By Deacon Richard Hay
“The mysteries of unconditional love…”
Michael W. Smith is a very popular Christian artist and if you have listened to contemporary Christian music at any time, you have likely heard one of his praise and worship songs such as “A New Hallelujah”, “Open the Eyes of my Heart”, and “You are Holy”.
He has recently released a new single called “Arms Around the Sun” and there is a line in that song that fits perfectly with this journey we are now on through the mysteries that are part of the Holy Triduum leading to Easter.
It goes like this – “I believe You are a love that never ends but trying to get my head around You is like trying to wrap my arms around the sun.”
In all these mysteries that we will encounter over these next few days – they are given to us because the love of God has no end. In fact, we will bear witness to the greatest sign of his love when on Good Friday Jesus gives up his life for our salvation.
There are three key events in tonight’s readings for Holy Thursday as we begin this journey.
First is the institution of the Eucharist. Jesus and his disciples are at the Passover Seder meal and when it is concluding he shows the apostles how they are to celebrate this new covenant of his body and blood – this is the first mass. Remember, the Passover meal was an important meal to the Jewish people to commemorate their exodus from Egypt and slavery on their way to a promised land of milk and honey as part of their covenant with God.
By giving his apostles and us bread that is his body and wine that is his blood as a new covenant, we receive the graces of what we now know as the Sacrament of the Eucharist. When we attend the mass, the source and summit of our faith, where we receive this sacrament, we also experience our own exodus from slavery – a slavery to sin – and that exodus from sin leads us also to a promised land – eternity with the Lord in heaven.
Second – the institution of the priesthood. Yesterday, at the Holy Chrism Mass, the priests of our dioceses renewed the promises they made at ordination when hands were laid on them by their bishop to configure them to Christ. At that ordination their hands were also anointed with Holy Chrism – they are anointed as a sign of the Holy Spirit and receive the sacred power to sanctify, shepherd, and teach.
Without the priesthood, we would not have the Holy Mass, the eucharist, and everything that stems from that such as adoration and viaticum for the dying. There would be no anointing of the sick and there would be no reconciliation for the forgiveness of sins.
Third – it is Christ putting into action one of the two most important commandments he shared with us. The first we know is to love the lord our God with all our heart, soul, and all our strength. The one that is forefront tonight is the second most important commandment – to love one another as Jesus loves us. He shows us this love through the humble act of washing the disciples’ feet. This act was significant because this was something normally done by a household servant or slave.
After he does this, even washing Peter’s feet despite his protests, he tells them that if he, as their master and teacher have washed their feet, then they should wash one another’s feet. He gave them a model to follow and then says to them”, …as I have done for you, you should do also.”
For us this is about more than washing feet though – this is about being Christ for others because they also have Christ in them. This is about those two most important commandments – this is about love – unconditional love. We should be willing to always humble ourselves to serve others – that is what Christ gives us in the gospel tonight.
Here shortly, we will have an opportunity for feet to be washed as Jesus did on this night over 2,000 years ago. I know the elect will have their feet washed by their sponsors and in turn, the elect will wash the feet of their sponsors. Others will have their feet washed by a family member or a friend.
I want to encourage all of us here to contemplate and reflect while this is happening on someone who we might be estranged from for any reason – maybe we haven’t talked to them in a long time because of a disagreement – if the opportunity to wash their feet – to humbly serve them in some way – became available – would you do it? Jesus calls us to do so because he has also done it for us.
In celebrating the eucharist and carrying Jesus within us outside of this church, we must wash the feet of others through our actions by
- Revering Christ’s presence in others.
- Considering others’ needs as important as ours if not more important.
- To serve others without expecting any reward or recognition.
- Sharing our time, talent, and treasures to be true disciples of Christ.
Jesus’s action tonight in serving his apostles in this most humble manner, shows us the importance of serving each other – being Christ for those we encounter. We should always have the eyes of our heart open for those opportunities in our own lives. These are things we should all prayerfully consider during these days.
Although the mood of some of our time in these days approaching Easter will be very solemn – especially during Good Friday as we wait to witness the Passion of the Lord and his death on the cross – a day on which no mass will be celebrated throughout the universal church. When we sit in the silence of Holy Saturday as Jesus lays in the tomb – each of these days are filled with witness of his eternal love for us.
- He goes to the cross because he loves us.
- He lays in the tomb because he loves us.
- He rises from the tomb because he loves us.
The beauty of these powerful displays of God’s love for us through the actions of his only son will sustain all of us well beyond the Easter celebration.
They in fact will take us to eternity if we are willing to profess him as our lord and savior by loving others as he loves us.
As Michael W. Smith also says in his song “Arms Around the Sun”; we should all be caught up in the wonder of who God is even though he is too big to measure, too heavy to hold, too deep to fathom, too bright to behold, and although he may be far beyond the horizon – he is still closer than a prayer.
Let the mysteries of the Triduum and Easter inspire us with the closeness of Christ’s love, enabling us to then spread that love and serve one another.
