In this special episode of the podcast Echoes of Hippo, Friar Enrique Eguiarte, OAREnrique Eguiarte, OAR, takes us to the city of Hippo to relive Holy Thursday in the time of St. Augustine. Beyond the rites, this day becomes a profound catechesis on the passion, baptism and the centrality of the Eucharist as a bond of unity. A reflection to enter the Easter Triduum with the eyes and heart of the first Christians.
A Holy Thursday with an Augustinian flavor
In the North African city of Hippo, Holy Thursday had a profound spiritual and pastoral resonance. St. Augustine, bishop and doctor of the Church, initiated Holy Week with a catechesis on Wednesday afternoon.Augustine, bishop and doctor of the Church, initiated Holy Week with a catechesis on Wednesday evening, centered on Psalm 21, a text that for him condensed the passion of Christ. This gesture not only prepared the community for the Easter Triduum, but also enlivened the faith of the catechumens who were preparing for baptism.
Preparing body and soul for Baptism
In a gesture that contrasts with our current customs, catechumens were allowed to go to the baths on Holy Thursday on Holy Thursday, as a way of preparing the body for the sacrament of baptism. St. Augustine, sensitive to the concrete realities of his time, adapted the celebration of the Mass at two momentsin the morning for those who had to attend the baths and could not combine it with fasting; in the evening, for those who had experienced it.
This detail reveals Augustine’s pastoral spirit: flexible, close and deeply human.
The Eucharist: the heart of the Christian life
For St. Augustine, the Eucharist was the center of the Christian community.. Unlike other dioceses where it was celebrated only two or three times a week, in Hippo Mass was celebrated every day. In his Eucharistic catecheses, Augustine reminded the newly baptized that. “on the table of the Lord is what you are”: the body of Christ.the body of Christ.
“on the table of the Lord is what you are.”
This affirmation is not only theological, it is existential: the Christian not only receives the Eucharist, he becomes the Eucharist.. Whoever participates in the body of Christ is called to live in holiness, unity and charity.
Unity and charity: signs of true communion
One of Augustine’s most insistent themes was the unity of the body of Christ. unity of the body of Christ. Just as bread is made from many grains ground, kneaded with water and baked in the fire, so too are believers: ground by penance, purified in baptism, and kindled by the Spirit ..
Whoever breaks unity, Augustine warns, cannot truly participate in the Eucharist. The Mass is not only a liturgical act: it is a visible sign of a Church united in love. Church united in love.
Holy Thursday in Hippo was not simply a date in the liturgical calendar. It was a time to recognize the identity of the Christian as a living part of the body of Christ. St. Augustine reminds us that the Eucharist is not received with the lips alone, but with one’s whole life….. And that to enter the Easter Triduum is to renew our covenant with God, with the Church and with charity.
Listen to this full episode of Echoes of Hippo on your favorite platforms and be inspired by the wisdom of St. Augustine be inspired by the wisdom of St. Augustine on this journey on this journey towards Easter.