Holy Thursday
Chrism Mass
Chrism Mass
Lectionary: 260
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me;
He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly,
to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
and release to the prisoners,
To announce a year of favor from the LORD
and a day of vindication by our God,
to comfort all who mourn;
To place on those who mourn in Zion
a diadem instead of ashes,
To give them oil of gladness in place of mourning,
a glorious mantle instead of a listless spirit.
You yourselves shall be named priests of the LORD,
ministers of our God shall you be called.
I will give them their recompense faithfully,
a lasting covenant I will make with them.
Their descendants shall be renowned among the nations,
and their offspring among the peoples;
All who see them shall acknowledge them
as a race the LORD has blessed.
because the LORD has anointed me;
He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly,
to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
and release to the prisoners,
To announce a year of favor from the LORD
and a day of vindication by our God,
to comfort all who mourn;
To place on those who mourn in Zion
a diadem instead of ashes,
To give them oil of gladness in place of mourning,
a glorious mantle instead of a listless spirit.
You yourselves shall be named priests of the LORD,
ministers of our God shall you be called.
I will give them their recompense faithfully,
a lasting covenant I will make with them.
Their descendants shall be renowned among the nations,
and their offspring among the peoples;
All who see them shall acknowledge them
as a race the LORD has blessed.
Responsorial Psalm PS 89:21-22,
25 AND 27
R. (2) For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
“I have found David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have anointed him.
That my hand may always be with him;
and that my arm may make him strong.”
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
“My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him;
and through my name shall his horn be exalted.
He shall say of me, ‘You are my father,
my God, the Rock, my savior!’“
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
“I have found David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have anointed him.
That my hand may always be with him;
and that my arm may make him strong.”
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
“My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him;
and through my name shall his horn be exalted.
He shall say of me, ‘You are my father,
my God, the Rock, my savior!’“
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
Reading 2 RV 1:5-8
[Grace to you and peace] from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful
witness,
the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his Blood,
who has made us into a Kingdom, priests for his God and Father,
to him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.
Behold, he is coming amid the clouds,
and every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him.
All the peoples of the earth will lament him.
Yes. Amen.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God,
“the one who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his Blood,
who has made us into a Kingdom, priests for his God and Father,
to him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.
Behold, he is coming amid the clouds,
and every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him.
All the peoples of the earth will lament him.
Yes. Amen.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God,
“the one who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Gospel LK 4:16-21
Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,
and went according to his custom
into the synagogue on the sabbath day.
He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.
Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,
and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them,
“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
and went according to his custom
into the synagogue on the sabbath day.
He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.
Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,
and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them,
“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Holy Thursday
Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper
Lectionary: 39
Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper
Lectionary: 39
Reading 1EX 12:1-8, 11-14
The LORD said to
Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,
“This month shall stand at the head of your calendar;
you shall reckon it the first month of the year.
Tell the whole community of Israel:
On the tenth of this month every one of your families
must procure for itself a lamb, one apiece for each household.
If a family is too small for a whole lamb,
it shall join the nearest household in procuring one
and shall share in the lamb
in proportion to the number of persons who partake of it.
The lamb must be a year-old male and without blemish.
You may take it from either the sheep or the goats.
You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month,
and then, with the whole assembly of Israel present,
it shall be slaughtered during the evening twilight.
They shall take some of its blood
and apply it to the two doorposts and the lintel
of every house in which they partake of the lamb.
That same night they shall eat its roasted flesh
with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
“This is how you are to eat it:
with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand,
you shall eat like those who are in flight.
It is the Passover of the LORD.
For on this same night I will go through Egypt,
striking down every firstborn of the land, both man and beast,
and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt—I, the LORD!
But the blood will mark the houses where you are.
Seeing the blood, I will pass over you;
thus, when I strike the land of Egypt,
no destructive blow will come upon you.
“This day shall be a memorial feast for you,
which all your generations shall celebrate
with pilgrimage to the LORD, as a perpetual institution.”
“This month shall stand at the head of your calendar;
you shall reckon it the first month of the year.
Tell the whole community of Israel:
On the tenth of this month every one of your families
must procure for itself a lamb, one apiece for each household.
If a family is too small for a whole lamb,
it shall join the nearest household in procuring one
and shall share in the lamb
in proportion to the number of persons who partake of it.
The lamb must be a year-old male and without blemish.
You may take it from either the sheep or the goats.
You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month,
and then, with the whole assembly of Israel present,
it shall be slaughtered during the evening twilight.
They shall take some of its blood
and apply it to the two doorposts and the lintel
of every house in which they partake of the lamb.
That same night they shall eat its roasted flesh
with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
“This is how you are to eat it:
with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand,
you shall eat like those who are in flight.
It is the Passover of the LORD.
For on this same night I will go through Egypt,
striking down every firstborn of the land, both man and beast,
and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt—I, the LORD!
But the blood will mark the houses where you are.
Seeing the blood, I will pass over you;
thus, when I strike the land of Egypt,
no destructive blow will come upon you.
“This day shall be a memorial feast for you,
which all your generations shall celebrate
with pilgrimage to the LORD, as a perpetual institution.”
Responsorial Psalm PS 116:12-13, 15-16BC, 17-18
R/. (cf. 1 Cor
10:16) Our blessing-cup is a communion
with the Blood of Christ.
How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R/. Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
R/. Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people.
R/. Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.
How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R/. Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
R/. Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people.
R/. Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.
Reading 2 1 COR 11:23-26
Brothers and
sisters:
I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you,
that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over,
took bread, and, after he had given thanks,
broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.”
In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying,
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.
I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you,
that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over,
took bread, and, after he had given thanks,
broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.”
In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying,
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.
Gospel JN 13:1-15
Before the feast of
Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come
to pass from this world to the Father.
He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.
The devil had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand him over.
So, during supper,
fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power
and that he had come from God and was returning to God,
he rose from supper and took off his outer garments.
He took a towel and tied it around his waist.
Then he poured water into a basin
and began to wash the disciples’ feet
and dry them with the towel around his waist.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him,
“Master, are you going to wash my feet?”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“What I am doing, you do not understand now,
but you will understand later.”
Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered him,
“Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me.”
Simon Peter said to him,
“Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well.”
Jesus said to him,
“Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed,
for he is clean all over;
so you are clean, but not all.”
For he knew who would betray him;
for this reason, he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
So when he had washed their feet
and put his garments back on and reclined at table again,
he said to them, “Do you realize what I have done for you?
You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am.
If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet,
you ought to wash one another’s feet.
I have given you a model to follow,
so that as I have done for you, you should also do.”
to pass from this world to the Father.
He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.
The devil had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand him over.
So, during supper,
fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power
and that he had come from God and was returning to God,
he rose from supper and took off his outer garments.
He took a towel and tied it around his waist.
Then he poured water into a basin
and began to wash the disciples’ feet
and dry them with the towel around his waist.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him,
“Master, are you going to wash my feet?”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“What I am doing, you do not understand now,
but you will understand later.”
Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered him,
“Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me.”
Simon Peter said to him,
“Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well.”
Jesus said to him,
“Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed,
for he is clean all over;
so you are clean, but not all.”
For he knew who would betray him;
for this reason, he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
So when he had washed their feet
and put his garments back on and reclined at table again,
he said to them, “Do you realize what I have done for you?
You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am.
If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet,
you ought to wash one another’s feet.
I have given you a model to follow,
so that as I have done for you, you should also do.”
Meditation: Jesus'
supreme humility
Does your love
waver when you encounter bitter disappointments and injury from others? As
Jesus' hour of humiliation draws near he reveals to his disciples the supreme
humility which shaped the love he had for them. He stoops to perform a menial
task reserved for servants - the washing of smelly, dirty feet. In stooping to
serve his disciples Jesus knew he would be betrayed by one of them and that the
rest would abandon him through disloyalty. Such knowledge could have easily led
to bitterness or hatred. Jesus met the injury of betrayal and disloyalty with
the greatest humility and supreme love.
Jesus loved his
disciples to the very end, even when they failed him and forsook him. The Lord
loves each of us unconditionally. His love has power to set us free to serve
others with Christ-like compassion and humility. Does the love of Christ rule
in your heart, thoughts, intentions and actions?
Saint Augustine of
Hippo in his sermon for this day, wrote:
"He had the
power of laying down his life; we by contrast cannot choose the length of our
lives, and we die even if it is against our will. He, by dying, destroyed death
in himself; we are freed from death only in his death. His body did not see
corruption; our body will see corruption and only then be clothed through him
in incorruption at the end of the world. He needed no help from us in saving
us; without him we can do nothing. He gave himself to us as the vine to the
branches; apart from him we cannot have life.
Finally, even if
brothers die for brothers, yet no martyr by shedding his blood brings forgiveness
for the sins of his brothers, as Christ brought forgiveness to us. In this he
gave us, not an example to imitate but a reason for rejoicing. Inasmuch, then,
as they shed their blood for their brothers, the martyrs provided "the
same kind of meal" as they had received at the Lord's table. Let us then
love one another as Christ also loved us and gave himself up for us."
"Lord Jesus,
your love conquers all and never fails. Help me to love others freely, with
heart-felt compassion , kindness and goodness. Where there is injury, may I sow
peace rather than strife."
 Come to Serve and not to Be Served |
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Holy Thursday
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Father Alex Yeung, LC
John 13:1-15
Before the feast
of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass from this world to the
Father. He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end. The devil
had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand him over. So,
during supper, fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power
and that he had come from God and was returning to God, he rose from supper
and took off his outer garments. He took a towel and tied it around his
waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples´
feet and dry them with the towel around his waist. He came to Simon Peter,
who said to him, "Master, are you going to wash my feet?" Jesus
answered and said to him, "What I am doing, you do not understand now,
but you will understand later." Peter said to him, "You will never
wash my feet." Jesus answered him, "Unless I wash you, you will
have no inheritance with me." Simon Peter said to him, "Master,
then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well." Jesus said to
him, "Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed, for
he is clean all over; so you are clean, but not all." For he knew who
would betray him; for this reason, he said, "Not all of you are
clean." So when he had washed their feet and put his garments back on
and reclined at table again, he said to them, "Do you realize what I
have done for you? You call me ´teacher´ and ´master,´ and rightly so, for
indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet,
you ought to wash one another´s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so
that as I have done for you, you should also do."
Introductory
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I wish to accompany you closely on the road to
Calvary. If I were to contemplate you more often as you hang scourged
and bloody upon the cross, I’m certain I would be able to rest in your love
and base my actions on that one truth. I know that you have loved me with an
eternal love: you have proven it there on the wood of the cross. So I long to
respond with gratitude, peace and the firm determination to spread your love
to everyone.
Petition: Lord, grant me
the grace of final perseverance in the faith.
1. The Proof of
His Unwavering Love: “Jesus knew that his hour had come
to pass from this world to the Father.” Jesus did not suffer crisis of
identity. Throughout his entire public ministry he showed an awareness of who
he was (the Fathers Anointed One) and what he had come to do (his mission).
He knew the trials that were soon to crush his mortal body. They would be a
means to prove his worth: his love. “He loved his own in the world and he
loved them to the end.” Love endures anything. Love can draw forth good even
from the worst of situations. Love redeems. The very betrayal of his
friendship will let him demonstrate the authenticity of his own friendship:
“There is no greater love than to lay one’s life down for one’s friends.”
2. Acceptance of
Christ’s Love: Jesus has not asked ‘permission’ to be humble and of
service. Peter’s question, “Master, are you going to wash my feet?” does not
come as a request, rather as a resistant acknowledgement of what Jesus is
about to do. Do humility and love need our ‘permission’? The question is: who
is humble enough to receive someone else’s love? Am I humble enough to
receive Jesus’ love for me? Jesus’ humility and charity are purifying in
their effect. In fact, precisely the attitude, “You will never wash my feet,”
needs to be washed away. Only the poor in spirit, the pure of heart, the
childlike enter the Kingdom of heaven: “Unless I wash you, you will have no
inheritance with me.” Let Christ bathe me, then, by his graceful example.
Anything less, I will lose my part with him. Yet if he has bathed me by his
word, then I must only keep my feet clean.
3. The Precious
Lesson: If I am a disciple, I must be careful to learn the lesson. Jesus
asks, “Do you realize what I have done for you?” If anything, the master
could demand that his servant wash his feet, not the other way around. Jesus
is Lord and master, he is the Good Teacher. I am his disciple. Nonetheless,
he has demonstrated his authority not by exacting obedience through exertion
of force, rather by revealing the power of virtue: humility and charity – and
their capacity to teach and persuade. “If I, therefore, the master and
teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another´s feet.” He has
given me a model to follow, so that I go and do likewise. Whose feet am I
meant to wash?
Conversation with
Christ: Lord, continue to bathe me with your word so that I may be
found clean. Grant me the humility and charity to imitate your virtues. I
wish to learn to wash the feet of others, so give me the grace to let down my
defenses and simply reach out to do good, without worrying how others may
react to me.
Resolution: Today I will
humble myself to serve someone in need, especially anyone toward whom I have
negative sentiments.
HOLY
THURSDAY, APRIL 17, JOHN 13:1-15 (MASS OF THE LORD'S SUPPER)
(Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14; Psalm 116; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)  KEY VERSE: "If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet" (v 14). READING: Chapter 13 of John's gospel begins the "Book of Glory" (13:1 - 20:31). Jesus was on the threshold of his saving "hour," and he wanted to demonstrate his love for his disciples, a love he would show them "to the end" (v 1). Although Jesus was "fully aware" that God had put "everything into his power" (v 3), he rose from the table, stripped himself of his outer garments and began to bathe the feet of his disciples, a menial task only required of the lowliest slave. When Peter objected to having his feet washed, Jesus insisted that Peter must receive his love if he wanted to share his heritage. Then he commanded his disciples: "As I have done so you must do" (v 15). The washing of the feet on Holy Thursday is a reminder to all who have been cleansed by the purifying waters of Baptism, to follow Christ's example of humility and service. He teaches the leaders of the Church that their role must be one of service, not of power. REFLECTING: Am I willing to do the humble tasks asked of me today? PRAYING: Lord Jesus, help me to follow your example of loving service. NOTE: Holy Thursday commences the Easter Triduum. Along with Good Friday and Holy Saturday, these three days of prayer constitute the Paschal Mystery, Jesus' passion and death, which culminate in the resurrection on Easter Sunday. Holy Thursday is also known as “Maundy Thursday," from the Latin mandatum, for “command,” the instruction Jesus gave to his disciples at the Last Supper that they should love and serve one another as he did.
MINUTE
MEDITATIONS
Open
Up
Today
offers limitless possibilities for holiness. Lean into His grace. The only
thing keeping us from sainthood is ourselves.
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Our blessing-cup is a communion with the blood of Christ
‘If I have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one
another’s feet.’
The gospel for Holy Thursday confronts us with a powerful image
of servant leadership. In washing the disciples’ feet, Jesus performs an act
reserved for the lowliest of servants and slaves. As a profound symbol of
self-emptying love, the washing of the feet still has the power to shock, as it
did Peter and the other disciples. Reactions to Pope Francis washing the feet
of female and Muslim inmates in a Roman prison is a case in point. It upset
liturgical purists who were more concerned with rubrics than the act of love
which the washing symbolises. Further, the act of washing another’s feet is an
awkward and sometimes messy action. It reminds us that the Gospel is an
uncomfortable and awkward message in a world where people’s worth is measured
in terms of status, power and wealth. In such a world, the humblest of gestures
takes on a whole new meaning.
April
17
St. Benedict Joseph Labre
(d. 1783)
St. Benedict Joseph Labre
(d. 1783)
Benedict Joseph Labre was truly eccentric, one of God's special
little ones. Born in France and the eldest of 18 children, he studied under his
uncle, a parish priest. Because of poor health and a lack of suitable academic
preparation he was unsuccessful in his attempts to enter the religious life.
Then, at 16 years of age, a profound change took place. Benedict lost his
desire to study and gave up all thoughts of the priesthood, much to the
consternation of his relatives.
He became
a pilgrim, traveling from one great shrine to another, living off alms. He wore
the rags of a beggar and shared his food with the poor. Filled with the love of
God and neighbor, Benedict had special devotion to the Blessed Mother and to
the Blessed Sacrament. In Rome, where he lived in the Colosseum for a time, he
was called "the poor man of the Forty Hours Devotion" and "the
beggar of Rome." The people accepted his ragged appearance better than he
did. His excuse to himself was that "our comfort is not in this world."
On the
last day of his life, April 16, 1783, Benedict Joseph dragged himself to a
church in Rome and prayed there for two hours before he collapsed, dying
peacefully in a nearby house. Immediately after his death the people proclaimed
him a saint.
He was
officially proclaimed a saint by Pope Leo XIII at canonization ceremonies in
1883.
Comment:
In a modern inner city, one local character kneels for hours on the sidewalk and prays. Swathed in his entire wardrobe winter and summer, he greets passersby with a blessing. Where he sleeps no one knows, but he is surely a direct spiritual descendant of Benedict, the ragged man who slept in the ruins of Rome’s Colosseum. These days we ascribe such behavior to mental illness; Benedict’s contemporaries called him holy. Holiness is always a bit mad by earthly standards.
In a modern inner city, one local character kneels for hours on the sidewalk and prays. Swathed in his entire wardrobe winter and summer, he greets passersby with a blessing. Where he sleeps no one knows, but he is surely a direct spiritual descendant of Benedict, the ragged man who slept in the ruins of Rome’s Colosseum. These days we ascribe such behavior to mental illness; Benedict’s contemporaries called him holy. Holiness is always a bit mad by earthly standards.
Patron Saint of:
Homeless
Homeless
www,americancatholic.org
LECTIO DIVINA:
HOLY THURSDAY
Lectio:
Thursday, April 17, 2014
John 13,1-15
The Washing of the Feet
1. LECTIO
a) Initial Prayer
“When you speak, Lord, the nothingness beats in life: the
dry bones become living persons, the desert flourishes… When I get ready to
pray I feel dry, I do not know what to say. Evidently, I am not in harmony with
your will, my lips are not in tune with my heart, my heart does not make an
effort to get in tune with yours. Renew my heart, purify my lips so that I can
speak with you as you want me to do it, so that I can speak with others as you
wish, so that I can speak with myself, with my interior world, as you wish”.
(L. Renna).
b) The Reading of the Gospel
1 Before the festival of the Passover, Jesus, knowing that his
hour had come to pass from this world to the Father, having loved those who
were his in the world, loved them to the end. 2 They were at supper, and the
devil had already put it into the mind of Judas Iscariot son of Simon, to
betray him. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put everything into his hands, and
that he had come from God and was returning to God, 4 and he got up from table,
removed his outer garments and, taking a towel, wrapped it round his waist; 5
he then poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to
wipe them with the towel he was wearing. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to
him, 'Lord, are you going to wash my feet?' 7 Jesus answered, 'At the moment
you do not know what I am doing, but later you will understand.' 8 'Never!'
said Peter. 'You shall never wash my feet.' Jesus replied, 'If I do not wash
you, you can have no share with me.' Simon Peter said, 9 'Well then, Lord, not
only my feet, but my hands and my head as well!' 10 Jesus said, 'No one who has
had a bath needs washing, such a person is clean all over. You too are clean,
though not all of you are.' 11 He knew who was going to betray him, and that
was why he said, 'though not all of you are'. 12 When he had washed their feet
and put on his outer garments again he went back to the table. 'Do you
understand', he said, 'what I have done to you? 13 You call me Master and Lord,
and rightly; so I am. 14 If I, then, the Lord and Master, have washed your
feet, you must wash each other's feet. 15 I have given you an example so that
you may copy what I have done to you.
c) Moments of prayerful silence
In a loving listening, words are not necessary, because silence
also speaks and communicates love.
2. MEDITATIO
a) Preamble to the Passover of Jesus
The passage of the Gospel of today is inserted in a literary
whole which includes chapters 13-17. At the beginning we have the account of
the Last Supper which Jesus shares with his disciples, during which he fulfils
the gesture of the washing of the feet (13, 1-30). Then Jesus interweaves a
long dialogue of farewell with his disciples (13, 31 – 14, 31). Chapters 15-17
have the function to deepen further the previous discourse of the Master.
Immediately, after this, Jesus is arrested (18, 1-11). In any case, these
events narrated in 13, 17,26 are joined already in 13, 1 with the Passover of
Jesus. It is interesting to note this last annotation: from 12, 1 the Passover
is no longer called the Passover of the Jews, but of Jesus. From now on, it is
He, the Lamb of God who will liberate man from sin. The Passover of Jesus is
one that aims to liberate man: a new exodus which permits to go from darkness
to light (8, 12), and which will bear life and feast in humanity (7, 37).
Jesus is aware that he is about to conclude his journey toward
the Father and, therefore he is about to bring to an end his personal and
definitive exodus. Such a passage, going to the Father, takes place through the
Cross, the central moment in which Jesus will surrender his life for the good
of man.
It strikes the reader when he becomes aware how the Evangelist
John knows how to present the person of Jesus well, while he is aware of the
last events of his life and therefore, of his mission. So as to affirm that
Jesus is not crushed or overcome by the events which threaten his life, but
that he is ready to give his life. Before, the Evangelist has remarked that his
hour had not arrived; but now in the account of the washing of the feet he says
that he is aware that his hour is close at hand. Such a conscience is at the
basis of the expression of John: “After having loved those who were his in the
world, he loved them to the end” (v. 1). Love for “his own”, for those who form
the new community, has been evident while he was with them, but it will shine
in an eminent way in his death. Jesus shows such a love in the gesture of the
washing of the feet, which in its symbolical value, shows the continuous love
which is expressed in service.
b) The washing of the feet
Jesus is at an ordinary supper with his disciples. He is fully
conscious of the mission which the Father has entrusted to him: the salvation
of humanity depends on him. With such an awareness he wishes to show “to his
own”, through the washing of the feet, how the work of salvation of the Father
is fulfilled and to indicate in such a gesture the surrender of his life for
the salvation of man. It is the will of Jesus that man be saved, and a longing
desire leads him to give up his life and to surrender. He is aware that the
Father gives Jesus complete freedom of action.
Besides, Jesus knows that his true provenance and the goal of
his itinerary is God; he knows that his death on the Cross, the maximum
expression of his love, is the last moment of his journey of salvation. His
death is an “exodus”; it is the climax of his victory over death, in his
surrender (giving his life) Jesus reveals to us the presence of God as the
fullness of life and exemption from death.
With this full consciousness of his identity and of his complete
liberty Jesus is prepared to fulfil the great and humble gesture of the washing
of the feet. Such a gesture of love is described with a great number of verbs
(eight) which render the scene absorbing, enthralling and full of significance.
The Evangelist in presenting the last action of Jesus toward his own, uses this
rhetorical figure of the accumulation of verbs without repeating himself in
order that such a gesture remains impressed in the heart and mind of his
disciples and of every reader and in order that a commandment may always be
remembered, not forgotten. The gesture fulfilled by Jesus intends to show that
true love is expressed in tangible actions of service. Jesus despoils himself
of his garments and ties around his waist a towel or apron, symbol of service.
More precisely, Jesus takes off his garments is an expression which expresses
the significance of the gift of life. Which is the teaching which Jesus
transmits to his disciples through this gesture? He shows them that love is
expressed in service, in giving one’s life for others as he has done.
At the time of Jesus the washing of the feet was a gesture which
expressed hospitality and welcome towards the guests. In an ordinary way it was
done by a slave or also by the wife, concerning the wife and also the daughters
toward their father. Besides, it was the custom that such a rite of the washing
of the feet should be done before they sat at table and not during the meal.
Such an insertion of Jesus’ action intends to stress or underline how singular
or significant his gesture was.
And thus, Jesus gets down to wash the feet of his disciples. The
repeated use of the apron which Jesus tied around his waist underlines the
attitude of service which is a permanent attribute of the person of Jesus. In
fact, when he will have finished the washing of the feet, Jesus does not take
off the towel which he used as an apron. Such a detail intends to underline
that the service-love does not end with his death. This minute detail shows the
intention of the Evangelist to wish to underline the significance and
importance of the gesture of Jesus. By washing the feet of his disciples Jesus
intends to show them his love, which is one with that of the Father (10,
30.38). This image with which Jesus reveals God is really shocking: he is not a
Sovereign who resides exclusively in Heaven, but he presents himself as the
servant of humanity in order to raise it to the divine level. From this divine
service flows, for the community of believers, that liberty which comes from
the love which renders all its members as “lords” (free) because they are
servants. It is like saying that only liberty creates the true love. From now
on, service which the believers will render to man will have as its purpose
that of restoring the relationship among men in whom equality and liberty are a
consequence of the practice of reciprocal service. Jesus, with his gesture
intends to show that any domination o tentative to prevail over man is contrary
to the attitude of God who, instead, serves man to raise him to himself.
Besides, the pretensions of superiority of one man over another, no longer have
any sense, because the community founded by Jesus does not have any pyramidal
characteristics, but horizontal dimensions, In which each one is at the service
of others, following the example of God and of Jesus.
In synthesis, the gesture which Jesus fulfilled expresses the
following values: the love toward the brothers demands to be expressed in
fraternal acceptance, hospitality, that is, in permanent service.
c) Peter’s Resistance
The reaction of Peter before the gesture of Jesus is expressed
in attitudes of surprise and protest. There is also a change in the way in
which he related to Jesus: Peter calls him “Lord” (13, 6). In such a title
Jesus is recognized as having a level of superiority which is in conflict with
the “washing” of the feet, an action which belongs, instead, to an inferior
subject. The protest is expressed energetically by the words: “Are you going to
wash my feet?” In Peter’s eyes this humiliating gesture of the washing of the
feet seemed to him as an inversion of values which regulate the relationship
between Jesus and men: the first one is the Master, Peter is a subject. Peter
disapproves the equality which Jesus wants to create among men.
To such misunderstanding Jesus responds inviting Peter to accept
the sense of washing his feet as a witness of his love toward him. More
precisely, he wants to offer him a concrete proof of how he and the Father love
him.
But Peter in his reaction does not give in: he categorically
refuses that Jesus should get down at his feet. According to Peter each one
should carry out his own role, it is not possible to have a community or a
society based on equality. It is not acceptable that Jesus abandons his
position of superiority to render himself equal to his disciples. Such an idea
of the Master disorientates Peter and leads him to protest. Not accepting the
service of love of his Master, he neither accepts that he dies on the cross for
him (12, 34; 13, 37). It is as to say that Peter is far away from understanding
what is true love, and such an obstacle is an impediment so that Jesus can show
it to him by his action.
In the mean time, if Peter is not ready to share the dynamics of
love which manifests itself in reciprocal service he cannot share the
friendship with Jesus and runs the risk, truly, to exclude himself.
Following the admonition of Jesus “If I do not wash you, you can
have no share with me” (v. 8), Peter adheres to the threatening words of the
Master, but without accepting the profound sense of the action of Jesus. He
shows himself open, ready to let Jesus wash his feet, not only the feet, but
also his hands and head. It seems that it is easier for Peter to accept Jesus’
gesture as an action of purification or ablution rather than as a service. But
Jesus responds that the disciples have become pure (“clean”) at the moment when
they accepted to allow themselves to be guided by the Word of the Master,
rejecting that of the world. Peter and the disciples no longer need the Jewish
rite of the purification but to allow themselves to have their feet washed by
Jesus; or rather to allow themselves to be loved by him, conferring them
dignity and liberty.
d) The Memorial of Love
At the end of the washing of the feet Jesus intends to give his
action a permanent validity for his community and at the same time to leave to
it a memorial or commandment which should always regulate the fraternal
relationships.
Jesus is the Lord, not in the dimension of domination, but in so
far as he communicates the love of the Father (his Spirit) which makes us
children of God and qualified to imitate Jesus who freely gives his love to his
own. Jesus intended to communicate such an interior attitude to his own, a love
which does not exclude anyone, not even Judas who is about to betray him.
Therefore, if the disciples call him Lord, they have to imitate him; if they
consider him Master, they have to listen to him.
e) Some question to meditate on
- he got up from the table: How do you live the Eucharist? In a
sedentary way or do you allow yourself to be moved to action by the fire of the
love which you receive? Do you run the risk that the Eucharist in which you
participate is lost in contemplative Narcissism, without leading to the
commitment of solidarity and sharing? Your commitment in favour of justice, of
the poor, does it come from the habit of encountering Christ in the Eucharist,
from the familiarity with him?
- he removed his outer garments: when from the Eucharist you go
to daily life, do you know how to remove the garments of your own benefit, your
calculations, personal interests to allow yourself to be guided by an authentic
love toward others?
Or rather, after the Eucharist you are not capable of removing your garments of domination and of arrogance to put on those of simplicity, of poverty?
Or rather, after the Eucharist you are not capable of removing your garments of domination and of arrogance to put on those of simplicity, of poverty?
- taking a towel he wrapped it around his waist: this is the
image of the “Church of the apron”. In the life of your family, of your
ecclesial community, do you walk on the street of service, of sharing? Are you
directly involved in the service to the poor and to the least? Do you know how
to see the face of Christ who asks to be served, loved in the poor?
3. ORATIO
a) Psalm 116 (114-115), 12-13; 15-16; 17-18
The Psalmist who finds himself in the time and in the presence
of the liturgical assembly sings his sacrifice of thanksgiving. Voltaire who
had a special predilection for v. 12 expressed himself as follows: “What can I
offer to the Lord for all the gifts which he has given me?”
What return can I make to Yahweh
for his generosity to me?
I shall take up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of Yahweh.
for his generosity to me?
I shall take up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of Yahweh.
Costly in Yahweh's sight
is the death of his faithful.
I beg you, Yahweh!
I am your servant,
I am your servant and my mother was your servant;
you have undone my fetters.
is the death of his faithful.
I beg you, Yahweh!
I am your servant,
I am your servant and my mother was your servant;
you have undone my fetters.
I shall offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving
and call on the name of Yahweh.
I shall fulfil my vows to Yahweh,
witnessed by all his people
and call on the name of Yahweh.
I shall fulfil my vows to Yahweh,
witnessed by all his people
b) Final Prayer
Fascinated with the way in which God expressed his love toward
his own, Origin prayed as follows:
Jesus, come, my feet are dirty.
Become a servant for me, pour the water in the basin;
come, wash my feet.
I know it, what I am saying is daring,
but I fear the threat of your words:
“If I do not wash you,
you can have no share with me”.
Wash then my feet,
so that I may have a share with you.
(Homily 5 on Isaiah)
Become a servant for me, pour the water in the basin;
come, wash my feet.
I know it, what I am saying is daring,
but I fear the threat of your words:
“If I do not wash you,
you can have no share with me”.
Wash then my feet,
so that I may have a share with you.
(Homily 5 on Isaiah)
And Saint Ambrose having an ardent desire to correspond to the
love of Jesus, expresses himself as follows:
Oh, my Lord Jesus,
allow me to wash your sacred feet;
you got them dirty when you walked in my soul…
But where will I take the water from the fountain
to wash your feet?
In lacking that
I only have the eyes to weep:
bathing your feet with my tears,
do in such a way that I myself remain purified.
(Treatise on penance).
allow me to wash your sacred feet;
you got them dirty when you walked in my soul…
But where will I take the water from the fountain
to wash your feet?
In lacking that
I only have the eyes to weep:
bathing your feet with my tears,
do in such a way that I myself remain purified.
(Treatise on penance).
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