HOLY THURSDAY
24 MARCH 2016
The instructions given to the
children of Israel for the preparation of the Passover Meal indicate that each
family is to take an unblemished lamb.
This detail is important, because the lamb was more than the centerpiece
of a meal that expressed the bonds of the people with each other. It was also a sacrifice. Rather than taking some lamb that was
leftover, they needed to take an unblemished lamb (the first and best of the
flock) as a sacrifice that expressed their gratitude for God’s saving actions
in their lives. They were to smear the
blood of that lamb over the lintels of their homes. Not only would that blood be a sign for the
angel of death to pass over their homes.
It also symbolized their intimate bond with God, who would lead them
from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land.
Centuries
later, Saint Paul speaks about another unblemished Lamb, the Lamb of the New
Covenant. In writing to the Corinthians,
he reminds them that our Good Shepherd made the greatest sacrifice. He laid down his life for them out of
love. He tells them how the Lord, on the
night before he became the Lamb of God and poured out his blood to free us from
our slavery to sin, instituted the Eucharist at the Last Supper. He gave himself in the form of bread and
wine. Saint Paul tells us what he told
the Corinthians: Recognize the Lord’s
real presence in the Eucharistic Sacrificial Meal. Strengthened by the Eucharist, we can love by
our sacrifices.
There is no
better example of what he expects of those who participate in the Eucharist
than what Jesus does in today’s Gospel.
Earlier in the Gospel of John, the Good Shepherd said that he would lay
down his life for his flock. At the Last
Supper, he lays aside his outer garments and washes the feet of his
disciples. In that Middle Eastern culture,
servants and slaves greet guests who had arrived walking the dusty roads and
paths by washing their dirty and smelly feet.
Social equals would never lower themselves to such a menial task. Certainly, no master or teacher would ever do
that. But Jesus washes feet to express
the sacrifice of his life on the cross.
We can only
wonder what he thinks or what he says to each of those disciples as he holds
their dirty and smelly feet in his hands. One of those sets of feet will go to
the authorities to turn him in. Another
will follow him to the high priest’s courtyard, only to betray him. Most of the others will run away in fear. He
loves them so much that he trusts them to turn back and do to each other what
he has just done for them.
We normally
end our homilies by shutting up and sitting down. But, not tonight! FB2 and I were ordained to serve in the
person of Christ, especially at the Eucharist. On this night, we will lay aside
our outer vestments and wash the feet of members of this community known for
their humble service. This ritual action
will remind us of the close connection between being fed by the Lord’s Body and
Blood at Mass and being sent out to wash the feet of others.
Ironically,
we will not be sent out at the end of this Mass. There is no dismissal on Holy Thursday. Instead, we will be encouraged to walk on
feet washed by the Lord’s love to enter as deeply as possible into this Sacred
Paschal Triduum. These Liturgies do not
form an extended passion play. They will
make present through our liturgical remembering what happened to the Lord in
these next three days. When we walk away
from this Mass, we must confront the most difficult part of the Paschal Mystery. Jesus walked out of the Last Supper to
suffering and death. We leave this Holy
Thursday Mass to confront not only that cross which took the life of Jesus
Christ, but to confront the reality of the cross in each of our lives. The Lord
invites us to place our crosses and deaths within the context of his cross and
death. Then strengthened by the
Eucharist we share here, we can do for others what the Lord has done for us.
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