Mass of the Last Super Year B
Exod 12:1-8, 11-14;
1 Cor 11:23-26;
John 13:1-15
Last Tuesday morning many, the Archbishops, clergy, religious and
the entire faithful gathered in their cathedrals to celebrate the Chrism Mass.
That morning liturgy was an expression of our faith in Christ, the High Priest,
the unity of the Sacred Priesthood and appreciation of Christ’s one redeeming
Sacrifice of Love. Oils of Catechumens, the Sick and of Chrism were blessed.
Oils that the Holy Father, Pope Francis, during his Chrism Mass in Rome has
encouraged every priest to go out and anoint the faithful with, especially the
sick, the poor and the needy!
This evening, we begin the Sacred Triduum, three solemn days
which encompass the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ and draw each and every one
of us into remembering His passion, death and resurrection. You and I know the
power of memory, remembrance! Remembering is so powerful. It revitalizes,
reactivates and keeps past reality alive in us.
Holy Thursday brings to our minds three gifts:
the gifts of the Lord’s Super/the Holy Eucharist, the gift of the Sacred
Priesthood and the gift of Christ redeeming love, love that is stronger than
death, stronger than the fear of the fleeing disciples, stronger than the untruthfulness
of the power mongering Pilate and of the few “Jewish elites”; a love stronger
than the betrayal of Judas, the denials of Peter, the mockeries of the Roman
soldiers and human selfishness. Christ, the High priest loves His own to
the end all of us, our pastors, our priests, deacons, sisters, mom, dad, our
children, friends, grandpas and grandmas (Jn 13:1). Where ever you are located
here in this Church tonight, know that Christ loves you!
The first reading (Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14) gives us a pre-figure
of the institution of the Eucharist which is the Christian Passover meal. In
the second reading (1 Cor. 11:23-26), St. Paul narrates the manner with which
Christ instituted this great sacrament and gave his apostles the mandate to
celebrate it in his memory. The Eucharist is a topic that can never be
exhausted because it is a theology about God which cannot be fully
comprehended.
The Eucharist of which institution we reenact today is a banquet
of love, gratitude and service. It provides us with a particular opportunity to
remember not only how much God loves and would want to “wash our feet” but His
ever living presence in our lives, in our homes and families. It teaches us to
cultivate a sense of gratitude.
Unfortunately, brothers and sisters, today we experience rancor
and discord not just among Christians but also among communicating Catholics.
How has the Eucharist united our purposes and intent? Some come to Church with
malice in their hearts against other worshippers and even against the Church.
Perhaps, they expected one privilege, office or recognition from the Church
which they didn’t receive. That is why today, in the parishes, you see people
who deliberately attack the church and maliciously work towards the downfall of
parish projects.
Our communion with the Church should be seen in our obedience
and co-operation with the hierarchy of the Church beginning with our
cooperation with our societal leaders, catechists, priests and bishops. How do
we relate with our local catechist, the seminarian on apostolic work, the
parish priest(s), rectors, chaplain, bishop(s) etc? Do we support their
ministry? The Eucharist we receive through the exercise of their ministry
should unite us with them. Our communion with our neighbour should be seen in
our relationship with them. We should avoid hatred, injustice and other vices
that will hurt this communion with others.
The command “Do this in memory of me” during the institution of
the Eucharist implies the institution of the priesthood. Jesus willed that
there be ministers to constantly renew this communion for us, those ministers
today, we regard as the hierarchy of the Church – deacons, priests, bishops.
Today, priests are reminded of the sacred nature of their
calling and are invited to renew their commitment to their priestly ministry,
living up to the expectations of their calling. They should be more concerned
with the Eucharist than with worldly affairs. Their practical attitude towards
the Eucharist is the highest theology on the Eucharist they can teach the
faithful. They should not be allergic to Eucharistic adorations because
it is the source of the priestly power.
The faithful are also enjoined to keep praying for their priests
and never to go about criticizing them or attacking them. We all are men of God
but priests by virtue of their ordination become not just men of God or
ministers of God like every other minister but Alter Christus (Another
Christ). An insult on a priest is a slap on Christ’s face.
The Eucharist is a sacrament motivated by love, celebrated in
love, given in love, and should be received in love and lived out in love. The
Eucharist is also consummated in love, the love of Him who chose to make
himself significantly present in apparently insignificant materials – the love
of self-abasement (self-emptying). As a sacrament of love, it should
motivate all our actions towards the other.
In the gospel reading, Jesus gives us two components of this
love – humility and service. He exhorts us to be humble and ready to serve
others by washing the feet of others (though not a physical imperative to go
about washing peoples’ feet on the streets). We can understand the concept of
washing of feet when we regard one’s feet as the dirtiest part of the body and
washing one’s feet implies doing for another, the most humiliating thing we can
imagine.
Jesus wants us to wash each other’s feet by tolerating their
weaknesses, forgiving their faults, accommodating them, caring for them even
when we think they do not deserve them. We should go extra miles in serving the
other no matter how highly placed we are. We should also be unconditional in
our love and service for others.
In conclusion beloved brethren, we are challenged today to
recognize the Eucharist as a sacrament of communion and to go home with a more
committed communion with God, the Church, our neighbours and even ourselves.
This communion should be seen in our relationship with our priests and
neighbours and should foster love, tolerance, humility and service to all. God
loves you.
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