Church of the
Annunciation

What did Jesus do at the Last Supper? We learn in the Gospels according to Mark, Matthew and Luke that Jesus took bread, blessed it, and gave it to his disciples saying: “This is my Body.” He took wine, blessed it, and gave the cup to his disciples saying: “This is my blood.”  When we turn to the Gospel according to John there is no explicit mention of the institution of the Eucharist. At the last supper, Jesus gives the disciples a new commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you.” Then he takes a basin, towel and water and washes the feet of his disciples. He sets an example. The new commandment of love and the example of service are keys to unlocking the deeper meaning of the Eucharist. After Mass today we invite parishioners to sign up and spend a holy hour of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament on the 1^st and 3^rd Friday of the month. Pope John Paul II in his Encyclical on the Eucharist says Adoration apart from Mass is “a sign of our gratitude, an expression of our love and an acknowledgment of the presence of the Lord.” Center yourself before the Lord.