On the Institution of the Eucharist

(I'm glad this is my last rosary post. I'm looking forward to shedding my felt need to catch up before I can speak what's on my mind. There are at least two less-theological topics mulling around in my brain!)

For a lover of the Eucharistic Liturgy like myself, meditating upon this mystery has the potential to be a very long post indeed. But I don't think it will be.

At last night's Mass of the Lord's Supper, I was meditating upon the priesthood and the Eucharist. And I realized how very inextricable they are. The priesthood is to the Eucharist as the proverbial chicken is to the egg: Which comes first? How can you separate them? They absolutely depend upon one another!

It was pointed out to me once that Jesus' washing of His apostles' feet was a ritual action, one that was done by the servants, but also a practical one (with open-toed shoes in those deserts? Their feet must have been filthy!). When Jesus comes to Peter, he objects at first, but then says "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!" (Jn 13:9). Missing puzzle piece: The feet, hands, and head were all ceremonially washed at the Jewish ordination liturgy. Though Our Lord moved on, because that was not the focus of the evening's events, Peter understood that they were truly priests then.

I love being Catholic. St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles, pray for us.