Chronicle Reporter, Bhopal, The Christians and Catholics all over Bhopal diocese celebrated the great mystery of Jesus’ love for all humanity as He established the Eucharist, service and Priesthood in the Last Supper with his disciples before his death.
At the Last Supper, Jesus took the bread in his hand and having given thanks he broke the bread and gave to his disciples and asked them to do it memory of Him. Similarly, He interpreted the cup of wine as his blood and asked his disciples to do it in his memory.
Jesus also rose from His seat and tied a towel around Himself pouring water into a basin and washed the feet of his disciples and asked them to love and serve the humanity without any condition. From this moment the Christians have taken the Last Supper as a celebration of Holy Mass/ Eucharist to be celebrated every day for the people and for the whole world.
Archbishop Leo Cornelio washing the feet of twelve poor’s of the society in Jehangirabad yesterday said in his message that – Genuine service is love. To love is to grow into our full human, Christian stature. The opposite is decay and death. To serve is not merely a noble act, a fulfilling duty, but it alone brings us genuine joy, he added. Joy doesn’t consist in being served or in receiving gifts but in serving, in forgetting oneself, in being drawn into the lives and sufferings of others, he said.
Fr. Maria Stephen, the PRO congratulated all the priests, religious, Pastors and lay Christians for their excellent, dedicated and committed service to the humanity through the ministry of education, healing, justice and social work. Archdiocese of Bhopal has 7 Pastoral animation centre, 20 Formation Houses, 5 special schools, 13 Hostels, 5 Social Service Centre, 5 Dispensaries, 5 Communication Centre, 3 Hospices, 5 Professional Institutions, 49 Schools and 2 Colleges only to serve the humanity he claimed.
There are also different established Commissions in the diocese to uplift children, youth, women and the marginalized, he added. Good Friday will be observed with fasting and penance while Easter Sunday will be celebrated as the victory over evil by blessing of the new fire and water with the renewal of baptismal promises in the late night.
The institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper was remembered in all the Churches of the diocese on Thursday 18th April’19. A special collection for the poor was taken up. The Holy Thursday liturgy did not end with “Go in peace” but it resumed the next day in silence, for Good Friday and Easter with prolonged night and day adoration, praying for the people and the nation.