The Celebration of the Lord's Supper begins the three day liturgy, the Triduum. Today the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary prepare us for the re-presentation of the Lord’s Supper and our mandate from Jesus to be in service for others.
Serving the Community
The reading from the Book of Exodus describes the First Passover.
* [12:1–20] This section, which interrupts the narrative of the exodus, contains later legislation concerning the celebration of Passover. * [12:2] As if to affirm victory over Pharaoh and sovereignty over the Israelites, the Lord proclaims a new calendar for Israel. This month: Abib, the month of “ripe grain.” Cf. 13:4; 23:15; 34:18; Dt 16:1. It occurred near the vernal equinox, March–April. Later it was known by the Babylonian name of Nisan. Cf. Neh 2:1; Est 3:7.1
Psalm 116 is thanksgiving for recovery from illness.
* [Psalm 116] A thanksgiving in which the psalmist responds to divine rescue from mortal danger (Ps 116:3–4) and from near despair (Ps 116:10–11) with vows and Temple sacrifices (Ps 116:13–14, 17–19). The Greek and Latin versions divide the Psalm into two parts: Ps 116:1–9 and Ps 116:10–19, corresponding to its two major divisions.2
The reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians describes the Institution of the Lord’s Supper.
* [11:23–25] This is the earliest written account of the institution of the Lord’s Supper in the New Testament. The narrative emphasizes Jesus’ action of self-giving (expressed in the words over the bread and the cup) and his double command to repeat his own action.3
In the Gospel of John, Jesus washes the Disciples’ Feet.
* [13:1–20] Washing of the disciples’ feet. This episode occurs in John at the place of the narration of the institution of the Eucharist in the synoptics. It may be a dramatization of Lk 22:27—“I am your servant.” It is presented as a “model” (“pattern”) of the crucifixion. It symbolizes cleansing from sin by sacrificial death.4
Tom Shanahan S.J. comments that foot washing teaches several things. It is not easy to have our feet washed. They smell. They are not always very attractive. It is a part of our bodies that we rarely let others touch or caress. And, it is not easy to wash the feet of another. This is all a powerful drama representing the power of love. It is not easy for me to let you love me. It is not easy for me to love you. Parts of me are not very acceptable.
Jesus loves us unconditionally, that is, without condition. He loves us, not because we deserve it. He loves us because we need loving. He tells us to love the same way. Tonight we are given his Eucharistic, self-sacrificing example of how to love each other. "This much," he says. "Love each other this completely, this freely, loving the most unattractive parts of each other, where love is needed most."5
Don Schwager quotes “Christ chose to be a servant who offered himself for us,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Even though the man Christ Jesus, in the form of God together with the Father with whom He is one God, accepts our sacrifice, nonetheless He has chosen in the form of a servant to be the sacrifice rather than accept it. Therefore, He is the priest Himself Who presents the offering, and He Himself is what is offered." (excerpt from City of God, 10,20)6
The Word Among Us Meditation on Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14 looks at the Hebrew Passover to see if we can come to understand more deeply the new Passover of Jesus, our Messiah.
The Jews had to eat their Passover meal in a hurry. But you don’t have to hurry. As he said to his disciples, Jesus says to you, “Remain here and keep watch with me” (Matthew 26:38). Many parishes offer Adoration this evening after Mass. Take this time as an opportunity to linger with Jesus. Adore, thank, and praise him for being the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world—including yours. “Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world. Have mercy on us. Grant us peace.”7
Friar Jude Winkler shares the history of the agricultural celebration of Passover and the re-presenting of the events of the Exodus. The Aramaic meaning of Jesus’ words illuminate the re-presenting of the Last Supper in which we participate during the liturgy tonight. Friar Jude notes the difficulty we have, like Peter, with the vulnerability requested by Jesus to allow us to receive fullness of life.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares that Saints Francis of Assisi (1182–1226) and Clare of Assisi (1194–1253) are powerful examples of people who surrendered their lives to God, and discovered who they really were in God.
God is the only one we can surrender to without losing ourselves. It’s a paradox. I can’t prove it to you, and it sure doesn’t always feel like that, but I promise it’s true. Francis and Clare lost and let go of all fear of suffering; all need for power, prestige, and possessions; and all need for their small self to be important—and they came out on the other side knowing something essential: who they really were in God and thus who they really were. Their house was then built on “bedrock,” as Jesus says (Matthew 7:24). Such an ability to really change is often the fruit of suffering, and various forms of poverty, since the false self does not surrender without a fight to its death. If suffering is “whenever we are not in control” (my definition), then we can understand why some form of suffering is absolutely necessary to teach us how to live beyond the illusion of control and to give that control back to God. Francis and Clare voluntarily leapt into the very fire from which most of us are trying to escape, with total trust that Jesus’ way of the cross could not, and would not, be wrong.8
As we begin our Triduum observance, we seek the guidance of the Spirit in our response to the invitation to vulnerability and service to others.
References
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