HOLY THURSDAY (2014)

 

After listening to tonight’s gospel we can conclude that Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. According to the hints given by the gospel, Jesus also knew that the Jewish authorities had offered a reward to turn Him in. He needed to be careful, so that He could slip into Jerusalem and the upper room without being seen. The man carrying the jar of water is a signal of the advance arrangements for Jesus to celebrate the Passover meal with his disciples, since only women would carry a jar of water. This signal of the man and the jar, would allow recognition between the two disciples and the man without an exchange of words.

Although John’s Gospel does not recount any event regarding the preparation of the Passover meal, however the rest of the Gospels do so. In Mathew’s Gospel we can read: “Go to a certain man in the city and tell him, the Teacher says, my hour has come, my disciples and I will celebrate the Passover at your house. Mark and Luke recount the same event with very similar words saying: As you go into the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters, and say to the owner of the house: The Teachers says to you, where is the room where my disciples and I will eat the Passover meal?

We can also imagine what the Upper Room looked like. It would be furnished with carpets to recline on, as well as low tables to place the meal upon. The two disciples would have made sure all the things and dishes of the Passover were ready: The unleavened bread, the wine in four cups, bitter herbs, a sauce made of dried fruit, spices and wine, and a roasted lamb.

The whole Passover meal was framed in a liturgy of festivity and celebration, being the Passover prayer, said by the head of household in this case Jesus, the culmination of the dinner. However Jesus breaks the festive mood when out of the total context of the Passover meal he rose, took a towel, poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet. We see the reaction of the disciples and especially the resistance of Peter to have his feet washed by Jesus: “Are you going to wash my feet?’ “No, you shall never wash my feet.” With the washing of the feet Jesus gave them a example to be followed and a total new commandment, “what I have done unto you do it unto others…. love one another, as I have loved you.”

But this would not the only surprise Jesus would give them on that night. Still there was more to come. Can you imagine the disciples’ face when Jesus blessed the bread and the wine and gave it to them saying: “This is my body, this is my blood.” In this singular action, Jesus established the Priesthood to perpetuate the Eucharist and in a mysterious and sacramental way, He commanded His apostles and their successors to renew this act of love until the end of time when He said: “Do this in remembrance of Me.”  For sure Jesus noticed the disciples’ doubts and speculations when Jesus passed them the bread and the wine and that is why He told them “You do not really know what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

What was supposed to be a meal rooted on the law and the rich tradition of their ancestors, Jesus turned it outside down. Up to this point the festive mood of the Passover meal was change into a mood of wondering. However, with Jesus’ final words “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me” the mood was changed into a mood of questioning. “Is it I?” they all asked. “It is one among you,” Jesus replied, “one who dips bread into the bowl with me.” But this was not a straight answer to their question since all of them had dip bread into a bowl of bitter herbs.

My dear brothers and sisters, this night confronts us with the harsh reality of what it means to be truly human and truly Christian. “I have given you a model to follow. As I have done, so you must do.” What Jesus did horrified the disciples and also horrifies us because it takes us out of our comfort zone. It takes us out of the world of ideas and concepts. It challenges us to admit of our need for love and forgiveness, for healing and hope. It also challenges us, priests, religious and lay faithful, to find our deepest meaning, purpose and peace in the pattern of Jesus’ life, in the service that we offer to others.

Jesus actions disturb us because they push us into a world of needs. The world is at war, hate and envy and injustices exists in our midst because of people who put more importance on themselves and their interest rather than serving others. We live in a world, which God still loves. Jesus is calling all of us to take up a towel, a jug and basin, to set aside our pride and self-importance and to bend down to the ground and serve others like Jesus did. It is in the midst of this human struggle, in the drama of the ultimate query that make the human person question if there is not more to life than ‘this life’, that Jesus exhort us to become personally engaged in the endeavour to bring our service and God light and hope in the resurrection to the people or our time, who like the disciples in the Upper Room, live a life of wondering, questioning and doubts.

What Jesus did 2000 year ago up there in the Upper room makes sense only if we realize that, like those of Jesus, our actions here around this table are not just a private event between ourselves and the Lord. This night makes sense only if we see ourselves like Jesus, like bread, broken in the Eucharist and given to others, in service, for their sake, for their life and salvation.

In our participation in the Mysteries of these three Holy days we will encounter the Lord Himself. It is in this encounter that we can be healed and transformed like the eleven disciples, who although bewildered by Jesus actions, believed and became an epiphany, a manifestations of the new commandment “do this in memory of me” or we can be like the disciple who did not accept the challenges of love and service and missed being part of the greatest event ever in history, Jesus’s resurrection and our resurrection.

Twelve simple men shared a room with Jesus for an intimate dinner together. Twelve men shared the same bread and drunk from the same four cups becoming some of the most honored men in history. Eleven of them looked back at the time as a time of healing and communion. Eleven were redeemed, forgiven. One of them looked back with regret.

Are we one of the eleven or the singled out one?

As we continue to participate in the celebration of the Holy Mass in commemoration of the Last Supper, let us ask the Lord for the virtue of humility so we may find it in our hearts to always humble ourselves towards our brothers and sisters in true Christlikeness.

 

Fr. A. Salcedo

Prior