Holy Thursday (2026) - Fr Matthew Boland, OP

In tonight’s Gospel, which is taken from John, and in our liturgy tonight, we join Jesus and the Apostles at the Last Supper. We know from the other Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, that the Lord also instituted the Eucharist at this meal. This act anticipated his Passion, where he, the perfect priest, offered himself, the perfect victim, on the altar of the cross, for the forgiveness of sins. It is this one perfect sacrifice which is re-presented at each and every Mass.

Thus, there is a strong emphasis in this passage on the priesthood of Christ, and the share in this priesthood which he bestowed upon the Apostles. We call this the ministerial priesthood, whereby the successors of the Apostles, the bishops, and their helpers, priests, re-present this sacrifice of Calvary in the Mass. However, while the ministerial priesthood has a special character, we should also remember that we are all baptised into the priesthood of Christ. Thus, what Jesus teaches us about priesthood applies in its proper way to each of our lives.

To reflect upon the nature of priesthood, I’d like to focus on one phrase we heard tonight: that the Father put everything into the hands of Jesus. What can we learn from this image of Jesus’s hands? As we know, the hands are an extension not only of the body, but also of the soul. We could even say that the hands reveal a person. How did Jesus use his hands? And what can this teach us about his priestly character?

Perhaps the first way which comes to mind is that of Jesus using his hands to wash the feet of his disciples. Immediately evident in this image are the aspects of humility and service. To wash someone’s feet, you have to get down on your knees and almost bow before the person. By this example, Jesus calls us to treat one another in this same way, that is, to serve one another in humility.

The second image we have of Jesus’s hands at the Last Supper is in his breaking and distribution of the bread. By this we can understand the generosity of the priestly character. Jesus gives away what he has. This generosity, however, goes beyond his possessions. He doesn’t just give away bread—he gives away himself. It is not until we give ourselves away, for example, to our families, to our ministries, to our contemplation and worship of God, that we truly find ourselves. As Jesus says elsewhere in the Gospel, “The one who loses his life for my sake, will find it.” This is the law of Christian generosity. When we give ourselves away, we don’t lose ourselves; in fact, we find ourselves, and others find us too. In this way, God’s gifts are multiplied without being divided.

The final image takes us back to the phrase we are meditating on tonight, that the Father put all things into the hands of Jesus. If we think about it, symbolically speaking, the Father could only put all things into Jesus’s hands if his hands were open to receive them. There is a generosity in giving, as we have reflected upon; but, perhaps more profoundly, we can speak of a generosity in receiving. There is also a radical trust. Within that ‘all things’ which the Father gives to Jesus are very many good things; but there are also many difficult things, including the path he will walk on Good Friday, which we will commemorate tomorrow. By opening our hands to the Father, as Jesus teaches us to do, we open ourselves up to the path he wants us to walk, and to all the joys and sufferings that entails. This requires a radical openness, trust, and generosity of spirit, which we find exemplified in our Lord.

Brothers and sisters, as we walk with Jesus over these days of the Triduum, let us learn from him, who is meek and humble in heart. He teaches us to serve one another, to be generous, and to surrender to the Father’s will. If we do this, he will give us all things. Yes, some of these things will be difficult. But among those things is the gift of himself. In him, we will have the strength to overcome all obstacles, and, then, one day, he will receive us into eternal life.

Fr Matthew Boland, OP is the Master of Students, assigned to St Dominic's Priory, Melbourne.