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HOMILIES ARCHIVE
HOMILIES
Dear Audience,For better understanding of the spiritual message behind this homily I kindly remind you to first read and contemplate the biblical texts before reading or listening to my preaching - a human reflection on the Word of God!
Holy Thursday (Year A)
1028
3
0First Reading
A reading from the Book of Exodus (12:1-8, 11-14)
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, "This month shall stand at the head of your calendar; you shall reckon it the first month of the year. Tell the whole community of Israel: On the tenth of this month every one of your families must procure for itself a lamb, one apiece for its household. If a family is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join the nearest household in procuring one and shall share in the lamb in proportion to the number of persons who partake of it. The lamb must be a year-old male and without blemish. You may take it from either the sheep or the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, and then, with the whole assembly of Israel present, it shall be slaughtered during the evening twilight. They shall take some of its blood and apply it to the two doorposts and the lintel of every house in which they partake of the lamb. That same night they shall eat its roasted flesh with unleavened bread and bitter herbs."
"This is how you are to eat it: with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand, you shall eat like those who are in flight. It is the Passover of the Lord. For on this same night I will go through Egypt, striking down every firstborn of the land, both man and beast, and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt - I, the Lord! But the blood will mark the houses where you are. Seeing the blood, I will pass over you; thus, when I strike the land of Egypt, no destructive blow will come upon you.
"This day shall be a memorial feast for you, which all your generations shall celebrate with pilgrimage to the Lord, as a perpetual institution."
(P) The word of the Lord.(R) Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalms of David (116:12-13, 15-16c, 17-18)
(R) Our blessing-cup is a communion with the blood of Christ.
How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good He has done for me? The cup of salvation I will take up, and I will call upon the name of the Lord. (R)
Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of His faithful ones. I am your servant, the son of your handmaid; you have loosed my bonds. (R)
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving, and I will call upon the name of the Lord. My vows to the Lord I will pay in the presence of all His people. (R)
Second Reading
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians (11:23-26)
Brothers and sisters: I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.
(P) The word of the Lord.(R) Thanks be to God.
Gospel
A reading from the Gospel according to John (13:1-15)
Before the feast of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass from this world to the Father. He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.
The devil had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand him over. So, during supper, fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God, he rose from supper and took off his outer garments. He took a towel and tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and dry them with the towel around his waist.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Master, are you going to wash my feet?" Jesus answered him, "What I am doing, you do not understand now, but you will understand later." Peter said to him, "You will never wash my feet." Jesus answered him, "Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me." Simon Peter said to him, "Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well." Jesus said to him, "Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed, for he is clean all over; so you are clean, but not all." For he knew who would betray him; for this reason, he said, "Not all of you are clean."
So when he had washed their feet and put his garments back on and reclined at table again, he said to them, "Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me "teacher" and "master", and rightly so, for indeed I am. 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."
(P) The Gospel of the Lord.(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Homily
Last Sunday we gathered together to celebrate our Lord Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. We reflected on the time, place, occasion and the manner in which he travelled to Jerusalem and, the joyful welcome the people of Jerusalem gave him. Finally, you may remember, we were left with a question to ponder, "Who is this?" It is the same question the people were asking, perhaps in fear or in wonder, or in anger or in hatred or in delight or in hope, as Jesus entered the Holy City. When this question is personalized, it becomes the most important question a Christian asks, and should ask and find answers to it. Who is Jesus Christ to you?
In today's gospel John says, "He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end." That is to say, Jesus is someone who loves us to the end. His love is not a worldly love, but God's love. Worldly love involves a feeling of warmth, deep affection, tenderness, and strong liking towards a person who arouses admiration or delight in us. In other words, someone loves the person because there is something desirable in the person or beneficial to be gained from him/her. There is always a reason why the person wants to love the other. Ultimately, selfishness is at the center of worldly love, whereas God's love is spontaneous and "unmotivated" or "uninfluenced" and "unconditional". It means that there is nothing in the person to attract or prompt love, yet God loves the person as he/she is. God loves us for who we are. All Jesus' actions fit into God's love, not worldly love. One of the most significant times Jesus displays God's love is during the Passover meal with his disciples.
Today's gospel narrates Jesus and his disciples' arrival in Jerusalem to find a room to celebrate the Passover which for Jesus and his disciples is their last meal together. After the meal Jesus does something most unexpected. He takes off his outer garment and wraps a towel around his waist. And having poured water into a bowl, he kneels down in front of his disciples and begins to wash their feet. This action of Jesus shocks his disciples. While it is a Jewish custom to welcome guests into their house by providing a bowl of water for them to wash their own feet, not even the lowliest of servants would be expected to wash the feet of another person. But the Lord Jesus carries out the menial job of washing the feet of his disciples. His action reflects the image of his leaving Heaven and taking the form of a servant.
Then Jesus puts on his clothes again and asked, "Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me "teacher" and "master", and rightly so. If I, therefore, your 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", John (13:14-15). Jesus serves his disciples by performing the most humble of tasks, and then gives them the commandment, "You shall also wash one another's feet." That is to say, Jesus wants his disciples to imitate him. He wants them to follow his example and render the same kind of service to others. Friends, Jesus' commandment to his disciples to love and serve others as he did applies also to us. However, offering love and service to those who seem unworthy or socially beneath us may be hard and uncomfortable for many of us. And yet that's what Jesus wants us to do.
There is a story of a man who was born with an awful facial deformity. He grew up alone and lonely in a village. When reaching adulthood, he decided to move to a town to begin a new life. On his way he discovered a beautiful mask that fitted his face and made him look handsome. At first the mask was uncomfortable and he was afraid that people would find out who he really was, but he continued to wear the mask every day. In his new hometown, he made many friends. But one day a wicked woman from his village came to this town and exposed this man's true identity. In front of his friends, she forced him to remove his mask. When he removed the mask, it revealed a handsome face. His face had conformed to the mask.
Friends, becoming like Christ is similar to the experience of this man. If we put on Christ at first we may find it difficult and unnatural or feel uncomfortable. For instance, loving, forgiving, and helping someone who is disloyal, betrays and deceives us may be hard and uncomfortable in the beginning. But if every day we just keep putting on Christ and bear with pain and suffering, we will day by day, grow to look more like him.
(P) Amen.God Bless You!
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