Today many Christians remember the last night in Jesus’ life. If you or I discover our life is about to end, you can bet the things that really matter come to the forefront, just as they did for our Lord.

Love, forgiveness, family, compassion, companionship, joy, peace, beauty, grace – you could add to the list. And all of the things that the world considers important – wealth, celebrity, social status, material possessions, power – shrink to irrelevance. They are measured in the light of eternity and found wanting. The things that so many devote a lifetime to obtaining simply can not satisfy the innate longing for meaning and purpose and the transcendent that reside in the human heart and soul. I once lived in Mother Teresa’s home for the dying (people with AIDS in Washington, DC) and had the privilege of being with many men and women as they approached death. I learned a great deal from them as they, like Jesus, faced certain death.

It is worth reading today St. John’s Gospel, Chapter 13. Jesus’ words at the Last Supper take on tremendous significance because they constitute his “last will and testament." We know this because this chapter begins, “Jesus realized that the hour had come for him to pass from this world to the Father…He had loved his own in this world, and would show his love for them to the end.” And so Jesus knew he was soon to expire in agony on the cross yet his desire in his last hours was to dramatically demonstrate his love for his beloved.

Saint John, the disciple who rested on the Sacred Heart at this last meal with the Master, made a point of expressing that Jesus was fully aware of what was going on in his life: “Jesus – fully aware that he had come from God and was going to God, the Father who had handed everything over to him.” Jesus knew he was about to die and his thoughts turned to the elemental truths: He had come from God and was going home to God.

Today it is fair to ask ourselves: are we fully aware that we have come from God and are on our journey back to God? I know that you are in your late teens or early twenties, but the question is relevant for you and people of all ages. That is why you who are Catholic received ashes on your forehead on Ash Wednesday – the Church doesn’t exempt people who are young and in good health, she reminds us all that our days are numbered. So the question reverts: Do we fully appreciate the divine orientation of our life – that we are made in the image and likeness of God? Do we fully embrace this great inheritance, this blessed birthright of ours? Do we recognize in our daily life all that has been “handed over” to us?

For you students who are Catholic, tonight we celebrate the institution of the priesthood and the Holy Eucharist. How blessed we are to have had our priests and the Holy Eucharist “handed over” to us. Mother Teresa had the practice of putting a sign in the sacristy where the priest vested before Mass that said, “Priest of God, Celebrate this Mass as if it is your first Mass, last Mass, and only Mass.” That is very good advice for us when we approach the altar on Easter Sunday: to receive Holy Communion as if it were our first, last and only opportunity to receive what is being handed over to us from the Church, through the priest and the men and women who are the Eucharist’s ministers. And if you have been away from the Eucharist, the Church during these holy days invites you to come home.

Saint John’s Gospel tells of how Jesus linked the institution of the Holy Eucharist to the humble service of others. Jesus “rose from the meal…and began to wash his disciples’ feet.” It must have freaked the disciples out to see the man of miracles on his knees washing their feet – indeed, St. Peter couldn’t bear the thought and at first refused to allow Jesus to perform the work of a servant. But Jesus was “handing over” a great lesson to all of us that fulfillment in life comes through a life lived for others.

With great tenderness and poignancy, Jesus then said, “My children, I am not to be with you much longer…I give you a new commandment: Love one another.”

I write this blog as I look outside and see what looks like the beginning of a “White Easter.” We are getting a rare mid-April snow fall (global chilling?) and it is beautiful, and very different from those of winter because the snow is falling on the early flowers and little buds on the tree that herald spring. I can just hear Bing Crosby in heaven singing, “I’m dreaming of a White Easter.” (Ask your parents who Bing Crosby is, ok?) Anyway, to watch the snow flakes falling right now is to be reminded of how the Eucharist is showered upon the world, like manna during the time of Moses, upon the just and unjust and upon sinners like us. Those who worthily and frequently receive the Eucharist have an “accumulation” effect – they become more loving; they serve others; they sacrifice cheerfully; they live life more fully; and they become more Christ-like until God calls them home.

On this holy day, deepen your desire for the Bread from Heaven that falls upon us like snow. May we be willing like the disciples to receive it and to abide by the new commandment to love one another. And remember to pray for our priests, particularly those in our Benedictine community beginning with Archabbot Douglas, who are following in the footsteps of the Master. Happy Holy Thursday!