In our Gospel reading, we witness the scene of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper. There is an incident from this scene that we don’t see in our reading today but it is provided for us in Luke’s Gospel and I think most of us are very familiar with it. In the midst of the incredible things that are happening in the Upper Room, some of the disciples begin to participate in a petty – and even childish – argument as to who it is that is greatest among them, and the argument is rather heated....
In our Gospel reading, we witness the scene of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper. There is an incident from this scene that we don’t see in our reading today but it is provided for us in Luke’s Gospel and I think most of us are very familiar with it. In the midst of the incredible things that are happening in the Upper Room, some of the disciples begin to participate in a petty – and even childish – argument as to who it is that is greatest among them, and the argument is rather heated.
One has to wonder what Jesus’ inner reaction was to this completely meaningless question of His disciples. Did He shake his head? Did He roll his eyes? Did He bite His tongue? Did He weep or did He laugh because He saw the humor of it? What He did do was to figure that the nonsense of the disciples would give Him a way to teach them. He got up and picked up a towel and wrapped it around His waist. Then He took a pitcher and basin of water and began to wash His disciples’ feet.
As we know, Peter protested. This was because Peter, being the leader, saw the implications; he knew the same would be expected of him. He reacted much the same way we would react when someone of great importance would do something like that. We would shrink away from it. We know that we are supposed to be humble before God but it is difficult to see our God being humble before us.
This is difficult for us to take for two reasons. First, because we are faced with the fact that God did humble Himself for our sakes. God did this for each one of us. Second, because along with this act of humility, God gave us a command. We are given the command to serve and to break bread and, therefore, to reveal the presence of Christ. This is an awesome responsibility; this is an awesome call. Every time we gather to break the One Bread together and to share the One Chalice, the command is there.
This, very simply, is what our Eucharist, — our Mass— is all about: the presence of the Almighty in basic bread and the call to be bread to others. To break open the Word of Scripture, to consecrate bread and wine and so to bring Christ among us, both of these, become our comfort and our challenge.
This is what we celebrate on Holy Thursday: The gift of God who gives His Flesh and Blood and, with no apology, gives us the command to do the same.+
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