We Remember, We Re-live

 

 Though the word, "remember", appears frequently in the Old Testament, we only hear Jesus use the word during the Last Supper. 

It is not his miracles or his parables that Jesus tells his disciples to remember. Rather, it is the gift of his Body and Blood in the Eucharist that he wishes to leave as an everlasting legacy to his followers. 

As a good Jew, when Jesus says to his disciples, "Do this in remembrance of me", he is not asking them to reenact the Last Supper the way we might reenact a play. Instead, he wants his Body and Blood to be given to believers to sustain them throughout the centuries. 

What we celebrate is not just a commemoration of what Jesus did. It is the real thing. Whenever we celebrate Mass, we are at the foot of the cross where Jesus' body is offered and his blood spilled for us.

 It is what Saint Paul describes so clearly for us in this evening's second reading: "For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes" (1 Cor 11:26 RSV). 

 One of the most powerful and moving Negro spirituals is "Were You There." In beautiful simplicity, the song asks us if we were there when they crucified our Lord and invites us to tremble at the thought of our Savior's death. 

We were not there. We were not in the upper room at the Last Supper to share a meal with Jesus and have our feet washed by him. We were not in the garden when Jesus was undergoing his agony. We were not at the foot of the cross when he suffered and died. Nor were we at the tomb when the women discovered that it was empty and that Jesus was alive. Yet at every Mass we are brought there through the power of memory and the mystery of faith. 

Jesus comes to us in the form of bread and wine just as surely as he was present to the apostles. It is the same flesh crucified to the cross and the same blood which was spilled which we receive. Our sins are truly forgiven and we are empowered to live a new life in the Spirit.

 With this evening's liturgy, Lent officially comes to an end and the great feast we call the "Holy Triduum" begins. 

During these three days- Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil- we relive the events of Jesus' life which won for us the forgiveness of sins and the promise of everlasting life. These days mark our Passover from the slavery of sin and death to the freedom of the children of God. 

Through our commemoration of these saving events, we are brought "there"- to Jerusalem, to the upper room, to Golgotha- so that we may bring Jesus and his saving power "here"- "here" to our homes, "here" to our schools, "here" to our places of business, and "here" to our hearts. 

 The thought of it should cause us to tremble

Jesus' Ongoing Presence

In 1932, a popular magazine asked the English author, G.K. Chesterton, to write an article with the title, “How Would Jesus Solve the World’s Problems If He Were Alive Today?”. In his usual style, Chesterton surprised the editors by answering the question in an unexpected way. He wrote that Jesus is indeed still alive today. He makes His presence known on altars all over the world. And He is indeed still helping to solve the world’s problems by inspiring the hearts of those who believe in Him and moving their hands to help their neighbors in need.

Tonight, we gather here to celebrate Jesus’ ongoing presence in our world. We commemorate the supper He shared with His apostles in which He left us the gift of His Body and Blood. Though we call this meal, “The Last Supper”, it really should be called “The First Supper”, because it was a meal that, from then on, would be repeated throughout history right down to this very night. On this altar and on altars all over the world, our Risen Lord Jesus reveals Himself to us in the bread and wine we offer. Not only does He reveal Himself, but He offers Himself to us once again. We receive His Body into our bodies so that we can be united with Him always.

Jesus is still alive among us. He brings comfort to those in sorrow. Many times people sit quietly in this church pouring their troubles out before Jesus in the Eucharist. They pray for their children, they agonize over their jobs and they sob over the loved ones they have lost. Encountering Jesus in this tabernacle, they bring Him their fears and He gives them faith. They bring Him their despair and He inspires them with hope. They bring Him their cold hearts and He fires them up with a burning love. All this takes place here and throughout the world because of the tremendous gift of the Eucharist which Jesus left to us on this Holy Thursday night.

In today’s world, it can be difficult to believe that Jesus can really be present in the form of bread and wine. We disbelieve what we cannot see for ourselves. As a result, we tend to treat the Eucharist as merely a symbol of Jesus’ presence rather than what it really is, His true Body and Blood. However, when we approach Mass with that attitude, we miss out on all the graces that Jesus wants to offer us in this Blessed Sacrament. We miss out on the comfort of His presence in our hearts. We miss out on being touched by the love He has for us. We miss out on the transforming power of His love. Whenever we find ourselves doubting the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, we must beg God to open our eyes so that we can receive all that He has to give us through this most holy mystery He instituted for us on this Holy Thursday night.

Jesus is still alive and active in the world today through the mystery of the Holy Eucharist. However, there is another mysterious way in which He makes His presence known in today’s world. It is through us who believe in Him. When we receive Holy Communion, we become His Body. As such, we bring His presence out into the world. It is up to us to bring Jesus’ comfort to those who are mourning. It is up to us to feed the hungry. It is up to us, through the power we receive in the Eucharist, to serve our sisters and brothers in need.

Jesus makes this clear in tonight’s gospel by washing His apostles’ feet. In doing so He left them and us an example to follow. If we believe that Jesus humbles Himself enough to offer Himself to us in the form of bread and wine, then we must become humble enough to offer ourselves to one another no matter how dirty the job. Only in that way can Christ’s presence radiate from this place of worship to a suffering world. As Saint Teresa of Avila put it in her beautiful poem, “Christ has no hands now but ours.”

Jesus is alive and active in the world today through the Eucharist we celebrate and through the service that Christians offer on behalf of the poor. This is the night when we celebrate that loving presence and commit ourselves more earnestly to work on behalf of those who are longing to know the consolation that only God can give.

It is an ancient tradition on this Holy Thursday night to end our celebration by spending an hour in prayer before our Lord in the Eucharist. Just as He asked His disciples to stay awake one hour with Him as He agonized over the cruel death He would suffer, He asks us to do so as well. During that time, let us ask to experience the comfort that comes from believing that He is present in our midst. Let us also ask Him to strengthen our hands to do His work. Then, there will be no question that He is alive and present in this suffering world.

Wash Me And I Will Be Whiter Than Snow

Every year, we keep the beautiful tradition of re-enacting the washing of the feet on Holy Thursday.

Most people, when they are invited to take part in this ceremony by having their feet washed, feel honored. However, there can also be a feeling of embarrassment for some people. First of all, most people feel nervous getting up in front of a crowd even if they will not be saying or doing anything. Secondly, it can be awkward to take our shoe off and expose our foot. For many of us, our feet are not our most attractive feature. That’s why we cover them up with stockings and shoes. Many people also feel vulnerable when their shoes are off. What if there’s a fire or other emergency and I have to run out of church with only one shoe on? Finally, as if showing our foot was not embarrassing enough, the priest is going to take it in his hand, pour water over it and dry it off with a towel.

So while it is natural to feel honored when invited to take part in the foot washing ceremony, it is also natural to feel nervous and uncomfortable about it.

Now, let’s imagine how uncomfortable it must have felt for the apostles when Jesus stooped down to wash their feet. They did not come from wealthy backgrounds. They would not have been used to going to lavish dinners at rich people’s homes. So it is very likely that, although it was a custom of the day, they would not have been used to having their feet washed. Also, since foot washing was done only by servants, it would have been a shock for them to see Jesus doing it. In fact, we know it was uncomfortable for them because Peter jumps up and, at first, refuses to have Jesus do it for him.

Jesus did not wash the apostles’ feet because He couldn’t stand the smell anymore or because He didn’t want them to track dirt into the dining room. Rather, He did it to give them - and us - an example. If Jesus, the Lord and Savior of the World, was humble enough to wash the feet of His followers, we should do the same for one another. Jesus came to earth to serve and not to be served. As His followers, we must do the same.

Foot washing is an apt symbol because keeping Jesus’ commandment to love one another can get us into some awkward and tense situations. We might have to serve people who smell bad or are obnoxious. We might have to deal with people who don’t speak our language or whose culture is foreign to us. We may have to go to places we are not familiar with or be put in situations in which we do not feel comfortable. Often, we can be left feeling awkward, nervous or out of place. Nonetheless, if we are to follow Jesus’ example, we have to tolerate and even embrace that discomfort with patience, understanding and love toward those whom God places in our lives.

As if washing the disciples’ feet was not humiliating enough, Jesus goes a step further. After cleansing them, He feeds them His own Body and Blood. He empties Himself, holding nothing back, to unite Himself to the them - and to us - in the most intimate way possible.

Just as with the foot washing, Jesus gives Himself to us in the Eucharist not only to nourish us but to give us an example. We must empty ourselves - giving until it hurts - to bring Jesus to others. Just as He gives Himself to us though it cost Him His life, we must give ourselves to others.

Every condemned person gets a last meal. When He was facing an unjust and torturous death, Jesus chose to spend His last meal not indulging Himself but indulging those He loved by washing their feet and nourishing them with His own Body and Blood. In the same way, Jesus calls us not to spend our lives indulging ourselves but caring for the needs of others. But first we must allow Him to wash us and feed us. Then we will have strength to bear the embarrassment, vulnerability and outright fear that comes with going out to the fringes of society.

Jesus has done it all for us. Now we must go and do the same for one another.