Only God knows how much…
As a young boy I remember my mother using the expression: “Only God knows!” I can’t recall what she was talking about, but a few years ago there was a best selling novel, about a young warrior dying in the arms of his wife and speaking these words to her: “Only God knows how much I have loved you.”
If we have trouble expressing and knowing deep love for each other, how much more challenging it is to know God’s love for us!
At the Last Supper, Jesus models for us clearly how much God loves us; as he, the “master and teacher” stoops to wash the feet of those he has led and taught—those very disciples who will betray and deny him in His last hour.
The first Holy Thursday night was the eve of Jesus’ pending death, yet Jesus is not focused on himself, but on his disciples. Rather than thinking about himself, he is still teaching and modeling love for his disciples and us. He gives himself to them—twice: he gives his Body and Blood; he gives himself in humble service, as a model of how we should be towards one another. In both of these acts of giving, Jesus shows how “he loved them to the end.”
Our Gospel this evening explicitly names one betrayer, but implies others. Not only Judas but eventually most of the disciples “betrayed” Jesus by abandoning him in his last hour. (According to John’s Gospel, only his mother, the beloved disciple and some women stood by him at the cross.) Yet, Christ loved them to the end.
In spite of our failures and the many times we turn away from him, he still loves us to the end. The model Jesus gives us to follow is a love so other-centered and so complete that it overlooks the weakness of others and instead draws out the good in them.
In spite of our weaknesses, Jesus still works to strengthen his relationship with us. He sends the Holy Spirit in the times of our greatest needs.
The two acts of his self-giving are truly acts of reconciliation. By sharing in his body and blood, we are made one with him. By taking up his service ministry, we are made one with each other.
Through the Eucharist and his service ministry, two sides of the same coin, our actions draw us to focus on self-giving. Our relationships are healed and strengthened in such activity – giving oneself for the sake of another. We are able to love those who have wronged us because Jesus gave us an example: “he loved them to the end.” We prove our love by doing likewise!
To “love to the end” means that even the deepest hurt ought not prevent us from giving ourselves to one another.
Jesus washed the feet of His Disciples. He washes our feet too. He empties Himself on the cross for us to clean up our lives. Then, he calls on us to do the same for others. This is His mandate to us.
But what does this have to do with the Last Supper? During the Last Supper Jesus gave His Body and His Blood as the sacrament of His Sacrifice on the Cross-. He knew that we could not restore the eternal life mankind lost. Only the Lamb that was slain could re-open the sealed book of God’s will for mankind, the scroll we hear about in Revelation. Our reception of the Body and Blood of Christ is our union with the Lamb on the Cross. But the gift of the Body and Blood of the Lord comes with a mandate, “What you have seen me doing, you must do.” It is similar to the condition for receiving forgiveness from the Lord. If we wish to receive forgiveness, we need to forgive. If we wish to receive the Love of the Lord, we need to love others. God does the heavy work, but He expects us to join Him in doing our part.
The receiving of the Eucharist was never intended to be a private devotion. Christianity itself was never meant to be mere meditation. As Christians, we are called to bring Christ to all others. Even when we pray before the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament after we receive communion, or during Eucharistic Adoration, we are not engaged in private devotion, or private meditation. Our Eucharistic devotion is in union with the One who gave everything for us and called us to do the same. We ask Him to strengthen us to imitate Him in giving ourselves to others.
We receive the Eucharist through the mediation of those set apart to transform bread and wine into Body and Blood, our priests and bishops. Today we celebrate the institution of the priesthood. When the Lord said, “Do this in memory of me,” He established a means of continuing the Last Supper through designated individuals. Those called to act in persona Christi, in the person of Jesus Christ. Through the choice of the Lord and the action of the Spirit at ordination, the priest presides over the Sacred Meal of the Lord where Christ is made present in the bread and wine.
There are many very beautiful actions in this evening’s liturgy: the reception of the Holy Oils, the washing of parishioner’s feet, the declaration that the people are holy by incensing the congregation, and the procession with the Blessed Sacrament from the Church to the altar of reposition in the chapel where we join the disciples and watch and pray with the Lord. All of these rites, and all our actions this evening are far more than an annual reminder of the Last Supper. No. Everything we do this evening and, for that matter, at every Mass, is a participation in the transformation of the world. Jesus Christ has staked His Claim on the world. The world belongs to Him. He calls us now to win it for Him. He tells us to do this through acts of selfless charity. May we have the courage to fulfill this task.
Happy Holy Thursday!