Though every mass is a celebration of the precious gift that is the most holy body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, today the Church commemorates this in a special way. The gospel is St. Mark’s Last Supper narrative. Jesus gives himself entirely through the bread and wine which were his body and blood, much in the same way that he would later give his body and blood on the cross.
But before the events of Calvary took place, “they went out to the Mount of Olives.” There, Jesus prayed in agony and distress, aware of the suffering and death that was to come. Even after willing to give himself entirely in the Last Supper, Jesus was troubled at the prospect of the cross. But through prayer, through communion with the Father, Jesus finds the strength to continue his saving mission.
We, too, may willfully give ourselves to a relationship, a vocation, a cause, but balk at the crosses that can often come with them. On a day like this, it is good to remember that before us came Jesus, who surrendered to the Father’s will, earning for us the gift of salvation and leaving us the gift that strengthens us to do the same, his most holy body and blood.