It is good to be with you this evening, my first real Triduum celebration with all of you here at Nativity. We are getting closer to normal but we aren’t quite done with all of the regulations that the Vatican and the Archdiocese are giving us: do this, don’t do that - and these next few days will feel different than usual.
But at the same time we are bringing back some singing and opening up pews to allow people the flexibility to social distance as they wish, which is especially helpful for bigger families.
It is difficult to manage all of the differences, trying to stay true to the Church, keeping the sacraments available first and foremost, looking at the rubrics of all these unusual liturgies, trying to honor what is essential and important while still being obedient to the Archbishop.
So, as difficult it is, I do always try to remember that it is the Church’s liturgy and not mine, and I am just trying to keep it in between the lines as best that I can, appreciating first and foremost that we are celebrating the sacraments as a community this year.
But one thing I always appreciate is when the church tells me what to preach about, today it says:
After the proclamation of the Gospel, the Priest gives a homily in which light is shed on the principal mysteries that are commemorated in this Mass, namely, the institution of the Holy Eucharist and of the priestly order, and the commandment of the Lord concerning fraternal charity.
There are always so many different ways I could go in a homily, I appreciate the directness of the Church to say, “this is what Priests are to preach on.”
For the last year, most every Thursday, I read this particular Gospel, I actually read from the start of chapter 13, which is where we started here, through chapter 17. I do this because it is known as His “Farewell Discourse” which He gave to his disciples on Holy Thursday. So I ponder this quite a bit, the washing of the feet in the context of the Last Supper and this night leading up to Jesus’ Passion.
First of all, we should notice that there is not much about the actual Supper in John’s Gospel account, it just says, “So, during supper…” So it doesn’t talk about the Last Supper, but in Matthew, Mark and Luke it does talk a lot about the Supper itself, the institution of the Holy Eucharist, and not at all about the washing of the feet.
The reason is because John talked about the institution of the Eucharist a year before, during the Passover the previous year, and we can read all about that in John Chapter 6, which is my favorite chapter of the bible. I should probably read that chapter every Thursday as well.
But I have got to think that hardly any of this made sense to the Apostles. In John 6, some of the disciples actually stopped following Jesus and returned to their former way of life, the verse is John 6:66, where they couldn’t understand what Jesus was talking about when he said, “For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.” (John 6:55-56)
This was not symbolic, Jesus meant it literally, and even though Peter didn’t act too sure about it then, we read Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”
And here today we heard about Simon Peter again when Jesus is about to wash his feet. “He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Master, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing, you do not understand now, but you will understand later.”
So they didn’t fully understand, if they understood at all, about the Eucharist, about the foot washing, but Jesus told them that they would later.
And it seems to me that they only had to wait a few days until they started to understand this, I mean, with the crucifixion, they probably thought everything was over, who cares what He said about eating his body and blood or if He washed their feet or not if He was dead, many of their hopes died along with Him on the Cross.
But then when Jesus rose from the dead, when they saw Him resurrected, then they could begin to understand. A God that can suffer a horrific death and yet return to life can surely figure out a way to turn common bread and wine into His body and blood if He wants, right?
So Jesus’ Resurrection was the proof of what He had been saying all along, destroy this temple and raise it in three days… you ought to wash one another’s feet... Unless you eat of the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood… those who believe in me will never die… I am the Father are One... all sorts of things that didn’t make any sense were starting to make sense to Peter and all of the Apostles in hindsight, after the Resurrection.
The Apostles on this night were commissioned as the first priests to carry out Jesus’ mission, to share His love with the world through helping everyone encounter Jesus in the Eucharist.
It is because Jesus has first loved us that we are able to go and love and serve one another. This is a new commandment given by Jesus on this night.
Sometimes people will call this day “Maundy Thursday” and that is because “Maundy” in short for the Latin, mandatum which means “Commandment,” a Commandment of Fraternal Charity, “so that as I have done for you, you should also do.”
But the only way that we will truly be able to carry this out in our lives is that we understand, truly understand, that Jesus suffered, died and rose from the dead out of love for us, and that He can do all things, seemingly the impossible, for love of us.
How are we carrying out Jesus’ new commandment of fraternal charity?
Do we truly appreciate the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist?
Every day we hopefully come to understand these core teachings in a deeper way. With faith and trust, we turn now to Jesus in the Eucharist, so that He would strengthen us with the sacrament of His love, in order that we can carry out His commandment to love one another.