Help me roll away this stone and find the miracle of a new life,
That I may live more fully in your grace.”
Tony Kayala, c.s.c.
The Meeting
From The Connections:
THE WORD:
The centerpiece of John’s Gospel account of the Last Supper is the mandatum – from the Latin word for “commandment,” from which comes the traditional title for this evening, Maundy Thursday. At the Passover seder, the night before he died, Jesus established a new Passover to celebrate God's covenant with the new Israel. The special character of this second covenant is the mandatum of the washing of the feet -- to love one another as we have been loved by Christ.
(John makes no mention of the establishment of the Eucharist in his account of the Last Supper. Chapters 14, 15 and 16 recount Jesus’ last instructions to his disciples, followed by his “high priestly prayer” in chapter 17. The Johannine theology of the Eucharist is detailed in the “bread of life” discourse following the multiplication of the loaves and fish at Passover, in chapter 6 of his Gospel.)
Tonight’s first reading recounts the origin and ritual of the feast of Passover, the Jewish celebration of God's breaking the chains of the Israelites’ slavery in Egypt and leading them to their own land, establishing a covenant with them and making of them his own beloved people.
The deep divisions in the Corinthian community have led to abuses and misunderstandings concerning the “breaking of the bread.” In addressing these problems and articulating the proper spirit in which to approach the Lord’s Supper, Paul provides us with the earliest written account of the institution of the Eucharist, the Passover of the new covenant (this evening’s second reading). If we fail to embrace the spirit of love and servanthood in which the gift of the Eucharist is given to us, then “Eucharist” becomes a judgment against us.
Jesus, who revealed the wonders of God in stories about mustard seeds, fishing nets and ungrateful children, on this last night of his life – as we know life – leaves his small band of disciples his most beautiful parable: As I have washed your feet like a slave, so you must wash the feet of each other and serve one another. As I have loved you without limit or condition, so you must love one another without limit or condition. As I am about to suffer and die for you, so you must suffer and, if necessary, die for one another. Tonight’s parable is so simple, but its lesson is so central to what being a real disciple of Christ is all about. When inspired by the love of Christ, the smallest act of service done for another takes on extraordinary dimensions.
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The first reading reminds us that the Passover meal was a thanksgiving sacrifice, during which the Israelites recalled how the Lord had led them from the slavery of Egypt to the Promised Land. The Israelites were never to forget what God had done for them. To symbolize their readiness to journey to wherever the Lord was leading them, they had to eat the meal standing and in a hurry, they were a people on the move, ready to be led by their Saviour. We too recall our personal salvation history and so the Mass becomes a ‘looking back’ with gratitude and a ‘looking forward’ in hope. The Eucharist also reminds us that just as the angel of the Lord passed over the houses of the Israelites marked by the blood of the lamb, so the Lord passes over us, marked by the blood of Christ.
Do this in memory of me…..
Jesus asked his disciples to remember him and to celebrate the Eucharist in His memory. What are we celebrating each time we celebrate the Passover? Are we on purpose? Or have we forgotten where it all started? –It reminds me of the old hunting story of the deer hound which set off one morning chasing a magnificent buck. A few minutes into the chase a fox crossed that path and the hound veered off to chase the fox. A little later a rabbit crossed that path and the hound was soon baying after the rabbit. Then a squirrel crossed the path and the dog was pounding after him. Finally a field mouse crossed the path and the hound chased it into its burrow. The deer hound had begun chasing a great buck but would end up watching a mouse hole!
Walter Bausch in ’Telling compelling Stories’
The Gospel reminds us that just before he went to his passion, Jesus wished to celebrate his passing over with a farewell meal. His disciples sense that something is going to happen, there is tension in the air and to add to it all Jesus tells them that one with whom he is going to celebrate this meal is going to betray him. In spite of the rejection and the sense of failure, Jesus made the mighty decision to stay faithful to his mission from the Father. But Jesus does not let the anxiety of his passion or the present betrayal prevent him from showing the depth of his love. Having loved his own, he was ready to love them no matter what their response, no matter what the cost. When we reflect on the washing of the feet we regard it as a parable in action, the action of Jesus spoke for itself. As if to drive home the point still further, after Jesus had finished washing the feet of his disciples he turned to them and said, “If I have washed your feet then you too must wash one another’s feet. What I just did was to give you an example: as I have done so must you do.” When Jesus came to Peter, he refused to let Jesus wash his feet. Jesus tells Peter that if he does not wash Peter’s feet he can have no part in this meal. What Jesus is saying is that His action is more than an act of humble service. It points to the very nature of Jesus’ redeeming life and work: It is not we who redeem ourselves by anything we do; it is even more allowing ourselves to be washed; it is allowing Jesus to act in us and for us; it is letting Him be God and the only Saviour of our life.
Eating the Paschal Meal
Some theologians and preachers say that basically Jesus was killed because of the way he ate, whom he ate with, and what he encouraged them to do with one another as a sign of their allegiance to him and to the Kingdom of his Father. There is an old story told among Zen teachers. Once upon a time there was a family, the relatives of a poor samurai, who was dying of hunger. They approached Eisai’s temple, and the good monk there took the golden halo off the image of Buddha and gave it to them, telling them to go and sell it and buy food for themselves and find shelter. When others heard about it there were cries of “Sacrilege!” What reckless and dangerous behavior! What kind of precedent was set for the temples! But the monk calmly reminded them of the story of the Chinese master Tanka, who burned a wooden image to warm himself. And he preached to them: Buddha’s mind is full of love and mercy. If the Buddha had heard of the plight of these people, why, he would have cut off a limb if that would have helped them in their pain! What’s a halo or anything else that’s available in the face of human beings’ suffering and need? – We are invited to eat and drink at the table of the Lord, to have our feet washed, to enter the wounds and the heart of Jesus, to be his beloved friends. And we are told to do as Jesus did.
Megan McKenna in ‘Lent –The Sunday Readings’
Do this in memory of me
The author Leslie Weatherhead, tells of a frail ten-year old boy whose mother had died and he was admitted to a Children’s home run by some Sisters. The first thing they did was to give him a warm shower and some clean clothes. He loved the new outfit but put on his old tattered cap. He clutched it tightly when the Sisters tried to remove it. After coaxing, he exchanged it for a new one. But before accepting the new one, he ripped the lining of the old and stuffed it in his pocket. “Why did you do that?” Sister asked. “Because,” he replied, that’s part of my mother’s dress, I must keep it to remember her.
Anonymous
I don’t get anything out of it
Most people would be quite taken aback if a friend responded to a dinner invitation from them in this way. On Holy Thursday, Jesus gave us a permanent invitation to dinner with him. He promised that, no matter what the circumstances, he would always be there. He suggested that it would be a great way to become more intimately related to our believing sisters and brothers. He hoped that his followers would, by coming together for a meal, be constantly reminded of his great act of love in redeeming them, his death and resurrection. How many millions of Christians have responded by saying, “I’m not coming. I don’t get anything out of it.” We don’t get something out of an event unless we put something into it. We come to the Supper bringing our faith-supported convictions about God’s presence at the meal. We come because we care about our brothers and sisters, hoping that our own presence may be in some way helpful to their faith and prayerfulness. We come to be supportive of them in their present needs and struggles. We come because we know we will never get a better invitation to dinner.”
Eugene Lauer in ‘Sunday Morning Insights’
True worship of the heart
There is a story about some monks in France who were popular for their loving sympathy and kind deeds, but not one of them could sing. Try as they would, the music of their services was a failure, and it became a great grief to them. One day a travelling monk, a great singer, asked for hospitality. Great was their joy, for now they could have him sing for their services, and they hoped to keep him with them always. But that night an angel came to the abbot in a dream. “Why was there no music in your chapel tonight? We always listen for beautiful music that rises in your services.” “You must be mistaken!” cried the abbot. “Usually we have no music worth hearing, but tonight, we had a trained singer with a wonderful voice, and he sang the service for us. For the first time in all these years our music was beautiful.” The angel smiled. “And yet up in heaven we heard nothing,” he said softly.
Quoted from ‘Sunday Companion’ in ‘Quotes and Anecdotes’
The Peter Principle
Some years ago, a popular book called The Peter Principle was based on the premise that too often a person climbing the managerial ladder was promoted one step above his capacity to manage. A Christian variation on this theme could be called ‘The Simon Peter Principle,’ a rule which holds that St. Peter the Apostle was always over his head when assaying the humanity of Jesus. From the day when Jesus called Peter ‘Satan’ for supposing that he could escape human suffering to the night before he died, Peter clung to the belief that Jesus was somehow too good or too holy or too powerful to have to submit to the evil designs of his persecutors. To Peter’s mind, it was impossible that the Master could be so humbled. The ‘Simon Peter Principle’ lives on today in all of us who think that Jesus merely donned the cloak of humanity and went through the motions of human trial and suffering to set an example for the rest of us who are mired in the flesh. We pin our hopes in a God who could throw off his mantle of flesh at any moment and strike dead his tormentors. When alone in intimacy with the Saviour, we say with Peter, “You shall never wash my feet,” meaning, “Come on, I know who you really are. You can drop your pose with me.” In today’s Gospel, Jesus makes our acceptance of his total and authentic humanity a requirement for sharing his heritage. To be a Christian means much more than believing in God’s son come to earth. It means accepting the fact that God could be, and chose to be, and was humiliated…. Not just humble, but humiliated. We have seen Kings and Presidents and Popes behave humbly. We know that they can drop the pose any time. But Jesus could not drop the pose. It was no pose. Once he made the choice to drain the cup of suffering, there was no turning back. Jesus bent to the basin because a fully human being could find no other way of expressing sublime love.
Roger Swenson in ‘The Serious Season’
The man with no shoes
In the winter of 1990, I was asked to appear on a television talk show in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. At the end of our first day of taping I was on my way back to my plush hotel, when I saw something I’d never seen before. Lying on the sidewalk against a building in four inches of snow was a man sleeping with only a cardboard blanket to keep him from being completely exposed to the freezing cold. What really broke my heart was when I realized that he wore no shoes or socks. I thought to stop and help him but was not quite sure what to do. As the traffic light turned green, it seemed life was demanding that I move along. So I did and I promptly forgot about the man on the street. Several days later, prior to the morning taping, I was having coffee and Danish in the green room at the station. All of the “Important” people had left the room, it was just me and the janitor remaining. I had seen him quietly go about his business every day while I was there, and he never said a word except “Good morning” or “Can I get anything for you, sir?” He always had a smile to give to everyone. When I asked him how he was feeling today, he told me that he’d been having to ride his bike to work in the snow and that he’d been feeling rather sorry for himself…that is, until he saw a man sleeping down on the corner of Yonge Street and Bloor with just a piece of cardboard for covering from the cold and no shoes. I almost choked on my Danish as I heard him go on to relate how he was so moved with compassion for the man that he went around the corner to a store and bought the man a pair of socks and shoes. As I heard his story, I saw in my mind a poster that used to be in an old friend’s bedroom handing someone a flower and the caption read: “The smallest deed always exceeds the grandest of intentions.”
Fr. Sudac in ‘Hear His Voice’
****
From Fr. Tony Kadavil:
1) A challenge for humble service. Our celebration of the Eucharist requires that we wash one another’s feet, i.e., serve one another, and revere Christ's presence in other persons. In practical terms, that means we are to consider their needs to be as important as our own and to serve their needs, without expecting any reward. 2) A loving invitation for sacrificial sharing and self-giving love. Let us imitate the Self-giving model of Jesus Who shares with us His own Body and Blood and Who enriches us with His Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist. It is by sharing our blessings – our talents, time, health and wealth - with others that we become true disciples of Christ and obey his new commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you.” 3) An invitation to become Christ-bearers and Christ-conveyers: "Go forth, the Mass is ended," really means, “Go in peace to love and serve one another’’ We are to carry Jesus to our homes and places of work, conveying to others around us the love, mercy, forgiveness and spirit of humble service of Christ Whom we carry with us.
Jesus’ transformation of his last Seder meal (Last Supper) into the first Eucharistic celebration is described for us in today’s second reading and Gospel. Jesus, the Son of God, began His Passover celebration by washing the feet of His disciples (a service assigned to household servants), as a lesson in humble service, proving that He “came to the world not to be served but to serve.” (Mark 10:45). He followed the ritual of the Jewish Passover meal up to the second cup of wine. After serving the roasted lamb as a third step, Jesus offered His own Body and Blood as food and drink under the appearances of bread and wine. Thus, He instituted the Holy Eucharist as the sign and reality of God’s perpetual presence with His people as their living, Heavenly Food. This was followed by the institution of the priesthood with the command, “Do this in memory of me." Jesus concluded the ceremony with a long speech incorporating His command of love: “Love one another as I have loved you.” Thus, Jesus instituted the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist at a private Passover meal with His disciples (Matthew 26:17-30; Luke 21:7-23). He served as both the Host and the Victim of the Sacrifice. He became the Lamb of God, as John the Baptist had previously predicted (John 1:29, 36), Who takes away the sins of the world.
1: Communion on the moon: The Lord’s Supper ensures that we can remember Jesus from any place. Apollo 11 landed on the moon on Sunday, July 20, 1969. Most remember astronaut Neil Armstrong’s first words as he stepped onto the moon’s surface: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” But few know about the first meal eaten on the moon. Dennis Fisher reports that Buzz Aldrin, the NASA astronaut, had taken aboard the spacecraft a tiny pyx provided by his Catholic pastor. (Aldrin was Catholic, probably until his second marriage, when he became a Presbyterian. See the Snopes citation given below). Aldrin sent a radio broadcast to Earth asking listeners to contemplate the events of the day and give thanks. Then, blacking out the broadcast for privacy, Aldrin read, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit.” Then, silently, he gave thanks for their successful journey to the moon and received Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, surrendering the moon to Jesus. Next, he descended on the moon and walked on it with Neil Armstrong [Dan Gulley, “Communion on the Moon,” Our Daily Bread (June/July/August, 2007)]. His actions remind us that in the Lord’s Supper, God’s children can share the life of Jesus from any place on Earth — and even from the moon. God is everywhere, and our worship should reflect this reality. In Psalm 139 we are told that wherever we go, God is intimately present with us. Buzz Aldrin celebrated that experience on the surface of the moon. Thousands of miles from earth, he took time to commune with the One who created, redeemed, and established fellowship with him. (Dennis Fisher) http://www.smithvillechurch.org/html/body_remembering_jesus_on_the_moon.html https://www.rbc.org/devotionals/our-daily-bread/2007/07/20/devotion.aspx, http://www.snopes.com/glurge/communion.asp Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) 2021.
# 2: Why is the other side empty? Have you ever noticed that in Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of the Last Supper everybody is on one side of the table? The other side is empty. “Why’s that?” someone asked the great artist. His answer was simple. “So that there may be plenty of room for us to join them.” Want to let Jesus do his thing on earth through you? Then pull up a chair and receive Him into your heart, especially in Holy Week (Fr. Jack Dorsel). Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) 2021.
# 3 The Stole and the Towel is the title of a book, which sums up the message of the Italian bishop, Tony Bello, who died of cancer at the age of 58. On Maundy Thursday of 1993, while on his deathbed, he dictated a pastoral letter to the priests of his diocese. He called upon them to be bound by “the stole and the towel.” The stole symbolizes union with Christ in the Eucharist, and the towel symbolizes union with humanity by service. The priest is called upon to be united with the Lord in the Eucharist and with the people as their servant. Today we celebrate the institution of both the Eucharist and the priesthood: the feast of “the stole and the towel,” the feast of love and service.
Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) 2021.
# 4: Man in the International Space Station Astronaut Mike Hopkins is one of the select few who spent six months on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2013. And though he was thrilled when he was chosen for a space mission, there was one Person he didn’t want to leave behind: Jesus in the Eucharist. Hopkins had been received into the Church less than a year before his launch. After a long wait, he was finally able to receive Our Lord at each Mass. Facing the prospect of being off the planet for half a year, he decided he had to find out if Jesus could travel with him. It turns out Jesus could — and He did. Hopkins says, “In 2011, I got assigned to a mission to the International Space Station. I was going to go up and spend six months in space, starting in 2013. So I started asking the question, ‘Is there any chance I can take the Eucharist up with me into space?’ The weekend before I left for Russia — we launched on a Russian rocket from Kazakhstan — I went to Mass one last time, and [the priest with permission from his bishop] consecrated the wafers into the Body of Christ, and I was able to take the pyx with me. NASA has been great. … They didn’t have any reservations about me taking the Eucharist up or to practicing my Faith on orbit. The Russians were amazing. I went in with all my personal items, and I explained what the pyx was and the meaning of it to me — because for them, they, of course, saw it just as bread, if you will, the wafers — and yet for me [I knew] it was the Body of Christ. And they completely understood and said, ‘Okay, we’ll estimate it weighs this much, and no problem. You can keep it with you.’ All these doors opened up, and I was able to take the Eucharist up — and I was able to have Communion, basically, every week. There were a couple of times when I received Communion on, I’ll say, special occasions: I did two spacewalks; so on the morning of both of those days, when I went out for the spacewalk, I had Communion. It was really helpful for me to know that Jesus was with me when I went out the hatch into the vacuum of space. And then I received my last Communion on my last day on orbit in the “Cupola,” which is this large window that looks down at the Earth, and that was a very special moment before I came home.” (http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/what-is-it-like-to-receive-the-eucharist-in-space).Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) 2021.
23 additional anecdotes:
1) “What did you have for breakfast today?” President Nelson Mandela of South Africa (d. December 5, 2013), was one of those rare politicians who had the common touch even when the cameras were not rolling. When he spoke at banquets, he made a point of going into the kitchen and shaking hands with every dishwasher and busboy. When out in public, he often worried his bodyguards because he was prone to stop to talk with a little child. Typically, he would ask, “How old are you son?” Then his next question is, “What did you have for breakfast today?” — In that strange, wonderful company called the Kingdom of God, even the bosses wash feet. Have you allowed Jesus to give you a servant’s heart and servant’s hands? Be servant leaders in a serving community!Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) 2021.
2) Jesus has no desire to be cloned: That night in the upper room Jesus knew what it would take to change the world — not strife and revolution, not warfare and bloodshed, but love, sincere, self-sacrificing love on the part of his people. Last November, Dr. Avi Ben-Abraham, head resident of the American Cryogenics Society, told an audience in Washington, D.C., that several high-ranking Roman Catholic Church leaders had privately told him that despite the Church’s public stance against research in genetics and gene reproduction and experimentation in artificial life production, they personally supported his way-out research. According to Ben-Abraham, those Church leaders hope to reproduce Jesus Christ from DNA fibers found on the Shroud of Turin. — If Dr. Ben-Abraham is right, somebody’d better tell those venerable church leaders that Jesus has no desire to be cloned — except in the lives of those who love him and follow him. That’s why He takes bread and wine and gives us Himself in Holy Communion, to bring us forgiveness and to strengthen us to love one another. “This is My will — this is My commandment for you — love one another” (Jn 13:34). Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) 2021.
3)“Jesus Christ gave a lasting memorial”: One of his Catholic disciples asked the controversial god-man Osho Rajneesh about the difference between Buddha the founder of Buddhism and Jesus Christ. Rajneesh told a story to distinguish between Buddha and Christ. When Buddha was on his deathbed, his disciple Anand asked him for a memorial and Buddha gave him a Jasmine flower. However, as the flower dried up, the memory of Buddha also dwindled. But Jesus Christ instituted a lasting memorial without anybody’s asking for it by offering his Body and Blood under the appearances of bread and wine and commanding his disciples to share his Divinity by repeating the ceremony. So Jesus continues to live in his followers while Buddha lives only in history books. — On Holy Thursday we are reflecting on the importance of the institution of the Holy Eucharist and the ministerial priesthood. [Osho Rajneesh claimed himself to be another incarnation of God who attained “enlightenment” at 29 when he was a professor of Hindu philosophy in Jabalpur University in India. He had thousands of followers for his controversial “liberation through sex theology,” based on Hindu, Buddhist and Christian theology.] Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) 2021.
4) “Now she’s ready for living–in this life and the next.” TV pastor Robert Schuller tells about the time Bishop Fulton Sheen spoke at the Crystal Cathedral. Fulton Sheen was one of the most effective religious communicators of his time. In the early 1950s, his weekly television broadcast was the most popular program in the country. Because he was so popular, thousands of people came to hear Sheen at the Crystal Cathedral. After the message, he and Robert Schuller were able to get to their car only because a passageway was roped off. Otherwise, they would have been mobbed. Along both sides of the ropes, people were reaching out in an attempt to touch the bishop. It was as if the pope himself had come to town. As Sheen was passing through this section on his way to his car, someone handed him a note, which he folded and put into his pocket. Then, as he and Schuller were on their way to the restaurant where they were going to eat lunch, Bishop Sheen pulled out that note, read it, and asked Schuller, “Do you know where this trailer park is?” Schuller looked at the note and said, “Yes, it’s just a couple of miles from here.” The bishop said, “Do you think we could go there before we go to lunch?” “Sure,” Schuller answered. “We have plenty of time.” So they drove to this little trailer park, and Bishop Sheen went up to one of the trailers and knocked on the door. An elderly woman opened the door, and seemed surprised–flabbergasted, really–when she saw who had come to visit her. She opened the door and the bishop went in. After a few moments, he came out, got back in the car and said, “Now she’s ready for living–in this life and the next.” [Robert A. Schuller, Dump Your Hang-ups (Grand Rapids: Fleming H. Revell, 1993).] — Bishop Sheen showed the Spirit of Jesus on Holy Thursday.Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) 2021.
5) A president in servant’s role: “When I try to tell people what Ronald Reagan was like,” says Peggy Noonan, former White House speechwriter, “I tell them the bathroom story.” A few days after President Reagan had been shot, when he was able to get out of bed, he wasn’t feeling well, so he went into the bathroom that connected to his room. He slapped some water on his face and some of the water slopped out of the sink. He got some paper towels and got down on the floor to clean it up. An aide went in to check on him, and found the president of the United States on his hands and knees on the cold tile floor, mopping up water with paper towels. “Mr. President,” the aide said, “what are you doing? Let the nurse clean that up!” And President Ronald Reagan said, “Oh, no. I made that mess, and I’d hate for the nurse to have to clean it up.” [Pat Williams, The Paradox of Power (New York: Warner Faith, 2002).]Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) 2021.
6) Waiting and remembering: One day the professor of Eucharistic theology came in carrying a brown paper bag and declared that his theology students were going to learn the significance of the Lord’s Supper. As he began to talk he reached into the bag and pulled out a hand full of Buckeyes, and began throwing them, one by one, to each member of the class. (If you are not familiar with the Buckeye, it is the large, shiny brown seed of the Horse Chestnut tree. It is especially abundant in Ohio, which is the reason Ohio is known as the Buckeye State.) The professor then reached into his own pocket and removed a small, brown, shriveled up something. Holding it between his two fingers for all to see he said to the class, “See this? This is a Buckeye like you have. I have been carrying it around in my pocket since 1942. I had a son who went off to the war that year. When he left he gave me this Buckeye, and told me to put it in my pocket and keep it there until he came home. That way each time I reached in my pocket I would always remember him. Well, I have been carrying that Buckeye in my pocket since 1942. And I have been waiting. Waiting for my son to come back, and each time I reach in my pocket I remember my son.” — Eucharistic celebration is about waiting and remembering. Each time, we, as a community of Faith, gather around the table to take the consecrated Bread and Wine we are remembering, and we are proclaiming that we are waiting for our Lord to return. (Jerry Fritz, http://leiningers.com/waiting.html).Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) 2021.
7) “You don’t recognize me, do you?” There is an old legend about DaVinci’s painting of the Last Supper. In all of his paintings he tried to find someone to pose who fit the face of the particular character he was painting. Out of hundreds of possibilities he chose a 19-year old to portray Jesus. It took him six months to paint the face of Jesus. Seven years later DaVinci started hunting for just the right face for Judas. Where could he find one that would portray that image? He looked high and low. Down in a dark Roman dungeon he found a wretched, unkempt prisoner who could strike the perfect pose. The prisoner was released to his care and when the portrait of Judas was complete the prisoner said to the great artist, “You don’t recognize me, do you? I am the man you painted seven years ago as the face of Christ. O God, I have fallen so low.”Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) 2021.
8) “I am among you as one who serves.” One of our most famous Memphians is the brilliant soprano, Kallen Esperian. We swell with pride as we see her recognized as one of the world’s most talented vocalists. But when I think of Kallen, something else comes to mind. Almost two years ago a member of our Christ Church prison ministry had the nerve to invite Kallen to go along to the city jail. — Here was a world-class talent, the toast of concert halls around the world, singing a Gospel song for free in the Memphis city jail. She imbued the real spirit of Jesus. After washing the feet of the apostles Jesus said, “I am among you as one who serves.” Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) 2021.
9) Precious gift: We are all familiar with the situation of the little boy who wants to give his father a birthday present but does not have any money to buy one. His father, realizing his son is too young to be able to earn any money, slips him five bucks so that he can do some shopping the next time they are in town. The big day comes, and the little boy proudly presents his father with a beautifully wrapped, birthday gift. He is so very happy and proud of himself. So is his father – proud and happy to have such a loving son. — God gave us his Son so that we could give him back as a gift and become once again his sons and daughters. Jesus Christ was placed in our hands so that we could have a gift, the best of gifts. During each Eucharistic celebration we give this precious gift back to God the Father. Today we celebrate the feast of the First Mass (Fr. Jack Dorsel). Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) 2021.
10) “Gone, But Not for Cotton:” There is an absolutely terrible old joke about a bill collector in Georgia who knocked on the door of a client who lived out in a rural area. This client owed the bill collector’s company money. “Is Fred home?” he asked the woman who answered the door.” Sorry,” the woman replied. “Fred’s gone for cotton.” The next day the collector tried again. “Is Fred here today?” “No, sir,” she said, “I’m afraid Fred has gone for cotton.” When he returned the third day, he said sarcastically, “I suppose Fred is gone for cotton again?” “No,” the woman answered solemnly, “Fred died yesterday.” Suspicious that he was being avoided, the bill collector decided to wait a week and check out the cemetery himself. Sure enough, there was poor Fred’s tombstone. On it was this inscription: “Gone, But Not for Cotton.” — That’s terrible, I know, but it is a reminder that tonight as we participate in the Lord’s Supper, proclaiming that Christ is neither gone nor forgotten. We assert our Faith that He is present, here with us, as we receive Holy Communion in remembrance of him. Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) 2021.
11) “I still think they are wonderful.” Dr. Robert Kopp tells of an interview someone did with the great composer Irving Berlin. We remember Berlin for favorites like “God Bless America,” “Easter Parade,” and “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas.” Berlin was asked, “Is there any question you’ve never been asked that you would like someone to ask you?” “Well, yes, there is one,” Berlin replied. He posed the question himself: “What do you think of the many songs you’ve written that didn’t become hits?” Then he answered his own question: “My reply would be that I still think they are wonderful.” Then he added, “God, too, has an unshakable delight in what–and whom–He has made. He thinks each of His children is wonderful, and, whether they’re a ‘hit’ in the eyes of others or not, He will always think they’re wonderful.” — Irving Berlin hit it right on the head. Here is the critical truth about Faith: it is grounded in God’s wondrous love for us. We may not feel worthy to be loved, we may even repudiate that love, but we cannot keep God from loving. That is God’s very nature. God is love. Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) 2021.
12) “Forget-me-not:” There is an old legend that after God finished creating the world, He still had the task of naming every creature and plant in it. Anyone who has ever faced the task of naming a newborn knows this is not as easy as it seems. Thinking Himself finished at last, God heard a small voice saying, “How about me?” Looking down, the Creator spied a small flower. “I forgot you once,” He said, “but it will not happen again.” And, at that moment, the forget-me-not was born. [The Great American Bathroom Reader by Mark B. Charlton, (Barnes & Noble, New York, 1997), p. 260.] — It’s just a silly legend–a myth, if you will–but the reason such legends and myths abound is that they reflect the truth about God. God loves. God loves each of us as if God had no one else to love.
The $5,000 battery-less Sky-Eye chip was originally developed to track Israeli secret-service agents abroad. Sold by Gen-Etics, Sky-Eye runs solely on the neurophysiological energy generated within the human body. Gen-Etics won’t reveal where the chip is inserted but says 43 people have had it implanted. [“World Watch,” edited by Anita Hamilton, Timedigital (Nov. 30, 1998), p. 107.] –It is amazing to me that it is easier for some people to believe that technology can track an individual person’s movements anywhere in the world, but that, somehow, we are lost to God. How absurd! We are under the watchful eye of a Heavenly Father Who never forgets us, never leaves us, and is always concerned about our well-being. Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) 2021.
13) “I missed!” Former President Reagan told a humorous story during the last days of his administration. It was about Alexander Dumas, author of The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo. It seems that Dumas and a friend had a severe argument. The matter got so out of hand that one challenged the other to a duel. Both Dumas and his friend were superb marksmen. Fearing that both men might fall in such a duel, they resolved to draw straws instead. Whoever drew the shorter straw would then be pledged to shoot himself. Dumas was the unlucky one. He drew the short straw. With a heavy sigh, he picked up his pistol and trudged into the library and closed the door, leaving the company of friends who had gathered to witness the non-duel outside. In a few moments a solitary shot was fired. All the curious pressed into the library. They found Dumas standing with his pistol still smoking. “An amazing thing just happened,” said Dumas. “I missed!” — I am amazed how many Christians have been in the Church all their lives and still have missed the Gospel. So many folks still live in the Old Testament, bound by legalisms, restricted by the “Thou shalt nots” without being empowered by “Thou shalts.” Some are experts at the Ten Commandments, but absolute failures at the eleventh and most important of all. Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men shall know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another” (Jn 13:34; RSV)
Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) 2021.
14) He picked it up and returned it to the bench: Many years ago, a sticky situation arose at the wedding ceremony for the Duke of York. All the guests and the wedding attendants were in place. Majestic organ music filled the sanctuary of Westminster Abbey. But something was wrong. As part of the marriage ceremony, the Duke and his bride were to kneel on a cushioned bench to receive a blessing. A nervous whisper spread through the congregation as guests noticed that one of the cushions from the kneeling bench had fallen on the floor. Most of the attendants standing near the kneeling bench had royal blood-lines; at the very least, they were all from the upper crust of British society. To reach down and pick up the pillow would have been beneath them. They all pretended to ignore the misplaced pillow until finally the Prince of Wales, Heir to the Throne, who was a groomsman, picked it up and returned it to the bench (George C. Pidgeon). — That may not impress us very much, but in a society that is as class-conscious as British society, this was an extraordinary act. No wonder Jesus washed the feet of his disciples.
Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) 2021.
15) The Beloved Captain: Donald Hankey’s The Beloved Captain tells how the captain cared for his men’s feet. After long marches he went into the barracks to inspect the feet of his soldiers. He’d get down on his hands and knees to take a good look at the worst cases. If a blister needed lancing, he’d frequently lance it himself. “There was no affectation about this,” says Donald Hankey. “It seemed to have a touch of Christ about it, and we loved and honored him the more” for it. – Is there a “touch of Christ” about our concern for our brothers and sisters? “Jesus, my feet are dirty…. Pour water into your basin and come and wash my feet. I know that I am overbold is asking this, but I dread your warning, when you said, ‘If I do not wash your feet, you can have no companionship with me.’ Wash my feet, then, because I do want your companionship.” (Mark Link in Daily Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho).
Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) 2021.
16) Pope missing: A story from the life of Pope St. John Paul II brings home the profound significance of what we do tonight. Bishop John Magee, who was personal secretary to the Pope, tells about something that happened after Pope John Paul II’s election. An official came to Vatican asking to speak immediately with the new Pope. Bishop Magee went to the Pope’s room. He was not there. He went to the library, the chapel, the kitchen, even the roof. When he couldn’t find the Pope, he began to think about Morris West’s novel, The Shoes of the Fisherman. In that novel a newly elected Slavic pope slips out of the Vatican to find out what is happening with ordinary people in his new diocese. That was fiction, but if the new Pope actually did it, it might turn out badly. Then Bishop Magee ran to a priest who knew the Pope. “We’ve lost the Holy Father,” he said. “I’ve looked everywhere and cannot find him.” The Polish priest asked calmly, “Did you look in the chapel?” “Yes,” said Bishop Magee, “he was nowhere in sight.” “Go further in,” the Polish priest said, “but do not turn on the light.” Bishop Magee walked quietly into the darkened chapel. In front of the tabernacle, lying prostrate on the floor, was the Pope. The Polish priest knew that, before his election, the Pope often prostrated himself before Jesus truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. — Tonight, we commemorate that greatest of all tangible gifts. St. Paul quotes Jesus saying, “This is my Body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me” (1 Cor 11:24). Jesus gives himself to us in a humble form – unleavened bread like that the Israelites ate during their Passover. (Fr. Phil Bloom).
Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) 2021.
17) Gathering together in His Name: A religious persecution in 1980 left a region of Guatemala without priests. But the people continued to meet in various parishes. Once a month they sent a delegate to a part of Guatemala where priests were still functioning. Traveling up to eighteen hours on foot, the delegate celebrated the Lord’s Supper in the name of the parish. Describing one of these celebrations, Fernando Bermudez writes in his book, Death and Resurrection in Guatemala: “The altar was covered with baskets of bread. After the Mass, each participant came up to take his or her basket home again. Now the bread was Holy Communion for the brothers and sisters of each community. In time the authorities closed all Churches. But the people refused to stop gathering, recalling Jesus’ words, “where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them” (Mt 18:20). [Mark Link in Journey: Life-giving Blood; quoted by Fr. Botelho.].
Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) 2021.
18) Film: Entertaining Angels: Twenty-year-old Dorothy Day was a reporter and a part of an elite Socialist group in New York. Dorothy encountered a homeless man and a friendly nun and followed them to a Church that had opened a soup kitchen for the poor. She often went to the kitchen to help. She began to read Catholic books and was converted. She was urged to start feeding the poor and caring for the sick. During the 1930’s Dorothy became even more socially active. She opened hospitality houses and tried to improve the lives of the poor. Dorothy led a very unconventional life by Catholic standards. Her pre-conversion past, her abortion, and her decision not to marry, but to remain a single parent, are interesting because she used these unusual circumstances to follow Christ by helping the poor and homeless. She is a twentieth century model of lay holiness. Dorothy Day, like the apostles, was someone who did not have Faith at first. She gradually accepted the gift of Faith and grew in it by serving others. She spent most of her adult life living Jesus’ commandment of love. She personally cared for the indigent and homeless people in many ways, from preparing and serving meals to washing their feet. This was the life of Dorothy Day. An exasperated volunteer agreed to go on working when she wanted to quit because Dorothy had said, “You never know… you might be entertaining angels.” –- On this Holy Thursday we are reminded to blend our beliefs and actions into one life lived for God. (Peter Malone in Lights, Camera, Faith; quoted by Fr. Botelho.)
Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) 2021.
19) Meaningful Explanation: A man came to a priest and wanted to make fun of his Faith, so he asked, “How can bread and wine turn into the Body and Blood of Christ?”
The Priest answered, “No problem. You yourself change food into your body and blood, so why can’t Christ do the same?” But the man did not give up. He asked, “But how can the entire body of Christ be in such a small host?” “In the same way that the vast landscape before you can fit into your little eye.” But he still persisted, “How can the same Christ be present in all your Churches at the same time? The priest then took a mirror and let the man look into it. Then he let the mirror fall to the ground and break and said to the skeptic. “There is only one of you, and yet you can find your face reflected in each piece of that broken mirror at the same time.”
Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) 2021.
20) A Walking Sermon: Reporters and city officials gathered at a Chicago railroad station one afternoon in 1953. The person they were meeting was the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize winner. A few moments after the train came to stop, a giant of a man — six foot four inches — with bushy hair and a large mustache stepped from the train. Cameras flashed. City officials approached him with hands outstretched. Various people began telling him how honored they were to meet him. The man politely thanked them and then, looking over their heads, asked if he could be excused for a moment. He quickly walked through the crowd until he reached the side of an elderly black woman who was struggling with two heavy suitcases. He picked up the bags and with a smile escorted the woman to a bus. After helping her aboard, he wished her a safe journey. As he returned to the greeting party he apologized, “Sorry to have kept you waiting.” The man was Dr. Albert Schweitzer, the famous missionary doctor who had spent his life helping the poor in Africa. In response to Schweitzer’s action, one of the members of the reception committee said with great admiration to the reporter standing next to him, “That’s the first time I ever saw a sermon walking.” — Our worship should lead us to become walking sermons. Today’s Gospel about the feet washing by Jesus may be called a washing sermon. (Jeff Strite).
Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) 2021.
21) Get inspired by the Eucharist: A few months before he died in 1979, Bishop Fulton Sheen gave a television interview. The reporter asked, “Your Excellency, you have inspired millions. Who inspired you? Was it the Pope?” Bishop Sheen responded that it was not the Pope or a cardinal or another bishop or even a priest or nun. It was an eleven-year-old girl. He explained that when the Communists took over China in the late forties, they imprisoned a priest in his own rectory. Looking through the window, the priest saw the soldier enter the Church and break open the tabernacle, scattering the Blessed Sacrament on the floor. The priest knew the exact number of hosts in the tabernacle: thirty-two. Unnoticed by the soldiers, a young girl had been praying in the back of the church and she hid when they came in. That night the girl returned and spent an hour in prayer. She then entered the sanctuary, knelt and bent over to take one of the hosts on her tongue. The girl came back each night, spent an hour in prayer and received Jesus by picking up a sacred host with her tongue. The thirty-second night, after consuming the final host, she made an accidental sound awakening a guarding soldier. He ran after her and when he caught her, he struck her with the rifle butt. The noise woke the priest -but too late. From his house he saw the girl die. Bishop Sheen said that when he heard about this, it inspired him so much that he made a promise that he would spend one hour each day before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. He always said that the power of his priesthood came from the Eucharist.– Get inspired by the Eucharist! (John Pichappilly in The Table of the Word). Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) 2021.
22) The altar and the marketplace: Archbishop Rembert Weakland of Milwaukee said in an interview in the magazine, The Critic: “If younger people are having an identity problem as Catholics, I tell them to do two things: Go to Mass every Sunday, and work in a soup kitchen. If one does those two things over a period of time, then something will happen to give one a truly Catholic identity. The altar and the marketplace – these two- must be related to each other; when they are, one works better, and one prays better.” — Application: Is our celebration of the Eucharist completed by our loving deeds? (Gerard Fuller in Stories for all Seasons; quoted by Fr. Botelho.) Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) 2021.
23) “Neither is your best good enough for Almighty God.” There was once an old retired Methodist bishop who never missed an opportunity to say a word for his Lord. One day he was in the barbershop receiving a haircut from the young man who was his regular barber. There was enough conversation in the shop to allow him to speak with his barber privately, so he said, “Harry, how are you and the Lord getting along?” Rather curtly the young man replied, “Bishop, I do the best I can and that’s good enough for me.” The bishop said no more. When his haircut was finished, he got up and paid the barber. Then he said with a smile, “Harry, you work so hard that you deserve a break. Sit down, rest, and have a Coke. I’ll cut the next customer’s hair.” The barber smiled and said, “Bishop, I appreciate that, but I can’t let you do it.” “But why not?” asked the Bishop. “I promise to do my best.” “But,” said the barber, “I’m afraid that your best wouldn’t be good enough.” Then the bishop added the obvious, “And son, neither is your best good enough for Almighty God.” Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) 2021.
The centerpiece of John’s Gospel account of the Last Supper is the mandatum -- from the Latin word for “commandment,” from which comes the traditional title for this evening, Maundy Thursday. At the Passover seder, the night before he died, Jesus established a new Passover to celebrate God's covenant with the new Israel. The special character of this second covenant is the mandatum of the washing of the feet -- to love one another as we have been loved by Christ.
