Tonight there is no usual end to the Mass. The priest and those serving will process to a side chapel or altar and leave the Blessed Sacrament instead returning it to the tabernacle. The liturgy will end in silence, without the priest giving a blessing. Tomorrow he will come in in silence and prostrate himself in the sanctuary and then he will begin the liturgy without the usual… At the end, without the priest giving a blessing, we will leave in silence. On Saturday, again, the Mass is not celebrated anywhere in the world. Over the next 3 days we are called to walk the whole awfulness of the story with Jesus, reacting in similar ways to the disciples and Mary. On this holy night the Church invites us to be present and close to Jesus for this one service that will last three days.
The liturgy this evening is full of symbols. The Lord has many messages for us, His disciples, as Jesus gets up from the table and washes the feet of those He calls friends. Jesus is trying to teach us, how to truly be Christian. He has given us an example so that we may copy what He has done for us.
As Jesus gave us this command to wash feet, how we are nowadays to interpret this? We are called to build the God’s kingdom through acts of generosity, kindness, simplicity. As we go to the altar of repose this evening, let us spend some time in prayer considering how we can best serve our neighbor, how can we show our love and concern, not only for our family members and friends, but more widely as Jesus.