On this most solemn Feria Quinta in Coena Domini, Holy Thursday, the Church turns her gaze to the Upper Room, to the Last Supper of Our Lord Jesus Christ with His Apostles. The texts for this day, especially 1 Corinthians 11:20–32 and John 13:1–15, draw us into the mystery of divine condescension—where charity, humility, and sacrament converge.
Let us contemplate these Scriptures with the mind of the Church, illuminated by the wisdom of the Fathers, and disposed to receive the lessons taught at the very feet of the Divine Master.
1 Corinthians 11:20–32 — “Let a man examine himself…”
In this passage, St. Paul rebukes the Corinthian Church for its irreverence and division, especially during the celebration of the Eucharist. What should be a feast of unity in the Body of Christ has become an occasion for self-indulgence and contempt for the poor.
“When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord’s supper.” (1 Cor 11:20)
The Apostle underscores that the Eucharist is not a mere communal meal—it is the Dominica Coena, the Lord’s Supper. To receive It unworthily is not merely bad etiquette; it is to profane the very Body and Blood of the Lord.
St. John Chrysostom, in his Homilies on First Corinthians, says:
“He that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself. This is why many among you are weak and sickly. For the mysteries are a medicine, and when taken unworthily, they turn to one’s own destruction.” (Hom. 27 on 1 Cor.)
The Sacrament is not diminished by the unworthiness of the communicant, but rather, the unworthy one incurs judgment upon himself. Thus, Holy Thursday demands from us a renewal of Eucharistic reverence. We are reminded that the Sacrament is both gift and call—a call to conversion, unity, and charity.
St. Augustine remarks:
“He who eats the Bread without the Spirit eats judgment. Let him eat inwardly, that he may not be cast out outwardly.” (Tractate 26 on John)
Hence, we are exhorted: Let a man examine himself (1 Cor 11:28). This examination is not merely a routine—rather, it is a heartfelt contrition, a turning of the soul to Christ crucified, whom we receive under the sacred species.
John 13:1–15 — “He rose from supper, and laid aside His garments…”
In the Gospel, St. John draws back the veil from the Last Supper to reveal an act of stunning humility: the washing of the Apostles’ feet. Jesus Christ, true God and true man, stoops before His creatures and performs the labor of a servant.
“If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.” (John 13:14)
This is not mere instruction in good manners. It is the institution of a new way of being—the humilitas Christi, the humility of Christ, which must be the very soul of the Christian life.
St. Gregory the Great, in his Homilies on the Gospels, comments:
“He who is the Bread of Life and washes the feet of His disciples shows us that we must not disdain even the lowliest acts of charity. In doing so, He left us an example, so that the pride of no man might claim exemption from service.”
Here, the Eucharist and service are united. The Lord gives Himself in the Bread of Life, and He gives Himself in humble service. One without the other is incomplete. To adore Christ in the Host but ignore Him in the poor, the lowly, or the brethren, is to repeat the very sin Paul condemned in Corinth.
Origen, in his Commentary on John, saw in the foot-washing a figure of the daily need for purification, even among those already baptized:
“The feet symbolize our contact with the world. Though washed once in baptism, the dust of daily life clings, and we need the washing of grace and mercy constantly.”
A Night of Institution, Humility, and Love
Holy Thursday commemorates not only the institution of the Eucharist but also of the Sacred Priesthood. Both are visible in these readings. In the act of consecration and in the act of service, the priest is configured to Christ: as Offerer and as Servant.
Let us, then, imitate the humble Lord. Let us approach the altar with reverence and love, cleansed by confession and renewed in charity. Let us serve one another—not merely in word, but in action, especially in those acts which go unnoticed, unthanked, and unpraised.
In this sacred Triduum, we are invited to keep watch with Christ. And we begin by kneeling at His feet, and letting Him kneel at ours.
Suggested Prayer for Holy Thursday:
Lord Jesus Christ, true Priest and spotless Victim, who on the night before Thy Passion didst humble Thyself to wash the feet of Thy disciples and to feed them with Thy Sacred Body and Blood: grant us the grace to receive Thee worthily, to imitate Thee humbly, and to serve Thee in all Thy members. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.