Thursday, the Sixth Week of Lent

Holy Thursday

   Throughout Lent we’ve been trying to look deep into ourselves to determine where we are in our faith life.  With just today, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday remaining we are near the end of our Lenten journey.  How have we done?  Did we improve our relationship with God?  Did we discover weaknesses in our faith life that we can continue to work on throughout the year?  What strengths did we find within ourselves that we can grow and develop?  Even though Lent is about over we must never lessen our desire to strengthen our faith and improve our relationship with God.

   Did the disciples realize the importance of this last meal with Jesus?  They had traveled with Him for three years.  They had been His evangelists to the cities of Judea.  They had cured people and had driven out demons.  All in Jesus’ name.  Still, when reading John’s account of the Last Supper it seems they still didn’t understand.

   Jesus taught many things at the Last Supper on Holy Thursday.  I have chosen to focus on the lesson of humility because I believe that without humility we can never truly follow our Lord.  Our Christianity cannot be shown through pride, self-importance or a holy than thou attitude.  It must come from the recognition that we are blessed by a God who loves us even in our sinfulness.

    “You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master’, and rightly so for indeed I am.  If I therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet.  I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.” (John 13: 13-15).  How confused they must have been when Jesus got up from table, removed His outer garment and began to wash and dry their feet.  Peter, always the outspoken one, initially objected and had to be convinced by our Lord.  I’m sure the others were just as unsure.  Can you imagine your own reaction if Jesus came and began washing your feet?

   At Holy Thursday Mass this evening the Priest at our Church will wash the feet of twelve parishioners as a reenactment of this event.  This will occur in Catholic Churches all over the world to remind us of the humility Jesus taught.  At the Vatican’s Holy Thursday service today Pope Francis washed the feet of inmates at Regina Coeli prison.

   If we are to live the Christian life it must be one of humility.  Though we are unworthy we are blessed with God’s love and grace in so many ways.  In humble service to Him we must serve others with the same love and generosity we have received.