09 April 2009 Holy Thursday – Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper (B) - White
First Reading: Exodus 12:1-8,11-14
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 116 "Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ"
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Gospel: John 13:1-15
LIVING THE MEMORY OF HOLY THURSDAY
Memory. In everything that we do, we always want to be remembered. In today’s world, being remembered or a memory of someone is equated to leaving a legacy. When I was in high school, I always want to be remembered for my achievements, for my special projects, and what I want to be known to others. In short, I want others to remember my self – sometimes verging into being selfish. When I stepped into college, everything changed. I joined organizations that cater to helping others. I want to be remembered for how I contributed to society. Moreso, I want to be remembered as someone who helped students adjust to college life in simple ways – everyday talk and conversations, giving smiles and cheers when we pass by other students and acquaintances, and helping others build their character.
Tonight we celebrate the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper; we enter into the Solemn Paschal Triduum of the Lord’s Passion, Death and Resurrection. We remember in vivid imagery, unified action and devout celebration the very night when Jesus gave himself to humanity.
Our first reading takes us back to Ancient Egypt, when the Angel of the Lord passed over the Israelites. This Jewish Passover commemorates that very night when the Israelites are freed from the slavery and forced labor of Egypt; when the angel of death passed over the houses sprinkled with the blood of lamb as the Lord commanded Moses. The last paragraph of our reading reminds us of the Lord’s command – “This day shall be a memorial feast for you.” The Lord is remembered in the celebration of Jewish Passover. This event served as a memory to the Jewish people on how God delivered them from the plague. This memory – according to the Lord – is a pilgrimage of the Jewish family. It is a perpetual institution.
Our second reading complements the first reading. We hear about the new Passover. This time it’s not about sprinkling lamb’s blood on doorposts and not about passing over houses by the angel of death. This time, it is about Jesus offering himself in the Last Supper. The Jewish Passover is God’s covenant to the House of Israel. The New Passover is God’s covenant to us Christians and to the entirety of humanity. Jesus offered himself in the form of bread and wine – our Eucharistic species. He explicitly states that the bread becomes his body and the wine becomes his blood offered for the salvation of the world. Just as the first reading, the narration of the Last Supper, according to St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, ends with “Do this in remembrance of me.” As often as we celebrate the holy mass, we do this is memory of Christ. Jesus left the world with something that will make us remember him – the Eucharist.
Our gospel reading, still in the theme of memory-giving, takes us into the Johannine perspective of the Last Supper. Jesus and his disciples were at supper when the former stood up, removed his cloak, bent down and washed the feet of his disciples. From being master to servant, Jesus showed his immense love for his disciples by stooping down and washing their feet. The gospel ends with, “I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do (Jn. 13:15).” Jesus gave us an example to follow – not literally washing the feet of our brethren but serving, in our own little way, our brothers and sisters. Jesus does not only give us an example but he does command us strictly to love our brothers and sisters in this fashion. Jesus is remembered as a model to be followed by washing the feet of his disciples. And so must we.
May tonight’s liturgy not only invite us to be one with Christ in his passion through prayer. May tonight’s celebration of the Lord’s Supper make us love one another as Jesus loved us. May we be inspired by the Eucharist, by the body and blood that Christ offers us. May we come to be with Christ in his passion through loving our brothers and sisters.
Handa ka na bang samahan si Kristo sa Kalbaryo?
And so, Christ wants to be remembered not for his teachings nor for his good works but for his revolutionary method of serving and remembering God – loving our brothers and sisters especially the last, the lost and the least. We should follow his example. There and then, we become worthy to partake in His Solemn Paschal Triduum.
How do you want to be remembered in return?
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Elijah Justin Santiago Segovia
4/8/09
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