liturgy, the Church offers us the consoling opportunity to join together, and to sustain one another."

"This fraternal solidarity," the Holy Father continued, "cannot but become a concrete commitment to carry one another's burdens in the ordinary circumstances of life and ministry. If it is true, in fact, that no one can become holy in another's place, it is likewise true that each can and must become so with and for others, after the model of Christ."

At 5:30 p.m. in the basilica of St. John Lateran, John Paul II presided over the concelebration of the Mass "in cena Domini" or the Lord's Supper. During the liturgy, the Holy Father washed the feet of twelve priests, and at the presentation of the gifts received an offering for the earthquake victims in El Salvador.

The Pope affirmed that the Eucharist "is not simply the memorial of a past rite but the living representation of the Savior's supreme gesture." It is "the sacramental presence of the sacrificed body and the spilt blood of the new Lamb! In the Eucharist salvation and love are offered to all mankind. How could we not be fascinated by this mystery?".

With the washing of the feet, "Jesus reminds His disciples in every age that they must bear witness to the Eucharist in loving service to others. ... The washing of the feet is intended to be an exemplary act, which in Christ's death on the Cross and in His Resurrection has its interpretative key and fullest explanation. ... Genuine participation in the Mass cannot but produce fraternal love in the individual believer and in the whole ecclesial community."

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