Holy Thursday

Gospel – John 13:1-15

You Be Jesus!

Washing of Feet

There’s a story about a young mother who was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin, age 5 and Ryan, age 3. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. So, she said to the boys: “If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, ‘Let my brother have the first pancake. I can wait.’”

Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, “Ryan, you be Jesus!

Growing up, we always had a lot of big family dinners – birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter Sunday.  Gatherings that one single table could never accommodate.  So the adults ate at the dining room table and all the kids ate in the kitchen.  Kids table / adults table – I’m guessing all of you had something similar.  And all that time, I had this desire to MOVE UP – to graduate to the adult table.  I think in the back of my mind I thought the food would be better, that the menu would be somehow different.  Not so much!  I thought, wrongly, it was all about the food, about being fed!  Eh, not so much!

I think most of us had the same experience with First Communion.  All that time beforehand, we just couldn’t wait til the day of our First Communion.  We were so excited to not just attend Mass but receive Communion, the Eucharist, to not just gather around the table of the Lord, but share in the meal!

Anticipation – that deep down excitement about getting fed or receiving Communion.  We all have felt it.  However the Gospel today reminds us it’s not just about receiving; it’s about giving.  It’s not just about being served; it’s also about serving.  Jesus and the Apostles are gathered together for their celebration of the Passover.  In the middle of the meal, the Last Supper, Jesus gets up and washes the feet of His disciples.  He performs the role of a servant, not a master, not a teacher, but a lowly servant and he reminds the apostles they must do the same.  It is a reminder to us all that it is in giving that we receive!

There are not many opportunities these days to wash peoples’ feet – maybe only as parents giving their newborn child a bath!  So what else can we do to serve?  What about helping to prepare for Easter dinner – cleaning, setting the table, helping to serve the meal, perhaps even washing the dirty dishes!

Whether we gather around a dinner table or we gather around an altar, whether we gather to feed our body or feed our souls, we gather TOGETHER!   On this day, Jesus gave us the gift of Himself in the Eucharist.  Let us all thank Him with the gift of ourselves, in serving Him by being of service to each other.