(Homily for April 13, 2017).
Our first reading today recalls the instruction God gave to the people
of Israel through Moses regarding the eating of the Lamb whose blood sprinkled
on their door posts would serve as a sign to ward off the Angel of death.
As God said: “The blood shall be a sign for you, upon the houses where
you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall
fall upon you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.”
In today’s celebration, we are privileged to partake in that same supper
of the lamb except that unlike the days of old, Jesus Christ himself is now the
Lamb whose body and blood we eat in Holy Communion.
In fact, we are made to understand that it was not the blood of ordinary
lambs that saved the Israelites but the blood of Jesus. The lambs they
slaughtered were mere signs pointing to Jesus whose blood shared on the cross
of Calvary brings salvation to the world.
Every year, the Jews celebrated the Passover where they all gathered to
eat the lamb. Jesus also celebrated the Passover with his disciples but instead
of a lamb, Jesus decided to offer his very flesh and blood to his disciples
thereby putting aside the old and establishing a new covenant.
Just as this supper took place at night, this mass is now being
celebrated at night. Again, just as the children of Israel kept vigil on the
night of Passover, Jesus and his disciples kept vigil at the garden of
Gethsemane, we all are going to keep vigil tonight adoring the Lamb whose blood
was shared to spare us from the damnation of our sins.
As we keep vigil tonight we remember the words of Jesus to this
disciples: “So, you could not watch even one hour with me?”
We also recall that it was during this vigil that Judas led the chief
priests and the soldiers to arrest Jesus. We reflect on how Jesus allowed
himself to be led to death just like a lamb. We reflect on the fact that Jesus
desires that we also become lambs for our fellow brothers and sisters.
Another significant aspect of our celebration tonight is that we recall
how Jesus rose from table, took off his garment, tied the towel around himself
and started washing the feet of his disciples.
In those days, there were no cars, buses and trains, the most common
means of transportation was one’s feet. As such, the feet naturally became the
dirtiest part of one’s body such that a person could be said to be clean if the
feet are clean.
Most houses those days had servants whose duties included washing the
feet of visitors as a sign of welcome. It was a sign of honour to have one’s
feet washed and this task was naturally considered as a servant’s duty.
When John the Baptist said he was not worthy to bend down to take off
the shoes of the Messiah, John was saying he was less than a servant as far as
Jesus is concerned. So for Jesus himself to have knelt down to wash the feet of
his disciples, it felt like a whole President stooping coming down to wash
toilets for you.
In fact, it was too much for Peter to take. He could not imagine his
Lord and Master bringing himself so low to wash his feet. One day, I went to
visit a family, after eating I took the plates to the kitchen to wash it but
they would not let me do it.
“Leave it oh, father” they said, practically forcing me out of the
kitchen. They did not consider themselves worthy enough to have a priest wash
their plates. But Jesus did something far more demeaning than that.
By reducing his dignity before his disciples, Jesus wants to teach us
all a lesson in humility. “So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your
feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have set you an example;
that you also should do as I have done to you.” John 13:14-15.
No wonder St. Paul admonishes us saying: “Do nothing from selfishness or
conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves. Let each of you
look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have
this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was
in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but
emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of
men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto
death, even death on a cross.” Philippians 2:3-8.
In other for us to imitate Jesus, we must have the same mind that he
had; the mind of forgetting oneself; the mind of putting aside our “bigmanity”;
the mind of seeing ourselves as not greater but less than others. Without this
interior disposition, our external acts of humility only amount to hyprocisy.
When Jesus says we should wash others’ feet, it means we should not put
ourselves and our needs first but that of others. It means that we should be
willing to make sacrifices for others even when it wouldn’t bring us any
benefit. It means that we should be looking for a way to solve the problems of
others instead of complaining about our own problems.
Washing others’ feet means that we are constantly looking for how to
clean their dirty sides rather than amuse ourselves with their weaknesses and
limitations. Washing the feet of others means that we accept to be servants
rather than lords whenever we have people under us.
Above all, washing other’s feet is the willingness to pay the ultimate
sacrifice of our very lives for the sake of others. If Jesus gave us his very
flesh to eat, and we gladly do so at every mass, then we ought not to selfish and
proud anymore.
Let us
Pray: Lord Jesus, teach me to wash my neighbours feet. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless
you. (Holy Thursday Evening Mass. Bible
Study: Exodus 12:1-14. 1st Corinthians 11:23-26 and John 13:1-15).
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