Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper
Today begins the Easter Triduum with Holy Thursday liturgy, continuing with Good Friday and Holy Saturday, and reaching its high point in the Easter Vigil. The Easter Triduum is the culmination of the liturgical year in proclaiming Jesus’ passion and resurrection.
The readings for the Holy Thursday liturgy begin with the Exodus reading (12: 1-8, 11-14), which includes the ritual instructions for the Passover of the Lord. The blood of the Passover lamb was placed on the doorpost to protect the firstborn from the angel of death. On that night the Israelites were released from slavery in Egypt. Remembrance and celebration of this freedom continues with the yearly Jewish Passover celebration.
In three out of the four gospels, Jesus’ last supper with his disciples is during the Passover celebration. Jesus is seen as the new Passover. Through his death and resurrection we are finally liberated from all bondage, including sin and death. In John’s gospel (which today’s reading is taken from), Jesus is arrested before Passover. He is crucified on the preparation day for Passover at the same time that the lambs are being sacrificed in the temple. Jesus is the new and perfect Passover lamb.
Today’s gospel reading (John 13: 1-15) focuses on Jesus’ washing of the disciples’ feet at their last supper together. Seen as an act of humility generally performed by a servant or slave, the disciples were undoubtedly surprised by Jesus’ actions. “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.” Jesus clearly calls us to humility and service to others.
Over the years at various parishes I have been in, I’ve had the opportunity at Holy Thursday services to both have my feet washed and to wash the feet of others. In those experiences, I have found that it takes a greater humility for me to allow someone else to wash my feet than it does to wash theirs. It can be a grace-filled honor to serve others when it is done out of love. I think it is more difficult to expose our need, our vulnerabilities, our “dirt” to other people and allow them to “wash our feet”. Just as Peter felt unworthy and initially told Jesus, “you will never wash my feet;” it can be difficult to open to others, and even to Jesus, to clean what is unclean. However, as Jesus said to Peter, “Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me.” May we, as Peter, also say to Jesus, “Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well.”
As we continue to prepare ourselves for the celebration of Easter, let us allow Jesus to wash us completely clean, not holding back any of ourselves of which we are ashamed. And let us pray, also, for the humility to be a servant to others and to let others be as Christ to us in our need, for this is at the heart of being a disciple of Jesus.
- Eileen Miller