Holy Thursday (Fr. Vinner)
“LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU”.
MY SISTERS AND BROTHERS IN THE LORD,
We have heard what Jesus did at the Last Supper: It is a gesture of farewell. He is God and he makes himself a servant, our servant. It is like an inheritance. You also must be servants of one another. He crossed this path by love. Also you must love each other and be servants in Love. This is the inheritance that Jesus leaves us. And he makes this gesture of washing feet, which is a symbolic act. The slaves performed this, the servants at the meals for the people who came to dine because at that time the streets were made of dirt and when they entered in a house it was necessary to wash one’s feet. And Jesus made performed this action, a work, a service of a slave, of a servant. And this he leaves like an inheritance amongst us. We must be servants of each other.
And for this, the church, today, commemorates the Last Supper, when Jesus instituted the Eucharist, he also—in the ceremony—performs the action of the washing of the feet, which reminds us that we must be servants of one another. Now I will perform this act, but all of us, in our hearts, let us think of others and think in the love that Jesus tells us that we have to have for the others and let us consider also how we can serve better, other people. Because Jesus wanted it this way amongst us.
Always I think of the instruction to the homilist at this Mass that the homily should be about the institution of the Holy Eucharist and of the priestly order, and the commandment of the Lord concerning fraternal charity.
The first reading today, from the Book of Exodus, tells us about the Passover Meal for our Jewish ancestors in the faith. This account helps us understand how Jesus Himself becomes the Paschal Lamb and sheds His blood for us. Just as the Jewish people had to put the blood of the paschal lamb on their doorposts, we Christians must drink the blood of Christ. We are marked by this blood and in His blood we are saved.
The second reading comes from the First Letter to the Corinthians and is the oldest account that we Christians have concerning the Last Supper, when Jesus institutes the Holy Eucharist, the way of sharing in His suffering, death and resurrection. This precious gift to us, the followers of Jesus, is part of the belief of all of the early Christians: Jesus gives Himself for us in the breaking of the bread. This is not just symbol, but reality!
In the Gospel of John, given to us today in this celebration, we have the demonstration of how to love one another: we must wash one another’s feet. This means truly to serve one another, not just to think nice thoughts about one another. We must serve one another and do what is best for one another.
Jesus is so clear in His words to us this day: “I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.”Far too often Christianity is seen as simply a system of beliefs that cause problems for people who believe. For us, our Christianity must be this living relationship with Jesus that causes us to delight in serving one another and living as Jesus lived. Our symbols must be also our reality. We must do the difficult task of serving one another, even if it costs us our life.
MAY GOD BLESS YOU,
FR.S.VINNER HGN.