DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME

20160324 DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME

First reading

Exodus 12:1-8,11-14 ©

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt:

  ‘This month is to be the first of all the others for you, the first month of your year. Speak to the whole community of Israel and say, “On the tenth day of this month each man must take an animal from the flock, one for each family: one animal for each household. If the household is too small to eat the animal, a man must join with his neighbour, the nearest to his house, as the number of persons requires. You must take into account what each can eat in deciding the number for the animal. It must be an animal without blemish, a male one year old; you may take it from either sheep or goats. You must keep it till the fourteenth day of the month when the whole assembly of the community of Israel shall slaughter it between the two evenings. Some of the blood must then be taken and put on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses where it is eaten. That night, the flesh is to be eaten, roasted over the fire; it must be eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. You shall eat it like this: with a girdle round your waist, sandals on your feet, a staff in your hand. You shall eat it hastily: it is a passover in honour of the Lord. That night, I will go through the land of Egypt and strike down all the first-born in the land of Egypt, man and beast alike, and I shall deal out punishment to all the gods of Egypt, I am the Lord! The blood shall serve to mark the houses that you live in. When I see the blood I will pass over you and you shall escape the destroying plague when I strike the land of Egypt. This day is to be a day of remembrance for you, and you must celebrate it as a feast in the Lord’s honour. For all generations you are to declare it a day of festival, for ever.”’

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 115:12-13,15-18 ©

The blessing-cup that we bless is a communion with the blood of Christ.

How can I repay the Lord

  for his goodness to me?

The cup of salvation I will raise;

  I will call on the Lord’s name.

The blessing-cup that we bless is a communion with the blood of Christ.

O precious in the eyes of the Lord

  is the death of his faithful.

Your servant, Lord, your servant am I;

  you have loosened my bonds.

The blessing-cup that we bless is a communion with the blood of Christ.

A thanksgiving sacrifice I make;

  I will call on the Lord’s name.

My vows to the Lord I will fulfil

  before all his people.

The blessing-cup that we bless is a communion with the blood of Christ.

Second reading

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 ©

This is what I received from the Lord, and in turn passed on to you: that on the same night that he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread, and thanked God for it and broke it, and he said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this as a memorial of me.’ In the same way he took the cup after supper, and said, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Whenever you drink it, do this as a memorial of me.’ Until the Lord comes, therefore, every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are proclaiming his death.

Gospel Acclamation

Jn13:34

Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!

I give you a new commandment:

love one another just as I have loved you,

says the Lord.

Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!

Gospel

John 13:1-15 ©

It was before the festival of the Passover, and Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to pass from this world to the Father. He had always loved those who were his in the world, but now he showed how perfect his love was.

  They were at supper, and the devil had already put it into the mind of Judas Iscariot son of Simon, to betray him. Jesus knew that the Father had put everything into his hands, and that he had come from God and was returning to God, and he got up from table, removed his outer garment and, taking a towel, wrapped it round his waist; he then poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel he was wearing. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ Jesus answered, ‘At the moment you do not know what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ ‘Never!’ said Peter ‘You shall never wash my feet.’ Jesus replied, ‘If I do not wash you, you can have nothing in common with me.’ ‘Then, Lord,’ said Simon Peter ‘not only my feet, but my hands and my head as well!’ Jesus said, ‘No one who has taken a bath needs washing, he is clean all over. You too are clean, though not all of you are.’ He knew who was going to betray him, that was why he said, ‘though not all of you are.’

  When he had washed their feet and put on his clothes again he went back to the table. ‘Do you understand’ he said ‘what I have done to you? You call me Master and Lord, and rightly; so I am. If I, then, the Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you should wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example so that you may copy what I have done to you.’

DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ EX 12: 1-8, 11-14; 1 COR 11: 23-26; JOHN 13: 1-15 ]

We are celebrating the Jubilee Year of mercy.  Our beloved Holy Father, Pope Francis, is truly a prophet and emissary of mercy.  No pope has spoken so much on the theme of mercy than Pope Francis.  This is understandable because Pope Francis has been a pastor all his life.   He has been very much in contact with those who are marginalized, the poor, the suffering and the oppressed.  It is not surprising, therefore, that he has taken upon himself to change a time immemorial tradition where the washing of feet at the Last Supper was only allowed for men and, at Papal services, only for priests.  Until then, the emphasis of the Last Supper was on the Eucharist and the Priesthood and service.  By extending the washing of feet not just to men but to women and even to prisoners, he is making a strong statement that the gospel is primarily a gospel of mercy.   He has put the theme of service to the poor as the primary meaning of this washing of feet.

Indeed, in the gospel, Jesus made Himself a servant.  By donning like a servant, washing the feet of His disciples, He exemplified what we are all called to do, namely, to be a servant to others.  In ancient times, when the roads were dusty, it was the task of the servants to wash the feet of the master.  In washing the feet of His disciples, Jesus is teaching us that the true master is one who serves and serves humbly.  He makes Himself the lowliest of servants.  His service is always for the greater good of those that are under His charge.

But He was more than just a servant in service to His people.  He was a servant unto death.  The washing of feet was but a symbol of the depth of His self-emptying.  St John spoke of the self-emptying of Jesus in these words:  “Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. He had always loved those in the world who were his own, and he loved them to the very end.”  In coming from the Father to the world, Jesus first emptied Himself of His divinity.  Having assumed our humanity, Jesus once again emptied Himself by being a slave even unto death.  By His death, He gave Himself completely to humanity and to His enemies at the passion.

Like Jesus, we are called to empty ourselves.   Indeed, we must not put too much focus on the novelty of women being allowed to have their feet washed.  This is but a symbolic invitation to all to be like Jesus in servanthood.  I can wash and kiss all your feet and none of us will be holier.  You can have your feet washed a thousand times and nothing will change.  That is why when Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, do not wash only my feet, then! Wash my hands and head, too!”   Jesus said, “Anyone who has taken a bath is completely clean and does not have to wash himself, except for his feet. All of you are clean – all except one.” (Jesus already knew who was going to betray him; that is why he said, “All of you, except one, are clean.”)   So you can have your feet washed and yet be like Judas, externally clean but still full of greed and pride inside.  What we need, as Jesus said, is not a bath, but we need to be cleansed in our hearts so that we can humble ourselves like Jesus in service to all, even to the extent of giving up our lives in service to all of humanity.

So if you desire to have your feet washed this evening, whether in person or in your heart, then you must now live out what is done for you.  In truth, all of us by virtue of our baptism, have been washed, not only our feet but our entire being, soul and body.  In baptism and in the sacrament of reconciliation, our sins have been forgiven and we have been given a new life.   But we need to live out what Jesus has done for us.  This is what He said, ‘”Do you understand what I have just done to you?” he asked. “You call me Teacher and Lord, and it is right that you do so, because that is what I am. I, your Lord and Teacher, have just washed your feet. You, then, should wash one another’s feet. I have set an example for you, so that you will do just what I have done for you.”’

The question this evening is, what does it mean to do what He has done?  Surely it cannot be simply an enactment of this Last Supper gesture of washing the feet of another.  Rather, we must explore the full implications of washing the feet of someone.  It means first and foremost, the giving of one’s life for others.  The memorial that we celebrate, as St Paul wrote to the Christian community, is not just a mere ritualistic celebration of the Eucharist. Rather, it is an invitation to make it effective in our lives.  In other words, what we celebrate ritually and sacramentally must take effect in our life.  To wash the feet means that we must now celebrate the Eucharist in such a way that we participate in His act of self-sacrifice for others in humble service. We are called to die to ourselves as Jesus did, for the love of God and humanity.  In a special way, like Jesus, we are called to be ready to die for truth and to stand up for Jesus!   Are we ready?  Or would we flee like the apostles when challenged to speak up and stand up for Jesus?

Secondly, to wash the feet of others is to offer ourselves in a life of service.  The celebration of the Eucharist must lead to works of charity.  The relationship between the Eucharist and charity is so intimate that the Church cannot think of the Eucharist without reaching out to the poor, the underprivileged and the suffering.  If the Eucharist is the heart of God’s love in Christ’s sacrificial act, then receiving the sacrament of the Eucharist should also make us charitable towards others since we are members of the Body of Christ.  Right from the outset of the early Church, the apostles appointed the deacons to carry out this work of charity so that they could focus on “prayers, the Eucharist and liturgy and preaching” of the Word of God.  Clearly, the social work of the early Church was seen as a spiritual work because of its connection with the Eucharist.  Anyone who says he loves the Eucharist but has no love and compassion for his fellowmen would have neglected the Lord because the poor are members of His body, the Church.  He did say, “Whatsoever you did to the least of my brothers, you did it unto me.”   So in the Old Testament, we read how the community as a whole celebrated the Passover together.

Thirdly, to wash the feet of others is to offer forgiveness and reconciliation.  In washing their feet, the Lord was forgiving the apostles of their sins in view of the fact that they would all betray Him in different ways after the meal.  In this year of mercy, we must seek to be reconciled with those who have hurt us.  Like Jesus who stooped so low to wash the feet of His apostles, we too must stoop low and reach out to those who have hurt us deeply and initiate reconciliation with them.  We must be ready to eat humble pie to pay them a visit and be ready to be rejected by our enemies.  Offering forgiveness like Jesus is what it means to wash the feet of another as Jesus did.   So for those who demand to have their feet washed, the question is whether they are ready to wash others’ feet.  As I have said, this washing of feet is otherwise but a hypocritical act, just for show but not what we intend to do after having our feet washed by the Lord.  As the Lord tells us, “So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”  (Mt 18:35)   If the Lord has forgiven us, we must do the same; otherwise, the forgiveness we receive from Him will not heal us completely.  So long as we do not forgive others and let our enemies free, we remain a bondage to them.

Of course, we cannot do it with our own strength.  It is not enough to depend or rely on the example of Christ, noble and inspiring it might be.   We need His Spirit to be able do what He did.  For this reason, too, we are asked to eat the Lamb of God before we share in His sacrifice on the cross.  To celebrate this memorial of doing what He did in offering Himself to His Father and humanity, we must be part of Jesus.   We must first belong to Him.  This is what He said to Peter, “If I do not wash your feet, you will no longer be my disciple.”   This is what the responsorial says, “How can I repay the Lord for his goodness to me? The cup of salvation I will raise; I will call on the Lord’s name.”

So how can we belong to Jesus today if not through the reception of the Eucharist?  This Mass therefore also celebrates the institution of the Eucharist as well, because charity presupposes that we are united in the same Spirit of the Lord.   It is this constant recalling of His love and mercy for us in His passion, death and resurrection that will give us a share in His Spirit.  “A thanksgiving sacrifice I make; I will call on the Lord’s name. My vows to the Lord I will fulfil before all his people.”  It is for this reason that the Christians, as we read in the second reading, constantly celebrated the Eucharist in memory of Him who died and gave His life to us. Through the celebration of the Eucharist, as we contemplate on His passion for us, we too will follow Him in death.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved