Holy Thursday Homily

We have just heard the Gospel of St. John (Jn. 13: 1-15) describe how Jesus washed the feet of his disciples.  The priest with whom I am in residence is someone who likes trivia.  And so I related to him earlier today a bit of trivia regarding foot washing that he was unaware of previously.  I told him that according to a commentary that I read in preparation for tonight’s homily, no Jewish slave could be compelled to wash someone’s feet:

At the Last Supper, Jesus would have been the “host” and the apostles the “guests.” Washing the feet of weary travelers would have been a job delegated to a gentile slave by the host.  Not even a Jewish slave would be expected to wash feet. The host of a meal would certainly not lower himself to performing this vile task himself.

Yet we see in the Gospel how Jesus humbles himself to wash the feet of His disciples.  The God of Heaven and Earth who is responsible for all of us--His creatures—being here in the first place, not only became one of us (a human being) in Jesus, but He stooped to do something that not even a Jewish slave would do.  This washing of feet is an example of how Jesus poured Himself out for us—how He extended Himself for the sake of others.  It was a profound act of humility.  No wonder Peter would object to such an action!

Many of us may face things in life that we do not like to do, but we may humble ourselves for the sake of another.  I can think of parents changing the diaper of their child.  Not exactly a pleasant task, but it is one that parents do continuously for the sake of their children.  There may be a nurse in the hospital who has to perform some unsavory tasks to help a patient.  The nurse may have to face some responsibilities that no one would necessarily choose to do, unless it were done out of duty or obligation.  By performing these actions out of love and concern for the other, such difficult tasks, like Jesus’ foot-washing, can take on a profound spiritual meaning.  They can demonstrate an outpouring and humbling of self for the sake of the other.

Back when I was a deacon, I was asked to bring Holy Communion to a person dying of AIDS.  Truth be told, I didn’t want to go because I was afraid of this deadly disease.  Eventually I realized that the right thing to do was to go and show love and compassion to this person who was made in the image and likeness of God and who deserved my love and respect.  It seems that love had the ability to conquer fear in this instance.

     

Let’s fast forward to Good Friday.  On the cross Jesus again showed us great humility.  He poured Himself out for us once again.  He extended Himself for our sake.  His self-giving was total and complete.  He exemplified true love—a love that is never selfish.  You don’t see Jesus hanging from the cross saying:  What am I getting out of this?  What’s in it for ME?  No, in humility he faced a shameful death on the cross out of love.

Today, Holy Thursday, our altar becomes the Upper Room.  We hear Jesus speak those timeless words over the bread and wine:  This is my Body.  This is my Blood.  Once again, He pours Himself out for us.  He gives Himself totally and completely to us.  He extends Himself for us.

All three actions, the foot-washing, the gift of the Holy Eucharist and Jesus’ death on the cross are intimately tied together and have their source in one act of the will:  Jesus’ Yes to His Father.  “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will.”  (Mt. 26:39)  Jesus perfectly fulfilled the will of His Father.

Finally, today’s Mass commemorates the institution of the ministerial or ordained priesthood by Jesus.  Referring to the Holy Eucharist, Jesus told His disciples to “do this in memory of me” (Lk. 22:19) and He gave them His divine authority to do so.  Priests act in the name of and with the authority of Jesus Himself.  Priests administer the sacraments in persona Christi.  This is not to say that priests are without faults or sinless.  Unfortunately, this is not the case.  Yet, if we realize that Jesus, who is God, deliberately picked a disciple who betrayed Him, a disciple who denied Him three times and others who ran away from the shame of the cross, then we may begin to understand how God paradoxically and mysteriously “chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong.” (1 Cor. 1:27)  It is because Jesus accomplishes his saving actions through us and sometimes despite us, not because of us.  It is Jesus who makes things happen, using His chosen priests with all of their flaws.  It’s all about Jesus and not really about us.  Please pray for your priests.

Now, as I prepare to wash the feet of twelve parishioners, please remember the absolute humility and self-giving that Jesus shows us by His actions.

Holy Thursday

Today has always been one of my favorite days to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

It is important for us as Catholic Christians to realize the three significant aspects of today’s celebration on Holy Thursday.

First, when Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, He was giving us all an example of and a mandate to service.  For Jesus, who was God’s Son, to wash the feet of His disciples was an act of humility and an example for us to serve the needs of others.  God who created us humbled Himself to bathe the dirty and sweaty feet of His creatures!  And He told his disciples that we must do the same.  We must serve others.  This is not an option but a requirement of Christianity.  Remember that Jesus told us in the Scriptures that He “did not come to be served but to serve.”  (Mt. 20:28) And now his actions showed us very clearly what His words had told us.

Next, Jesus instituted at the Last Supper the ministerial Priesthood so that he could continue His saving work through the actions and ministry of the priest.  My vocation--this “calling”--is to be a priest as Jesus was a priest for his people.  In every sacrament Christ acts through the instrument of his priest.  When the priest baptizes, it is actually Christ who baptizes.  When the priest forgives sin in confession, it is actually Christ who forgives our sins.  When the priest takes bread and wine at Mass to consecrate, it is actually Christ who works through the priest to give us his Body and Blood.  Christ continues His saving work through our priests and that is why we need to pray that many more men will say “yes” to God if God calls them to be a priest.  Pope John Paul II said it so often quoting the words of Christ:  “Be not afraid!”  Christ is still with us in and through the actions of the priest.  Although priests are imperfect sinners, Christ still uses us as His instruments and works through us to take care of the needs of His people.

Finally, this day Jesus gave us the Eucharist, his very own Body and Blood, to feed us and to strengthen us during our journey of life.  For Catholics, the Eucharist is our greatest gift from Christ because it is the gift of Himself.  While there are many other Christian churches in the US and throughout the world, it is the Catholic Church that has always told us of the importance of the Holy Eucharist because we believe that it is the Real Presence of Christ.  Once the priest consecrates the bread and wine it is not just a symbol or a reminder of Christ--something like a souvenir--but it is actually Christ Himself.  It is His Body and Blood.  We should not take this for granted!  In a little while when we process around the Church with the Holy Eucharist, realize that this is truly Christ remaining among us.

This day we are reminded of the mandate to service, of the institution of the Priesthood and of the gift of the Holy Eucharist.  We need to think and pray about all three of these lessons found in our liturgy today.

May God bless you!