Holy Thursday - Chrism Mass
Lectionary: 260
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
PsalmPS 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 2RV 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."
Verse Before
The GospelIS 61:1 (CITED IN LK
4:18)
The Spirit of the LORD is upon me;
for he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor.
for he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor.
GospelLK 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."
Meditation:
"Jesus was anointed and empowered by the Spirit to preach good news"
What
does the Gospel of Luke tell us about Jesus and his mission and what he came to
do for us? Luke tells us that Jesus was about 30 years of age when he began his
public ministry (Luke 3:23). Right after Jesus was baptized by John and
anointed by the Spirit at the River Jordan (Luke 3:21-22), he spent 40 days in
the wilderness to devote himself to prayer and fasting (Luke 4:1-13). At the
end of this period of spiritual preparation and testing, Luke tells us that
Jesus "returned in the power of the Spirit to his own land of
Galilee" (Luke 4:14). Jesus chose to begin his public ministry in Galilee
first, rather than in Jerusalem, the holy city and temple of God. This was in
fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 9:1,2.
Jesus was anointed and empowered by the Holy Spirit to preach the Gospel
Luke tells us that Jesus chose to publicly announce his mission in the synagogue at Nazareth. The people there were familiar with Jesus since it was his custom to regularly attended the weekly Sabbath service. Jesus was also known by many in Nazareth as a "carpenter" (Mark 6:3) and "son of Joseph" (Luke 4:21). When the president of the synagogue called on Jesus to read from the book of the prophet Isaiah, Jesus chose to read Isaiah's description (verses 1-2 of chapter 61) of what the Messiah would do when he came to restore God's kingdom for the people of Israel.
Jesus was anointed and empowered by the Holy Spirit to preach the Gospel
Luke tells us that Jesus chose to publicly announce his mission in the synagogue at Nazareth. The people there were familiar with Jesus since it was his custom to regularly attended the weekly Sabbath service. Jesus was also known by many in Nazareth as a "carpenter" (Mark 6:3) and "son of Joseph" (Luke 4:21). When the president of the synagogue called on Jesus to read from the book of the prophet Isaiah, Jesus chose to read Isaiah's description (verses 1-2 of chapter 61) of what the Messiah would do when he came to restore God's kingdom for the people of Israel.
"The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news
to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering
of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim
the acceptable year of the Lord" (Isaiah 61:1-2).
Isaiah
had prophesied that the Messiah would be sent by God and anointed in the power
of the Holy Spirit to preach "good news" and bring healing, blessing,
and freedom to all who were oppressed (see Isaiah 61:1-2). Jesus awakened their
hope in God's promises when he announced that this word was now being fulfilled
in his very own person. Luke tells us that the people of Nazareth spoke well of
him and received his "gracious word" with amazement and wonder. But
they also openly questioned how the "son of Joseph" would fulfill
this Messianic mission (Luke 4:21). Jesus challenged them to believe the word
God had spoken through the prophets and the word he now speaks in God's name
through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus
renews and strengthens us in faith, hope, and love
The Lord Jesus speaks this same word to each of us today - he comes to bring us healing and restoration, pardon and freedom from the oppression of sin, despair, hopelessness, and destruction. Do you believe his word with expectant faith and trust, or with doubt and indifference? The Lord will not refuse to pour out his Spirit on all who trust in him. Ask the Lord Jesus to renew in you the joy of the Gospel and the freedom to live each day with trusting faith, joyful hope, and fervent love.
The Lord Jesus speaks this same word to each of us today - he comes to bring us healing and restoration, pardon and freedom from the oppression of sin, despair, hopelessness, and destruction. Do you believe his word with expectant faith and trust, or with doubt and indifference? The Lord will not refuse to pour out his Spirit on all who trust in him. Ask the Lord Jesus to renew in you the joy of the Gospel and the freedom to live each day with trusting faith, joyful hope, and fervent love.
"Lord
Jesus, you are the fulfillment of all our hopes and dreams. Through the gift of
your Holy Spirit you bring us truth, freedom, and abundant life. Fill me with
the joy of the Gospel and inflame my heart with a burning love for you and a
deep thirst for your word."
Daily
Quote from the early church fathers: Jesus fulfills the Messianic prophecy
of Isaiah 61, by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD)
"Now
it was necessary that he should manifest himself to the Israelites and that the
mystery of his incarnation should now shine forth to those who did not know
him. Now that God the Father had anointed him to save the world, he very wisely
orders this also [that his fame should now spread widely]. This favor he grants
first to the people of Nazareth, because, humanly speaking, he had grown up
among them. Having entered the synagogue, therefore, he takes the book to read.
Having opened it, he selects a passage in the Prophets which declares the
mystery concerning him. By these words he himself tells us very clearly by the
voice of the prophet that he would both be made man and come to save the world.
For we affirm that the Son was anointed in no other way than by having become
like us according to the flesh and taking our nature. Being at once God and
man, he both gives the Spirit to the creation in his divine nature and receives
it from God the Father in his human nature. It is he who sanctifies the whole
creation, both by shining forth from the Holy Father and by bestowing the
Spirit. He himself pours forth his own Spirit on the powers above and on those
who recognized his appearing." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON
LUKE, HOMILY 12)
Holy Thursday – Evening Mass of the Lord's
Supper
Lectionary: 39
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
PsalmPS 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.
Verse Before
The GospelJN 13:34
I give you a new commandment, says the Lord:
love one another as I have loved you.
love one another as I have loved you.
GospelJN 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 and unfailing love
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 fear and 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.
Let
the love of Christ rule in your heart and actions
Jesus loved his disciples to the very end, even when they failed him and forsook him. The Lord loves each of us freely and unconditionally. His love has power to set us free to love and serve others with Christ-like compassion and humility. Paul the Apostle tells us that Christ's gift of love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us (Romans 5:5 and 8:35-39). Does the love of Christ rule in your heart, thoughts, intentions and actions?
Jesus loved his disciples to the very end, even when they failed him and forsook him. The Lord loves each of us freely and unconditionally. His love has power to set us free to love and serve others with Christ-like compassion and humility. Paul the Apostle tells us that Christ's gift of love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us (Romans 5:5 and 8:35-39). Does the love of Christ rule in your heart, thoughts, intentions and actions?
The
love of Christ conquers all and never fails
Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) in his sermon for Holy Thursday wrote:
Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) in his sermon for Holy Thursday 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."
A
Daily Quote for Lent: Christ
chose to be a servant who offered himself for us, by Augustine of
Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Even
though the man Christ Jesus, in the form of God together with the Father with
whom He is one God, accepts our sacrifice, nonetheless He has chosen in the
form of a servant to be the sacrifice rather than accept it. Therefore, He is
the priest Himself Who presents the offering, and He Himself is what is
offered." (excerpt from City of God, 10,20)
The summit of the Liturgical Year is the Easter Triduum—from the
evening of Holy Thursday to the evening of Easter Sunday. Though
chronologically three days, they are liturgically one day unfolding for us the
unity of Christ's Paschal Mystery. The single celebration of the Triduum marks
the end of the Lenten season, and leads to the Mass of the Resurrection of the
Lord at the Easter Vigil. The liturgical services that take place during the
Triduum are: Mass of the Lord's Supper; Good Friday of the Lord's Passion; and
the Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord. (USCCB)
THURSDAY OF HOLY WEEK (HOLY THURSDAY)
THURSDAY, APRIL 18, JOHN 13:1-15 (Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper)
(Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14; Psalm 116; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
THURSDAY, APRIL 18, JOHN 13:1-15 (Evening 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).
TO KNOW: Chapter 13 of John's gospel begins the "Book of Glory" (13:1 - 20:31). The “hour” had come, and Jesus was on the threshold of his saving death. He wanted to demonstrate his love for his disciples, a love that 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 Jesus commanded his disciples: "As I have done so you must do" (v.15), words similar to the institution of the Eucharist: "Do this in memory of me” (Luke 22:19b). 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 humble service. He teaches the leaders of the Church that their role must be one of service, not of power. Holy Thursday is also known as “Maundy Thursday," from the Latin mandatum, “command,” the instruction Jesus gave to his disciples at the Last Supper that they should love and serve one another as he did.
TO LOVE: Am I willing to do the humble tasks asked of me today?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to follow your example of loving service.
NOTE: Participation in Jesus' saving death is through baptism, without which we will have no inheritance with Jesus (John 13:8) and through which we are “clean all over” and need not be washed (baptized) again (v. 10).
Thursday 18 April 2019
HOLY THURSDAY.
Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14. Psalm 115(116):12-13, 15-18. 1 Corinthians
11:23-26. John 13:1-15.
Our blessing-cup is a communion with the blood of Christ – Psalm
115(116):12-13, 15-18.
‘You also should wash one another’s feet.’
The final acts of Jesus before his death are his last chance to
etch his deeds and words into our memories. So the purposefulness of his
actions in this passage are heightened almost to breaking point. Jesus chose to
enact without doubt the essence of a serving community, and his example of
washing feet is a most humble act of service.
This deed is his last will and testament to all of us: ‘For I
have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.’ Today
we ponder whether what Jesus started has stopped at the church door or whether
it permeates all we do.
Lord, give me eyes to witness your tender-heartedness as you
wash the disciples’ feet. May I model in my own life the attentiveness you show
to each one, the gentle care, the life-giving love.
Blessed James Oldo
Saint of the Day for April 18
(1364 – April 18, 1404)
 |
| Photo of Il Tempio Civico della Beata Vergine Incoronata | photo by Giovanni Novara |
Blessed James Oldo’s Story
You’ve heard rags-to-riches stories. Today, we celebrate the
reverse.
James of Oldo was born into a well-to-do family near Milan in
1364. He married a woman who like him, appreciated the comforts that came with
wealth. But an outbreak of the plague drove James, his wife, and their three
children out of their home and into the countryside. Despite those precautions,
two of his daughters died from the plague. James determined to use whatever
time he had left to build up treasures in heaven and to build God’s realm on
earth.
He and his wife became Secular Franciscans. James gave up his
old lifestyle and did penance for his sins. He cared for a sick priest, who
taught him Latin. Upon the death of his wife, James himself became a priest.
His house was transformed into a chapel where small groups of people, many of
them fellow Secular Franciscans, came for prayer and support. James focused on
caring for the sick and for prisoners of war. He died in 1404 after contracting
a disease from one of his patients.
James Oldo was beatified in 1933.
Reflection
The death of those we love brings a troubling awareness of our
own mortality. James had that experience when he gazed into a friend’s grave,
and it brought him to his senses. He determined to use whatever time he had
left to build up treasures in heaven and to build God’s realm on earth. Our
time is limited, too. We can use it well or foolishly: The choice is ours.
Lectio Divina: Holy Thursday
Lectio Divina
Thursday, April 18, 2019
John 13:1-15
The Washing of the Feet
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, 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
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."
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 fulfills
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 further deepen 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 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 people from sin. The Passover of Jesus is one that
aims to liberate us: a new exodus which permits us 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 all humanity.
It is striking when the reader 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 all. It is the will of Jesus that we 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 fulfill 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 removes His
garments and ties around His waist a towel or apron, a symbol of service. 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, 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 finishes 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 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 others will have the purpose of restoring the
relationship among people in whom equality and liberty are a consequence of the
practice of reciprocal service. Jesus, with His gesture intends to show that
any domination over another is contrary to the attitude of God who, instead,
serves people to raise them to himself. The pretension of superiority of one
person over another no longer has 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 brothers and sisters demands expression in
fraternal acceptance, hospitality, and 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 others: the first one is the Master, Peter is a subject.
Peter disapproves the equality which Jesus wants to create among people.
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. 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 seems 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 truly runs the risk of excluding 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 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 questions 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?
- He removed His outer garments: when you go from the Eucharist
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?
- 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? 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 and 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 fulfill my vows to Yahweh,
witnessed by all His people
and call on the name of Yahweh.
I shall fulfill 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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