Rev. Dr. Fr. Patrick Mathias SDB - Homily- Maundy Thursday- 28 March 2024

 

Maundy Thursday - 28 April 2024

Mass Readings: Ex 12:1-8.11-14, Ps 116:12-13, 15-16, 17-18  1Cor 11: 23-26, Jn 13:1-15

Key Verse to Meditate: So, if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet (Jn 13:14).

Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,

Today, the Church celebrates Maundy Thursday, the commemoration of the Last Supper of the Lord, as we begin the Triduum for the feast of Easter. Maundy Thursday reminds us of the Last Supper that Jesus had with his disciples before his passion and death. Jesus spends the last hours before his arrest in the company of his apostles, celebrating the Passover with them. He shows extraordinary love for his beloved disciples, teaching them about the commandment of love and leaving them with recommendations. Today’s celebration also reminds us of the institution of the sacraments of the Eucharist and the Holy Priesthood. Along with these two great events, Maundy Thursday reminds us of the great commandment of love given to us by Jesus. That’s why during the liturgy, as given in the gospel, we also have the washing of the feet event.

The Last Supper: The Last Supper is nothing but the historic commemoration of the Passover meal of the Jews. Today’s liturgy of the word, in the first reading from Exodus, reminds God’s people of the first Passover meal as commanded by Yahweh to his servants Moses and Aaron in Egypt: 'Now you shall eat it in this manner: with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste—it is the LORD's Passover (Ex 12:11). The Lord clearly instructed them on how to keep the Passover of the Lord, with clear instructions even regarding the lamb to be sacrificed: 'Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats (Ex 12:5). In the New Testament, we celebrate it as the Last Supper because the Lamb of God, Jesus, sacrificed his life, shedding his blood for us and thus saving us from eternal damnation. Thus, this Passover meal becomes a memorial because it was commanded by Yahweh: Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as a permanent ordinance (Ex 12:14).

Washing of the Feet of the Disciples: Today, the gospel according to St. John presents to us the scene of the washing of the feet of the disciples, which is unique to St. John’s gospel. We see that no reference is made to either the Eucharist or the Priesthood but only to the love commandment. As Christians, we are called to love without limits, imitating Jesus. But Maundy Thursday also reminds us of the institution of the Eucharist, which is specifically given in the second reading of today from the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians (1 Cor 11:23-25).

Eucharist: Benediction, Breaking, and Sharing: The gospel references to the institution of the Eucharist can be found in the following passages: Lk 22:19-20; Mt 26:26-28; Mk 14:22-24. Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood" (Lk 22:19-20). So, there is benediction, breaking, and sharing. The bread is broken, and the wine is poured and shared.

The Commandment of Jesus: The commandment of Jesus, "Do this in remembrance of me," reminds us of the institution of the Sacred Orders, namely, the priesthood. During the coronavirus lockdown, the whole world, in a special way, realized the importance of the priesthood in the life of the believers and in the Church. No Holy Masses, no chance of receiving absolution for our sins, and no chances of receiving Holy Communion at the hands of the priests. The priests are the representatives of Christ the eternal priest, with their own human failures and strengths. But they are the men of God, consecrated and set apart for his work. Let us pray for them and uphold them in our hearts and prayers.

The Extraordinary Love of the Master: In the gospel, we see Jesus spending the last hours of his earthly life in the company of his disciples. The Master manifests extraordinary love for the apostles, imparting teachings and recommendations to them. During the Last Supper, Jesus showed - with his words - the infinite love he had for his disciples and gave it eternal validity by instituting the Eucharist, giving himself: he offered his Body and his Blood in the form of bread and wine to become spiritual food for us, to sanctify our body and soul. He expressed his love even in the midst of the pain he felt when he announced the betrayal of Judas Iscariot, the denial of Peter, and the abandonment of the other apostles. At the beginning of the gospel, St. John made an indication about Judas Iscariot: "The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray him. And during supper" (Jn 13:2). Later in the gospel, while talking to Peter about washing the feet and the body, Jesus indirectly spoke about Judas: "For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason, he said, 'Not all of you are clean'" (Jn 13:11).

Washing the Feet of the Apostles: Jesus made his love perceived by washing the feet of the apostles and commanded the disciples to love one another in the manner that he has shown them. He was amidst them as a servant and showed them the meaning of being humble and obedient to God’s will. In his public life, Jesus recommended more than once to his disciples not to aspire to occupy the first place, but rather to aspire to humility of heart. As disciples of Jesus, we too are called not to aspire to rule but to be at the service of others and to love one another as Christ loves each one. In Jesus touching and washing the feet of the disciples, we see God kneeling before humans.

The Significance of the Last Supper: The feast of the Last Supper becomes significant and memorable for the following dimensions. It is the day on which Christ instituted the sacraments of the Holy Eucharist and the holy priesthood, and the day on which Christ gave us, his disciples, the commandment of Love. It was a strange supper for the apostles themselves. The whole city was preparing for the celebration of Easter, the memory of liberation from slavery in Egypt. The disciples did not suspect anything; they could not imagine that they would share dinner with the master for the last time. But Jesus knew exactly what would happen, and he didn’t want to frighten the apostles with anything; he only wanted them to know that until the last moment they should feel his presence and particularly his unfailing love.

Jesus Washed the feet of the Apostles: And so during dinner, Jesus got up from the table, took off his clothes, put on an apron, took a basin with water, knelt, and started washing the feet of his disciples. He washed the feet of Judas as well as the feet of Peter and the rest. One would betray him and another would deny him, and the rest of the gang would desert him. He did not pass Judas or Peter without washing their feet because they were about to betray or deny him. Yet he washed the feet of everyone. This is the true sign of enduring love. We remember this during the Maundy Thursday liturgy.

The Twenty-Four Feet: Jesus knew that the twenty-four feet that he bent down to wash would abandon him after the supper, and yet he chose to perform the great act of love for his beloved disciples, showing them a model of suffering and enduring love. He knew that the feet of the disciples would take the wrong direction tomorrow. We notice that Jesus does not take the heads of the twelve in his hands with all their dreams, ideals, and desires. Instead, Jesus takes their feet in his hands, which are in contact with the earth, symbolizing fragility, vulnerability, and poverty. Jesus washed the feet of the apostles because the feet cannot lie. What is the significance of this action? Your feet reveal who you are, where you come from, where you go, and who you walk with. Feet are the world map of the soul.

The Purpose of Jesus' Gesture - The Washing of the Feet: Another truth we must acknowledge here is that Jesus does not go down to the squares or the streets of Jerusalem and set up a station to wash the feet of those who pass by. It is useless to wash the feet of strangers if one does not build communion, union, and unity within the community of disciples of the Lord-in faith, in hope, and in charity. This is not the purpose of Jesus' gesture. The washing of the feet does not take place publicly but in the secrecy of the Cenacle. It is not a gesture for the world but for the disciples. Jesus washed the feet of his twelve apostles, the simple men with whom he lived his community life for three years. They were the ones called to remain with him and to be sent forth (Mark 3:14). Moreover, they were the ones who shared the same faith, hope, charity, and ministry of Jesus. It is the disciple who must know that Jesus loves him in such a great way. It is the disciple who must know that his disciple brother loves him with the same love of the Lord Jesus. It is the disciple who must be comforted by the love of the disciple.

The Responsibility of the Christian Community: The same holds true at every level of communion within every Christian community. Jesus wants to teach the disciples that if they do not love each other as the Master loved them, there will be no credibility when they preach the Gospel. The washing of the feet explains what it means to live the life of Christ today. It is to make oneself the servant of all and to give one's life as a ransom for all. Take the last place and start serving by giving your life for the salvation of the world. It is not enough to observe the actions of Jesus by reading the Gospel. Nor is it enough to repeat what He has done, giving His actions new incarnations in history. True love can be seen and felt.

Dear friends, Jesus invites you and me too to sit at the last supper table because He wants to take your feet in His blessed hands. No matter how many times you have fallen, no matter how many times you have taken the wrong paths, Jesus will purify our feet once again to help us not to abandon Him and to choose to change our directions in life. What matters is that you are here tonight because the Lord wants to shape the paths of charity, solidarity, and tenderness on your feet. His hands want to tattoo the routes of love on your feet so that you can walk towards all those brothers who need a word, a look, or a caress.

Bend Down to Touch the Feet of One Another: Jesus touched the feet of the disciples and sanctified their feet too, because it is the feet that will carry the good news of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth: "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" (Rom 10:15). It is much more beautifully expressed in Isaiah: "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns.'" (Is 52:7). The Priests, the religious, and the faithful are called to share in this mission. We too need to bend down to touch the feet of one another, to forgive, and to accept one another in humility. During the Last Supper, Jesus was not satisfied with words, but He set the example by washing their feet. And after finishing, He said: “You call me Master and Lord and say well because I am. If therefore I, the Lord and the Teacher have washed your feet, you too must wash one another's feet" (Jn 13:13-14).

Jesus the Eternal High Priest of the Father: The Last Supper, in which the Eucharist was instituted, is repeated over the centuries. In fact, Jesus invested the apostles and their successors with the power and duty to repeat the Eucharistic meal in the Holy Mass. Jesus is the eternal high priest of the Father in the order of the high priest Melchizedek, who stands in the place of the consecrated priests, offering the continual sacrifice to God (Heb 4:14-5:10). So, Christ sacrifices himself during Mass. But, to take up the words of Saint Paul, he remains the same "yesterday, today, and always" (Heb 13:8).

The Holy Eucharist: The Holy Eucharist is heavenly food, medicine for our souls, and fallen humanity. For Jesus has promised us, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh” (Jn 6:51). We are sanctified and purified whenever we participate in the Eucharist. But at times, the behaviour of the believers towards Christ who participate in the Eucharist could be more or less the same as that of the apostles at the moment of the Supper. We can find all types of people participating in the Eucharist—saints and sinners, faithful and traitors, martyrs and renegades. But it is the Holy Eucharist that can heal every effect of sin and change us into loving sons and daughters of the Father. The Holy Eucharist is the heart of the Church and the wellspring of graces. It is the food that nourishes the body and soul. Through the Eucharist, through the priest, Christ continues to live in our lives.

Points for Personal Reflection: Every time we participate in the Eucharist, the Lord invites us to sit at the table with him as he invited the apostles at the Last Supper. But what is my attitude towards the Eucharist? Do I see it as my eternal food and participate in it with great faith and reverence? How do I look at my priests? Do I love them and pray for them as they are our representatives before God? How do I serve? Do I love without measure as shown by Jesus? Can I say with Saint Paul, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me"  (Gal 2:20)?

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