In today’s first reading from the book of Exodus, God gave instructions to Moses and Aaron on how to prepare His people for the passover. They were to slaughter a one year old lamb and put some of it’s blood on their doorposts and the lintel of their homes, to identify them as God ‘s people when the angel of death passed through. The people were also told to eat their meal of roasted lamb and unleavened bread with their traveling clothes on, sandals on their feet, and a staff in their hand, as if they were eating in flight.
What does this remind you of in modern times? People often eat standing up in airports, with their traveling clothes, and they often have a cell phone or laptop in their hands too, that assists them with their journey. Travelers eat a quick meal, but are aware that they may have to leave at any moment if their flight is called. Youth groups, tourists on sightseeing tours, and other large groups of people who travel together, will often wear something colorful to distinguish the fact that they belong together too. Soldiers in war identify their own, according to the outward appearance of the uniform they are wearing, and their lives are spared because of the outward signs of their affiliation with them.
Maybe we should pay a little more attention when we are in public, to notice the people around us a little more closely too. Have you ever been talking to someone who noticed a rosary in your car or a cross on your key chain, that suddenly changed the manner in which they related to you? You never know if the person you are talking to is actually a fellow Catholic. Certain signs and symbols of our faith bind us together in modern times, not the least of which is the Mass. No matter where you travel in the world, the Mass is the same, and so is the body and blood of Jesus Christ, that we receive in communion. Our communion is with the Lord Jesus Christ, but also with one another. There are no strangers at Mass, only friends whom we haven’t met yet.
In the gospel today, Jesus is about to embark on a journey too. He knew that he would be leaving his disciples soon, to go to his Father’s kingdom. Jesus also wanted to share a meal with those closest to him, before he left. Jesus ate the Passover meal with those he loved, but death did not pass him over that night. In fact, he became the lamb that was slain, so that others might live. That is why we call him “the Lamb of God”.
When we eat the body and drink the blood of Jesus during communion, we are also spared death for our sins and granted eternal life with God. It’s interesting to notice that the Israelites put the blood of the lamb on the sides and the top of their doorways. In the gospel of John, Jesus called himself “the gate for the sheep” and that whoever enters the gate through him will be saved. (Jn 10:7-10) It is through the blood of Jesus that we are saved in our modern times.
The scriptures for mass today are filled with a lot of theology, but the heart of the matter is found in the gospel of John, when it says that Jesus “loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.” Saint John wrote these words many years later, because he never forgot how much Jesus loved them, and Saint John’s love for Jesus never dimmed throughout the years either.
Jesus’s disciples formed a warm cocoon of friendship around the supper table that night. It must have been a beautiful evening, something Jesus wanted them to continue to do long after he was gone. They were to not just share communion with one another (“do this in memory of me”), but also to get personally involved in each other’s lives, love each other, and take care of one another after he was gone.
His disciples sat and watched him do something quite unexpected after supper though. Jesus began washing their feet. From the sound of it, no one else questioned what he was doing and why he was doing this, except for Peter, of course. Peter asked him “Master are you going to wash my feet?” When Jesus answered that he didn’t understand what he was doing right now, but that he would later (in typical Peter fashion) Saint Peter told Jesus “you will never wash my feet”. Oh really? The Lord answered Peter by saying, “unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me.” And of course that did the trick. Peter was all for it then! He said “master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well.”
There is something to be learned here from Peter’s behavior. To wash another person’s feet is a very intimate act. Many people are not comfortable with this degree of intimacy with another person, or do not feel “good enough” to have others show them this much love. Saint Peter may have been out of his comfort zone to accept such a powerful expression of Christ’s love for him, and his initial response was to refuse Christ’s love.
How often have we done the same to someone who offered to do something helpful or kind for us? Can you think of a time when someone offered you something small, that you refused even though you might have enjoyed it? A small gift, an offer to buy you lunch, water your plants when you are on vacation, or feed your pets, pick up something for you at the store when you are sick, or let you come stay with them when you are traveling?
To refuse another person’s act of love, no matter how small, is to refuse Christ’s love. We are accustomed to seeing the face of Christ in others that we serve, but it is difficult sometimes to see Christ’s face in those who wish to serve us. Next time, maybe reconsider your decision, like Peter did, and allow Jesus to love you, through the hands, and feet, and hearts of his faithful servants. They too, have been commanded by Christ to serve you:
“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.” ~ Jn 13:13-15
Holy Thursday Mass Readings:
Exodus 12:1-8,11-14 / Psalm 116:12-13,15-18 / 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 / John 13:1-15
