Reflection on Holy Thursday

Throughout the Lenten season, we have witnessed, at the Liturgy of the Pre-sanctified, the reverent and divine adoration that the priest offers to Christ in the Eucharist: with fear he prostrates himself before the Lamb; with dread he escorts our God from the place of oblation to the throne of the altar; with trembling he touches the Holy One beneath the veil. The whole congregation greets the entrance of the Almighty with prostrate silence. And now today we celebrate the origin of this precious Gift: the self-offering of the God-man Jesus Christ, both Gift and Giver. Our Lord, who offers his very Body and Blood to us in the Eucharist, cries out: “Taste and see that I am good!” (Matins Canon, Ode One).