Reading 1
Ex 12:1-8, 11-14

The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,
“This month shall stand at the head of your calendar;
you shall reckon it the first month of the year.
Tell the whole community of Israel:
On the tenth of this month every one of your families
must procure for itself a lamb, one apiece for each household.
If a family is too small for a whole lamb,
it shall join the nearest household in procuring one
and shall share in the lamb
in proportion to the number of persons who partake of it.
The lamb must be a year-old male and without blemish.
You may take it from either the sheep or the goats.
You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month,
and then, with the whole assembly of Israel present,
it shall be slaughtered during the evening twilight.
They shall take some of its blood
and apply it to the two doorposts and the lintel
of every house in which they partake of the lamb.
That same night they shall eat its roasted flesh
with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

“This is how you are to eat it:
with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand,
you shall eat like those who are in flight.
It is the Passover of the LORD.
For on this same night I will go through Egypt,
striking down every firstborn of the land, both man and beast,
and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt—I, the LORD!
But the blood will mark the houses where you are.
Seeing the blood, I will pass over you;
thus, when I strike the land of Egypt,
no destructive blow will come upon you.

“This day shall be a memorial feast for you,
which all your generations shall celebrate
with pilgrimage to the LORD, as a perpetual institution.”

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 116:12-13, 15-16bc, 17-18

R. (cf. 1 Cor 10:16) Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.
How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R. Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
R. Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people.
R. Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.

Reading II
1 Cor 11:23-26

Brothers and sisters:
I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you,
that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over,
took bread, and, after he had given thanks,
broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.”
In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying,
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.

Gospel
Jn 13:1-151

Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come
to pass from this world to the Father.
He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.
The devil had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand him over.
So, during supper,
fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power
and that he had come from God and was returning to God,
he rose from supper and took off his outer garments.
He took a towel and tied it around his waist.
Then he poured water into a basin
and began to wash the disciples( feet
and dry them with the towel around his waist.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him,
“Master, are you going to wash my feet?”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“What I am doing, you do not understand now,
but you will understand later.”
Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered him,
“Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me.”
Simon Peter said to him,
“Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well.”
Jesus said to him,
“Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed,
for he is clean all over;
so you are clean, but not all.”
For he knew who would betray him;
for this reason, he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

So when he had washed their feet
and put his garments back on and reclined at table again,
he said to them, “Do you realize what I have done for you?
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.”

Farewell to Alleluia and Gloria
During the penitential seasons of the Church, the Gloria and the Alleluia are not said or sung. The Gloria is sung only at the Mass on Holy Thursday, usually with great ceremony, organ and sometimes trumpets, and often with the ringing of bells. After the singing of the Gloria, musical instruments are to be silent until the Alleluia at the Easter Vigil. (Catholic families might imitate this solemn silence by not playing instrumental music in their homes at this time.)

In the Middle Ages and throughout the 16th century, the "burying" of the Alleluia was a solemn ritual on Septuagesima Sunday. A procession of children carrying a wooden plaque bearing the word "Alleluia" laid it at the feet of the statue of the Blessed Virgin, covering it with a purple cloth. It remained there until Easter at the Gospel procession, when the plaque was carried as the priest intoned the three Alleluias before the Easter Gospel. In Paris, a straw figure inscribed with the word was carried out of the choir at the end of the service and burned in the church yard.

Although the practice of literally removing the Alleluia from the Church may have disappeared, even today in some parish celebrations of the Easter Vigil an Alleluia card is carried in procession and placed in front of the altar during the singing of the first Alleluias before the Gospel for Easter.

The hymn Alleluia, Song of Gladness and the one that follows date from the early 9th and 10th centuries; both refer to the farewell to the Alleluia in the liturgy.

From: Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14

The Institution of the Passover

[1] The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, [2] "This month
shall be for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the
year for you. [3] Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day
of this month they shall take every man a lamb according to their fathers'
houses, a lamb for a household; [4] and if the household is too small for a
lamb, then a man and his neighbor next to his house shall take according to
the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your
count for the lamb. [5] Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year
old; you shall take it from the sheep or from the goats; [6] and you shall
keep it until, the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of
the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs in the evening. [7] Then
they shall take some of the blood, and put it on the two doorposts and the
lintel of the houses in which they eat them. [8] They shall eat the flesh
that night, roasted; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat
it. [11] In this manner you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on
your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste. It is
the Lord's passover. [12] For I will pass through the land of Egypt that
night, and I will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and
beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord.
[13] The blood shall be a sign for you, upon the houses where you are; and
when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall fall upon
you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

[14] "This day shalt be for you a memorial day, and you shalt keep it as a
feast to the Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe it as an
ordinance for ever."

Commentary:

12:1-14 This discourse of the Lord contains a number of rules for
celebrating the Passover and the events commemorated in it; it is a kind of
catechetical-liturgicat text which admirably summarizes the profound meaning
of that feast.

The Passover probably originated as a shepherds' feast held in springtime,
when lambs are born and the migration to summer pastures was beginning; a
new-born lamb was sacrificed and its blood used to perform a special rite in
petition for the protection and fertility of the flocks. But once this feast
became connected with the history of the Exodus it acquired a much deeper
meaning, as did the rites attaching to it.

Thus, the "congregation" (v. 3) comprises all the Israelites organized as a
religious community to commemorate the most important event in their
history, deliverance from bondage.

The victim will be a lamb, without blemish (v. 5) because it is to be
offered to God. Smearing the doorposts and lintel with the blood of the
victim (vv 7, 13), an essential part of the rite, signifies protection from
dangers. The Passover is essentially sacrificial from the very start. The
meal (v. 11) is also a necessary part, and the manner in which it is held is
a very appropriate way of showing the urgency imposed by circumstances:
there is no time to season it (v. 9); no other food is eaten with it, except
for the bread and desert herbs (a sign of indigence); the dress and posture
of those taking part (standing, wearing sandals and holding a staff) show
that they are on a journey. In the later liturgical commemoration of the
Passover, these things indicate that the Lord is passing among his people.

The rules laid down for the Passover are evocative of very ancient nomadic
desert rites, where there was no priest or temple or altar. When the
Israelites had settled in Palestine, the Passover continued to be celebrated
at home, always retaining the features of a sacrifice, a family meal and,
very especially, a memorial of the deliverance the Lord brought about on
that night.

Our Lord chose the context of the Passover Supper to institute the
Eucharist: "By celebrating the Last Supper with his apostles in the course
of the Passover meal, Jesus gave the Jewish Passover its definitive meaning.
Jesus' passing over to his Father by his death and Resurrection, the new
Passover, is anticipated in the Supper and celebrated in the Eucharist,
which fulfills the Jewish Passover and anticipates the final Passover of the
Church in the glory of the kingdom" ("Catechism of the Catholic Church", 1340).

12:2. This event is so important that it is going to mark the starting point
in the reckoning of time. In the history of Israel there are two types of
calendar, both based on the moon--one which begins the year in the autumn,
after the feast of Weeks (cf. 23:16; 34:22), and the other beginning it in
spring, between March and April. This second calendar probably held sway for
quite a long time, for we know that the first month, known, as Abib
(spring)--cf. 13:4: 23:18; 34:18--was called, in the post-exilic period
(from the 6th century BC onwards) by the Babylonian name of Nisan (Neh 2:1;
Esther 3:7). Be that as it may, the fact that this month is called the first
month is a way of highlighting the importance of the event which is going to
be commemorated (the Passover).

12:11. Even now it is difficult to work out the etymology of the word
"Passover".

In other Semitic languages it means "joy" or "festive joy" or also "ritual
and festive leap". In the Bible the same root means "dancing or limping" in
an idolatrous rite (cf. 1 Kings 18:21, 26) and
"protecting" (cf. Is 31:5), so it could mean "punishment, lash" and also
"salvation, protection". In the present text the writer is providing a
popular, non-scholarly etymology, and it is taken as meaning that "the Lord
passes through", slaying Egyptians and sparing the Israelites.

In the New Testament it will be applied to Christ's passage to the Father by
death and resurrection, and the Church's "passage" to the eternal Kingdom:
"The Church will enter the glory of the kingdom only through this final
Passover, when she will follow her Lord in his death and Resurrection"
("Catechism of the Catholic Church", 677).

12:14. The formal tone of these words gives an idea of the importance the
Passover always had. If the historical books (Joshua, Judges, Samuel and
Kings) hardly mention it, the reason is that they allude only to sacrifices
in the temple, and the Passover was always celebrated in people's homes.
When the temple ceased to be (6th century BC), the feast acquired more
prominence, as can be seen from the post-exilic biblical texts (cf. Ezra
6:19-22; 2 Chron 30:1-27; 35:1-19) and extrabiblical texts such as the
famous "Passover papyrus of Elephantine" (Egypt) of the 5th century BC. In
Jesus' time a solemn passover sacrifice was celebrated in the temple and the
passover meal was held at home.

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

From: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

The Institution of the Eucharist

[23] For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that
the Lord Jesus on the night when He was betrayed took bread, [24] and
when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, "This is My body which
is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me." [25] In the same way also
the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My
blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." [26]
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the
Lord's death until He comes.

Commentary:

23-26. These verses clearly bear witness to the early Christians' faith
in the eucharistic mystery. St. Paul is writing around the year
57--only twenty-seven years since the institution of the
Eucharist--reminding the Corinthians of what they had been taught some
years earlier (c. the year 51). The words "received" and "delivered" are
technical terms used to indicate that a teaching is part of apostolic
Tradition; cf. also 1 Corinthians 15:3. These two passages highlight
the importance of that apostolic Tradition. The words "I received from
the Lord" are a technical expression which means "I received through
that Tradition which goes back to the Lord Himself."

There are three other New Testament accounts of the institution of the
Eucharist (Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:16-20). This
account, which is most like St. Luke's, is the earliest of the four.

The text contains the fundamental elements of Christian faith in the
mystery of the Eucharist: 1) the institution of this Sacrament by Jesus
Christ and His real presence in it; 2) the institution of the Christian
priesthood; 3) the Eucharist is the sacrifice of the New Testament (cf.
notes on Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:16-20; 1 Corinthians
10:14-22).

"Do this in remembrance of Me": in instituting the Eucharist, our Lord
charged that it be re-enacted until the end of time (cf. Luke 22:19),
thereby instituting the priesthood. The Council of Trent teaches that
Jesus Christ our Lord, at the Last Supper, "offered His body and blood
under the species of bread and wine to God the Father and He gave His
body and blood under the same species to the Apostles to receive,
making them priests of the New Testament at that time. [...] He
ordered the Apostles and their successors in the priesthood to offer
this Sacrament when He said, "Do this in remembrance of Me", as the
Catholic Church has always understood and taught" ("De SS. Missae
Sacrificio", Chapter 1; cf. Canon 2). And so, Pope John Paul II
teaches, the Eucharist is "the principal and central reason-of-being of
the Sacrament of the priesthood, which effectively came into being at
the moment of the institution of the Eucharist, and together with it"
("Letter To All Bishops", 24 February 1980).

The word "remembrance" is charged with the meaning of a Hebrew word
which was used to convey the essence of the feast of the
Passover--commemoration of the exodus from Egypt. For the Israelites
the Passover rite not only reminded them of a bygone event: they were
conscious of making that event present, reviving it, in order to
participate in it, in some way, generation after generation (cf. Exodus
12:26-27; Deuteronomy 6:20-25). So, when our Lord commands His
Apostles to "do this in remembrance of Me", it is not a matter of
merely recalling His supper but of renewing His own Passover sacrifice
of Calvary, which already, at the Last Supper, was present in an
anticipated way.

From: John 13:1-15

Jesus Washes His Disciples' Feet

[1] Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour
had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His
own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. [2] And during
supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas
Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him, [3] Jesus, knowing that the
Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from
God and was going to God, [4] rose from supper, laid aside His
garments, and girded Himself with a towel. [5] Then He poured water
into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them
with the towel with which He was girded. [6] He came to Simon Peter;
and Peter said to Him, "Lord, do You wash my feet?" [7] Jesus answered
him, "What I am doing you do not know now, but afterward you will
understand." [8] Peter said to Him, "You shall never wash my feet."
Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part in Me."
[9] Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands
and my head!" [10] Jesus said to him, "He who has bathed does not need
to wash, except for his feet, but he is clean all over; and you are
clean, but not all of you." [11] For He knew who was to betray Him;
that was why He said, "You are not all clean."

[12] When He had washed their feet, and taken His garments, and resumed
His place, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done for you?
[13] You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am.
[14] If then your Lord and Teacher have washed your feet, you also
ought to wash one another's feet. [15] For I have given you an
example, that you also should do as I have done for you."

Commentary:

1. Jewish families sacrificed a lamb on the eve of the Passover, in
keeping with God's command at the time of the exodus from Egypt when
God liberated them from the slavery of Pharaoh (Exodus 12:3-14;
Deuteronomy 16:1-8). This liberation prefigured that which Jesus
Christ would bring about--the redemption of men from the slavery of sin
by means of His sacrifice on the cross (cf. 1:29). This is why the
celebration of the Jewish Passover was the ideal framework for the
institution of the new Christian Passover.

Jesus knew everything that was going to happen; He knew His death and
resurrection were imminent (cf. 18:4); this is why His words acquire a
special tone of intimacy and love towards those whom He is leaving
behind in the world. Surrounded by those whom He has chosen and who
have believed in Him, He gives them His final teachings and institutes
the Eucharist, the source and center of the life of the Church. "He
Himself wished to give that encounter such a fullness of meaning, such
a richness of memories, such a moving image of words and thoughts, such
a newness of acts and precepts, that we can never exhaust our
reflection and exploration of it. It was a testamentary supper,
infinitely affectionate and immensely sad, and at the same time a
mysterious revelation of divine promises, of supreme visions. Death
was imminent, with silent omens of betrayal, of abandonment, of
immolation; the conversation dies down but Jesus continues to speak in
words that are new and beautifully reflective, in almost supreme
intimacy, almost hovering between life and death" ([Pope] Paul VI,
"Homily on Holy Thursday", 27 March 1975).

What Christ did for His own may be summed up in this sentence: "He
loved them to the end." It shows the intensity of His love--which
brings Him even to give up His life (cf. John 15:13); but this love does
not stop with His death, for Christ lives on and after His resurrection
He continues loving us infinitely: "It was not only thus far that He
loved us, who always and forever loves us. Far be it from us to
imagine that He made death the end of His loving, who did not make
death the end of His living" (St. Augustine, "In Ioann. Evang.", 55,
2).

2. The Gospel shows us the presence and activity of the devil running
right through Jesus' life (cf. Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 22:3; John 8:44;
12:31; etc.). Satan is the enemy (Matthew 13:39), the evil one (1 John
2:13). St. Thomas Aquinas (cf. "Commentary on St. John, in loc.")
points out that, in this passage, on the one hand, we clearly see the
malice of Judas, who fails to respond to this demonstration of love,
and on the other hand great emphasis is laid on the goodness of Christ,
which reaches out beyond Judas' malice by washing his feet also and by
treating him as a friend right up to the moment when he betrays Him
(Luke 22:48).

3-6. Aware that He is the Son of God, Jesus voluntarily humbles Himself
to the point of performing a service appropriate to household
servants. This passage recalls the Christological hymn in St. Paul's
Letter to the Philippians: "Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the
form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but
emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant..." (Philippians 2:6-7).

Christ had said that He came to the world not to be served but to serve
(Mark 10:45). In this scene He teaches us the same thing, through
specific example, thereby exhorting us to serve each other in all
humility and simplicity (cf. Galatians 6:2; Philippians 2:3). "Once
again He preaches by example, by His deeds. In the presence of His
disciples, who are arguing out of pride and vanity, Jesus bows down and
gladly carries out the task of a servant.[...] This tactfulness of our
Lord moves me deeply. He does not say: `If I do this, how much more
ought you to do?' He puts Himself at their level, and He lovingly
chides those men for their lack of generosity.

"As He did with the first twelve, so also, with us, our Lord can and
does whisper in our ear, time and again: `exemplum dedi vobis' (John
13:15), I have given you an example of humility. I have become a
slave, so that you too may learn to serve all men with a meek and
humble heart" ([St] J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 103).

Peter understands particularly well how thoroughly our Lord has humbled
Himself, and he protests, in the same kind of way as he did on other
occasions, that he will not hear of Christ suffering (cf. Matthew 8:32
and par.). St. Augustine comments: "Who would not shrink back in
dismay from having his feet washed by the Son of God....You? Me?
Words to be pondered on rather than spoken about, lest words fail to
express their true meaning" (St. Augustine, "In Ioann. Evang.", 56,
1).

7-14. Our Lord's gesture had a deeper significance than St. Peter was
able to grasp at this point; nor could he have suspected that God
planned to save men through the sacrificing of Christ (cf. Matthew
16:22 ff). After the Resurrection the Apostles understood the mystery
of this service rendered by the Redeemer: by washing their feet, Jesus
was stating in a simple and symbolic way that He had not come "to be
served but to serve". His service, as He already told them, consists
in giving "His life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45).

Our Lord tells the Apostles that they are now clean, for they have
accepted His words and have followed Him (cf. 15:3)--all but Judas, who
plans to betray Him. St. John Chrysostom comments as follows: "You are
already clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. That is:
You are clean only to that extent. You have already received the
Light; you have already got rid of the Jewish error. The Prophet
asserted: `Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil from
your souls' (Isaiah 1:16).... Therefore, since they had rooted evil
from their souls and were following Him with complete sincerity, He
declared, in accordance with the Prophet's words: `He who has bathed is
clean all over'" (St. John Chrysostom, "Hom. on St. John", 70, 3).

15-17. Jesus' whole life was an example of service towards men,
fulfilling His Father's will to the point of dying on the Cross. Here
our Lord promises us that if we imitate Him, our Teacher, in
disinterested service (which always implies sacrifice), we will find
true happiness which no one can wrest from us (cf. 16:22; 17:13). "`I
have given you an example', He tells His disciples after washing their
feet, on the night of the Last Supper. Let us reject from our hearts
any pride, any ambition, any desire to dominate; and peace and joy will
reign around us and within us, as a consequence of our personal
sacrifice" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 94).

Office of Readings -- Awakening Prayer

Office of Readings

If this is the first Hour that you are reciting today, you should precede it with the Invitatory Psalm.

O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.

Psalm 68 (69)
I am consumed with zeal for your house
Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I am stuck in bottomless mud; I am adrift in deep waters and the flood is sweeping me away. I am exhausted with crying out, my throat is parched, my eyes are failing as I look out for my God. Those who hate me for no reason are more than the hairs of my head. They are strong, my persecutors, my lying enemies: they make me give back things I never took. God, you know my weakness: my crimes are not hidden from you. Let my fate not put to shame those who trust in you, Lord, Lord of hosts. Let them not be dismayed on my account, those who seek you, God of Israel. For it is for your sake that I am taunted and covered in confusion: I have become a stranger to my own brothers, a wanderer in the eyes of my mother’s children. Because zeal for your house is consuming me, and the taunts of those who hate you fall upon my head. I have humbled my soul with fasting and they reproach me for it. I have made sackcloth my clothing and they make me a byword. The idlers at the gates speak against me; for drinkers of wine, I am the butt of their songs. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Psalm 68 (69)

I am consumed with zeal for your house

Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck.
I am stuck in bottomless mud;
I am adrift in deep waters
and the flood is sweeping me away.
I am exhausted with crying out, my throat is parched,
my eyes are failing as I look out for my God.
Those who hate me for no reason
are more than the hairs of my head.
They are strong, my persecutors, my lying enemies:
they make me give back things I never took.

God, you know my weakness:
my crimes are not hidden from you.
Let my fate not put to shame those who trust in you,
Lord, Lord of hosts.
Let them not be dismayed on my account,
those who seek you, God of Israel.

For it is for your sake that I am taunted
and covered in confusion:
I have become a stranger to my own brothers,
a wanderer in the eyes of my mother’s children.

Because zeal for your house is consuming me,
and the taunts of those who hate you
fall upon my head.
I have humbled my soul with fasting
and they reproach me for it.

I have made sackcloth my clothing
and they make me a byword.
The idlers at the gates speak against me;
for drinkers of wine, I am the butt of their songs.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

Psalm 68 (69)
But I turn my prayer to you, Lord, at the acceptable time, my God. In your great kindness, hear me, and rescue me with your faithful help. Tear me from the mire, before I become stuck; tear me from those who hate me; tear me from the depths of the waters. Do not let the waves overwhelm me; do not let the deep waters swallow me; do not let the well’s mouth engulf me. Hear me, Lord, for you are kind and good. In your abundant mercy, look upon me. Do not turn your face from your servant: I am suffering, so hurry to answer me. Come to my soul and deliver it, rescue me from my enemies’ attacks. You know how I am taunted and ashamed; how I am thrown into confusion. You can see all those who are troubling me. Reproach has shattered my heart – I am sick. I looked for sympathy, but none came; I looked for a consoler but did not find one. They gave me bitterness to eat; when I was thirsty, they gave me vinegar to drink. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Psalm 68 (69)

But I turn my prayer to you, Lord,
at the acceptable time, my God.
In your great kindness, hear me,
and rescue me with your faithful help.
Tear me from the mire, before I become stuck;
tear me from those who hate me;
tear me from the depths of the waters.
Do not let the waves overwhelm me;
do not let the deep waters swallow me;
do not let the well’s mouth engulf me.

Hear me, Lord, for you are kind and good.
In your abundant mercy, look upon me.
Do not turn your face from your servant:
I am suffering, so hurry to answer me.

Come to my soul and deliver it,
rescue me from my enemies’ attacks.
You know how I am taunted and ashamed;
how I am thrown into confusion.

You can see all those who are troubling me.
Reproach has shattered my heart – I am sick.
I looked for sympathy, but none came;
I looked for a consoler but did not find one.
They gave me bitterness to eat;
when I was thirsty, they gave me vinegar to drink.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

Psalm 68 (69)
I am weak and I suffer, but your help, O God, will sustain me. I will praise the name of God in song and proclaim his greatness with praises. This will please the Lord more than oxen, than cattle with their horns and hooves. Let the humble see and rejoice. Seek the Lord, and your heart shall live, for the Lord has heard the needy and has not despised his captive people. Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and all that swims in them. For the Lord will make Sion safe and build up the cities of Judah: there they will live, the land will be theirs. The seed of his servants will inherit the land, and those who love his name will dwell there. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Psalm 68 (69)

I am weak and I suffer,
but your help, O God, will sustain me.
I will praise the name of God in song
and proclaim his greatness with praises.
This will please the Lord more than oxen,
than cattle with their horns and hooves.

Let the humble see and rejoice.
Seek the Lord, and your heart shall live,
for the Lord has heard the needy
and has not despised his captive people.
Let heaven and earth praise him,
the seas and all that swims in them.
For the Lord will make Sion safe
and build up the cities of Judah:
there they will live, the land will be theirs.
The seed of his servants will inherit the land,
and those who love his name will dwell there.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

Reading	Hebrews 4:14 - 5:10 ©
Since in Jesus, the Son of God, we have the supreme high priest who has gone through to the highest heaven, we must never let go of the faith that we have professed. For it is not as if we had a high priest who was incapable of feeling our weaknesses with us; but we have one who has been tempted in every way that we are, though he is without sin. Let us be confident, then, in approaching the throne of grace, that we shall have mercy from him and find grace when we are in need of help. Every high priest has been taken out of mankind and is appointed to act for men in their relations with God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins; and so he can sympathise with those who are ignorant or uncertain because he too lives in the limitations of weakness. That is why he has to make sin offerings for himself as well as for the people. No one takes this honour on himself, but each one is called by God, as Aaron was. Nor did Christ give himself the glory of becoming high priest, but he had it from the one who said to him: You are my son, today I have become your father, and in another text: You are a priest of the order of Melchizedek, and for ever. During his life on earth, he offered up prayer and entreaty, aloud and in silent tears, to the one who had the power to save him out of death, and he submitted so humbly that his prayer was heard. Although he was Son, he learnt to obey through suffering; but having been made perfect, he became for all who obey him the source of eternal salvation and was acclaimed by God with the title of high priest of the order of Melchizedek.

Reading

Hebrews 4:14 - 5:10 ©

Since in Jesus, the Son of God, we have the supreme high priest who has gone through to the highest heaven, we must never let go of the faith that we have professed. For it is not as if we had a high priest who was incapable of feeling our weaknesses with us; but we have one who has been tempted in every way that we are, though he is without sin. Let us be confident, then, in approaching the throne of grace, that we shall have mercy from him and find grace when we are in need of help.
Every high priest has been taken out of mankind and is appointed to act for men in their relations with God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins; and so he can sympathise with those who are ignorant or uncertain because he too lives in the limitations of weakness. That is why he has to make sin offerings for himself as well as for the people. No one takes this honour on himself, but each one is called by God, as Aaron was. Nor did Christ give himself the glory of becoming high priest, but he had it from the one who said to him: You are my son, today I have become your father, and in another text: You are a priest of the order of Melchizedek, and for ever. During his life on earth, he offered up prayer and entreaty, aloud and in silent tears, to the one who had the power to save him out of death, and he submitted so humbly that his prayer was heard. Although he was Son, he learnt to obey through suffering; but having been made perfect, he became for all who obey him the source of eternal salvation and was acclaimed by God with the title of high priest of the order of Melchizedek.

Reading	From an Easter homily by Saint Melito of Sardis, bishop
The Lamb that was slain has delivered us from death and given us life
There was much proclaimed by the prophets about the mystery of the Passover: that mystery is Christ, and to him be glory for ever and ever. Amen. For the sake of suffering humanity he came down from heaven to earth, clothed himself in that humanity in the Virgin’s womb, and was born a man. Having then a body capable of suffering, he took the pain of fallen man upon himself; he triumphed over the diseases of soul and body that were its cause, and by his Spirit, which was incapable of dying, he dealt man’s destroyer, death, a fatal blow. He was led forth like a lamb; he was slaughtered like a sheep. He ransomed us from our servitude to the world, as he had ransomed Israel from the hand of Egypt; he freed us from our slavery to the devil, as he had freed Israel from the hand of Pharaoh. He sealed our souls with his own Spirit, and the members of our body with his own blood. He is the One who covered death with shame and cast the devil into mourning, as Moses cast Pharaoh into mourning. He is the One who smote sin and robbed iniquity of offspring, as Moses robbed the Egyptians of their offspring. He is the One who brought us out of slavery into freedom, out of darkness into light, out of death into life, out of tyranny into an eternal kingdom; who made us a new priesthood, a people chosen to be his own for ever. He is the Passover that is our salvation. It is he who endured every kind of suffering in all those who foreshadowed him. In Abel he was slain, in Isaac bound, in Jacob exiled, in Joseph sold, in Moses exposed to die. He was sacrificed in the Passover lamb, persecuted in David, dishonoured in the prophets. It is he who was made man of the Virgin, he who was hung on the tree; it is he who was buried in the earth, raised from the dead, and taken up to the heights of heaven. He is the mute lamb, the slain lamb, the lamb born of Mary, the fair ewe. He was seized from the flock, dragged off to be slaughtered, sacrificed in the evening, and buried at night. On the tree no bone of his was broken; in the earth his body knew no decay He is the One who rose from the dead, and who raised man from the depths of the tomb.

Reading

From an Easter homily by Saint Melito of Sardis, bishop

The Lamb that was slain has delivered us from death and given us life

There was much proclaimed by the prophets about the mystery of the Passover: that mystery is Christ, and to him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
For the sake of suffering humanity he came down from heaven to earth, clothed himself in that humanity in the Virgin’s womb, and was born a man. Having then a body capable of suffering, he took the pain of fallen man upon himself; he triumphed over the diseases of soul and body that were its cause, and by his Spirit, which was incapable of dying, he dealt man’s destroyer, death, a fatal blow.
He was led forth like a lamb; he was slaughtered like a sheep. He ransomed us from our servitude to the world, as he had ransomed Israel from the hand of Egypt; he freed us from our slavery to the devil, as he had freed Israel from the hand of Pharaoh. He sealed our souls with his own Spirit, and the members of our body with his own blood.
He is the One who covered death with shame and cast the devil into mourning, as Moses cast Pharaoh into mourning. He is the One who smote sin and robbed iniquity of offspring, as Moses robbed the Egyptians of their offspring. He is the One who brought us out of slavery into freedom, out of darkness into light, out of death into life, out of tyranny into an eternal kingdom; who made us a new priesthood, a people chosen to be his own for ever. He is the Passover that is our salvation.
It is he who endured every kind of suffering in all those who foreshadowed him. In Abel he was slain, in Isaac bound, in Jacob exiled, in Joseph sold, in Moses exposed to die. He was sacrificed in the Passover lamb, persecuted in David, dishonoured in the prophets.
It is he who was made man of the Virgin, he who was hung on the tree; it is he who was buried in the earth, raised from the dead, and taken up to the heights of heaven. He is the mute lamb, the slain lamb, the lamb born of Mary, the fair ewe. He was seized from the flock, dragged off to be slaughtered, sacrificed in the evening, and buried at night. On the tree no bone of his was broken; in the earth his body knew no decay He is the One who rose from the dead, and who raised man from the depths of the tomb.

A concluding prayer may follow here.

Catholic Culture

Collect:
God our Father, we are gathered here to share in supper which your only Son left to his Church to reveal his love. He gave it to us when he was about to die and commanded us to celebrate it as the new and eternal sacrifice. We pray that in this eucharist we may find the fullness of love and life. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Recipes:

» Arnaki Gemisto (Stuffed Easter Lamb)
» Beranek
» Charoses
» Easter Lamb

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Activities:

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Prayers:

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April 13, 2006

Holy Thursday

The last three days of Holy Week are referred to as the Easter or Sacred Triduum (Triduum Sacrum), the three-part drama of Christ's redemption: Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday.

Holy Thursday is also known as "Maundy Thursday." The word maundy comes from the Latin word mandatum (commandment) which is the first word of the Gospel acclamation:

Mandátum novum do vobis dicit Dóminus, ut diligátis ínvicem, sicut diléxi vos:
"I give you a new commandment: Love one another as I have loved you." (John 13:34)

These are the words spoken by our Lord to His apostles at the Last Supper, after he completed the washing of the feet. We should imitate Christ's humility in the washing of the feet.

By meditating on the Gospels (cf. Matt 26:1 ff.; Mark 14:1 ff.; Luke 22:1 ff.; John 13:1 ff.), we can recall to mind Jesus' actions of that day. Father Bernard Strasser summarizes all the events of that first Holy Thursday:

...They included: (1) The eating of the Easter lamb or the paschal meal; (2) The washing of the disciple's feet; (3) The institution of the Most Holy Eucharist (the first Mass at which Jesus Christ, the eternal high priest, is the celebrant; the first Communion of the apostles; the first conferring of Holy Orders); (4) The foretelling of Judas' betrayal and Peter's denials; (5) The farewell discourse and priestly prayer of Jesus; (6) The agony and capture of Jesus in the Garden of Olives. — ©1947, With Christ Through the Year

In all the German speaking countries, Slavic nations and in Hungary this day is also known as "Green Thursday." The word is a corruption of the German word grunen (to mourn) to the German word for green (grün). Many people believe they must eat green at today's meal, which is probably derives from from the Jewish Passover meal that included bitter herbs.

The Station today is at St. John Lateran. Maundy Thursday is devoted to the institution of the Eucharist and the priesthood. On this day the bishop blesses the Holy Oils; thus is made clear that the sacraments have their source in Christ and derive their fruitfulness from the paschal mystery of salvation.

Chrism Mass
There are only two masses allowed on Holy Thursday, the Chrism Mass and the evening Mass of the Lord's Supper. In each diocese there is a Chrism Mass or Mass of the Holy Oils, usually said in the morning at the cathedral of the diocese. Catholics should make an effort to participate at the Mass at least once in their lives, to experience the communion of priests with their bishop. All the priests of the diocese are invited to concelebrate with the bishop. The holy oils to be used throughout the diocese for the following year in the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Orders and the Sacrament of the Sick are blessed by the bishop at this Mass. This Mass also celebrates the institution of the priesthood.

Mass of Lord's Supper
During the evening of Holy Thursday, the Mass of the Lord's Supper is celebrated. It is celebrated in the evening because the Passover began at sundown. There is only one Mass, at which the whole community and priests of the parish participate. This is a very joyful Mass, as we recall the institution of the Holy Eucharist and the priesthood. The priests wear white vestments, the altar is filled with flowers, the Gloria is sung and the bells are rung. After the Gloria, we shall not hear organ music and the bells until the Easter Vigil. The Liturgy of the Mass recalls the Passover, the Last Supper, which includes the Washing of the Feet. The hymn Ubi Caritas or Where Charity and Love Prevail is usually sung at this time. After the Communion Prayer, there is no final blessing. The Holy Eucharist is carried in procession through Church and then transferred into a place of reposition, usually a side chapel. The hymn Pange Lingua is also usually sung at this time.

After the Mass, we recall the Agony in the Garden, and the arrest and imprisonment of Jesus. The altar is stripped bare, crosses are removed or covered. The Eucharist has been placed in an altar of repose, and most churches are open for silent adoration, to answer Christ's invitation "Could you not, then, watch one hour with me?" (Matt 26:40)

The Altar of Repose
When the Eucharist is processed to the altar of repose after the Mass of Lord's Supper, we should remain in quiet prayer and adoration, keeping Christ company. There is a tradition, particularly in big cities with many parishes, to try and visit seven churches and their altar of repose during this evening.

Washing of Feet and a Seder Meal

In imitation of Christ's last supper, many Christians prepare a seder meal or the pasch. Celebrating a paschal meal helps us comprehend the plan of redemption. We see the lamb, cooked whole, with no bones broken, foreshadowing the death of Christ, the Lamb of God. We eat the unleavened bread and recall to mind the Eucharist. We eat the whole meal in prayerful reminder of that Last Supper that Jesus spent with His apostles, His friends, instituting Holy Orders and leaving His greatest gift, the Holy Eucharist.

A typical paschal meal includes the roast lamb, bitter herbs, haroset, matzoh and wine. The meal can be as authentic or representative as desired. There are numerous sources, both Christian and Jewish, that can give recipes, prayers and procedure for an authentic paschal feast.

Lauds -- Morning Prayer

Morning Prayer (Lauds)

If this is the first Hour that you are reciting today, you should precede it with the Invitatory Psalm.

O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.

Psalm 79 (80)
Lord, tend your vine
Shepherd of Israel, listen – you who take Joseph as your flock. Shine out before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh – you who are enthroned upon the cherubim. Awaken your power and come to us, come to us and save us. Bring us back, O God: let your face shine on us and we shall be saved. Lord God of hosts – how long will your anger endure against the prayers of your people? You have given us tears for our bread, abundance of tears for us to drink. You have made us a mockery among our neighbours, and our enemies laugh at us. Bring us back, O God of hosts: let your face shine on us and we shall be saved. You brought a vine out of Egypt; planted it, and drove out the nations. You cleared the ground all about it, made firm its roots; and it filled the land. Its shade covered mountains, its boughs shaded the cedars of God; its leaves spread as far as the sea, its shoots as far as the River. So why did you destroy its wall, so that anyone could pluck its fruit, whoever was passing by? The wild boar of the forest broke it, every wild beast could graze off it. Turn back, O God of hosts, look down from heaven and tend this vine. Protect the vine, for your right hand planted it; and the son of man, whom you made strong. The vine is burnt and dug up; and they too will perish when they see you rebuke them. Stretch out your hand over your chosen one over the son of man, whom you made strong – and we will not forsake you, and you will give us life; and we will call on your name. Bring us back, Lord God of hosts: let your face shine on us and we shall be saved. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Psalm 79 (80)

Lord, tend your vine

Shepherd of Israel, listen –
you who take Joseph as your flock.
Shine out before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh –
you who are enthroned upon the cherubim.
Awaken your power and come to us,
come to us and save us.

Bring us back, O God:
let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.

Lord God of hosts –
how long will your anger endure
against the prayers of your people?
You have given us tears for our bread,
abundance of tears for us to drink.
You have made us a mockery among our neighbours,
and our enemies laugh at us.

Bring us back, O God of hosts:
let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.

You brought a vine out of Egypt;
planted it, and drove out the nations.
You cleared the ground all about it,
made firm its roots; and it filled the land.
Its shade covered mountains,
its boughs shaded the cedars of God;
its leaves spread as far as the sea,
its shoots as far as the River.

So why did you destroy its wall,
so that anyone could pluck its fruit,
whoever was passing by?
The wild boar of the forest broke it,
every wild beast could graze off it.

Turn back, O God of hosts,
look down from heaven and tend this vine.

Protect the vine, for your right hand planted it;
and the son of man, whom you made strong.
The vine is burnt and dug up;
and they too will perish when they see you rebuke them.
Stretch out your hand over your chosen one
over the son of man, whom you made strong –
and we will not forsake you, and you will give us life;
and we will call on your name.

Bring us back, Lord God of hosts:
let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

Canticle	Isaiah 12
The rejoicing of a redeemed people
I will praise you, Lord, for when you were angry with me you calmed your rage and turned again to console me. Behold, God is my salvation: I will be confident, I will not fear; for the Lord is my strength and my joy, he has become my saviour. And you will rejoice as you draw water from the springs of salvation. And then you will say: “Praise the Lord and call upon his name. Tell the peoples what he has done, remember always the greatness of his name. Sing to the Lord, for he has done great things: let this be known throughout the world”. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Canticle

Isaiah 12

The rejoicing of a redeemed people

I will praise you, Lord, for when you were angry with me
you calmed your rage and turned again to console me.
Behold, God is my salvation:
I will be confident, I will not fear;
for the Lord is my strength and my joy,
he has become my saviour.

And you will rejoice as you draw water
from the springs of salvation.
And then you will say:
“Praise the Lord and call upon his name.
Tell the peoples what he has done,
remember always the greatness of his name.
Sing to the Lord, for he has done great things:
let this be known throughout the world”.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

Psalm 80 (81)
Solemn renewal of the covenant
Shout with joy to God our helper, rejoice in the God of Jacob. Take up the song, sound the timbrel, play on the lyre and the harp. At the start of the month, sound the trumpet, at the full moon, at our festival. For this is the law for Israel, the decree of the God of Jacob. He gave it to Joseph, for a witness, when he went out of the land of Egypt; with words that had never been heard: “I freed his back from burdens; his hands were freed from heavy loads. In your tribulation you called on me and I freed you, I heard you from the heart of the storm, I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Listen, my people, and I will put my case – Israel, if you would only hear me! You shall not have any strange god, you shall not worship the gods of foreigners. For I am the Lord, your God, who led you out of the land of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I shall fill it. But my people did not hear my voice: Israel did not turn to me. So I let them go on in the hardness of their hearts, and follow their own counsels. If my people had heard me, if only they had walked in my ways – I would swiftly have crushed their enemies, stretched my hand over those who persecuted them. The enemies of the Lord would be overcome with weakness, Israel’s would be the good fortune, for ever: I would feed them full of richest wheat and give them honey from the rock, to their heart’s content. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Psalm 80 (81)

Solemn renewal of the covenant

Shout with joy to God our helper,
rejoice in the God of Jacob.
Take up the song, sound the timbrel,
play on the lyre and the harp.
At the start of the month, sound the trumpet,
at the full moon, at our festival.

For this is the law for Israel,
the decree of the God of Jacob.
He gave it to Joseph, for a witness,
when he went out of the land of Egypt;
with words that had never been heard:

“I freed his back from burdens;
his hands were freed from heavy loads.
In your tribulation you called on me and I freed you,
I heard you from the heart of the storm,
I tested you at the waters of Meribah.

Listen, my people, and I will put my case –
Israel, if you would only hear me!
You shall not have any strange god,
you shall not worship the gods of foreigners.
For I am the Lord, your God,
who led you out of the land of Egypt.
Open wide your mouth and I shall fill it.

But my people did not hear my voice:
Israel did not turn to me.
So I let them go on in the hardness of their hearts,
and follow their own counsels.

If my people had heard me,
if only they had walked in my ways –
I would swiftly have crushed their enemies,
stretched my hand over those who persecuted them.

The enemies of the Lord would be overcome with weakness,
Israel’s would be the good fortune, for ever:
I would feed them full of richest wheat
and give them honey from the rock,
to their heart’s content.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

A short Bible reading and responsory may follow here.

Canticle	Benedictus
The Messiah and his forerunner
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has come to his people and brought about their redemption. He has raised up the sign of salvation in the house of his servant David, as he promised through the mouth of the holy ones, his prophets through the ages: to rescue us from our enemies and all who hate us, to take pity on our fathers, to remember his holy covenant and the oath he swore to Abraham our father, that he would give himself to us, that we could serve him without fear – freed from the hands of our enemies – in uprightness and holiness before him, for all of our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High: for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his path, to let his people know their salvation, so that their sins may be forgiven. Through the bottomless mercy of our God, one born on high will visit us to give light to those who walk in darkness, who live in the shadow of death; to lead our feet in the path of peace. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Canticle

Benedictus

The Messiah and his forerunner

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has come to his people and brought about their redemption.
He has raised up the sign of salvation in the house of his servant David,
as he promised through the mouth of the holy ones, his prophets through the ages:
to rescue us from our enemies and all who hate us, to take pity on our fathers,
to remember his holy covenant and the oath he swore to Abraham our father,
that he would give himself to us, that we could serve him without fear – freed from the hands of our enemies –
in uprightness and holiness before him, for all of our days.

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High: for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his path,
to let his people know their salvation, so that their sins may be forgiven.
Through the bottomless mercy of our God, one born on high will visit us
to give light to those who walk in darkness, who live in the shadow of death;
to lead our feet in the path of peace.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

Some short prayers may follow here, to offer up the day's work to God.

Our Father, who art in Heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those that trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

A concluding prayer may follow here.

May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life.

A M E N

Regnum Christi

Should I Just Read About Love or Practice Love?
April 13, 2006

Jesus takes a deep breath and once again, with infinite patience, tries to teach them by example

Holy Thursday
Father James Swanson, LC

John 13:1-15
Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass from this world to the Father. He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end. The devil had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand him over. So, during supper, fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God, he rose from supper and took off his outer garments. He took a towel and tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples´ feet and dry them with the towel around his waist. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Master, are you going to wash my feet?" Jesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing, you do not understand now, but you will understand later." Peter said to him, "You will never wash my feet." Jesus answered him, "Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me." Simon Peter said to him, "Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well." Jesus said to him, "Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed, for he is clean all over; so you are clean, but not all." For he knew who would betray him; for this reason, he said, "Not all of you are clean." So when he had washed their feet and put his garments back on and reclined at table again, he said to them, "Do you realize what I have done for you? 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."

Introductory Prayer: Help me, Jesus teacher and friend of my soul. May I experience your humble service of others. May I find in it a lesson of humility, helpfulness and love.

Petition: Dear Jesus, I want to learn from your example of charity. Help me to open my heart and learn from it.

1. The Apostles Still Don’t Get It. Jesus comes to the last night of his life on this earth and has to admit to himself that after all this time, the apostles still don’t get it. You would think that after three years of listening to him teach, seeing him heal and perform other miracles, and especially witnessing his example, they would have begun to understand a little about the charity they were supposed to practice towards one another. We think of John as good and charitable, yet he doesn’t offer to wash the feet of the others. Peter is the leader and yet neither does he offer to wash the others’ feet. In fact, we imagine him starting the problem by insisting that someone else wash his feet (“After all, I’m Jesus’ right-hand man, right? I’m the rock on which he will build his Church!”). Nobody steps forward. After three years, they have yet to understand the virtue of humility and the virtue of charity. Jesus must wonder, “When will they finally get it?”

2. Charity Is Taught by Example. Jesus takes a deep breath and once again, with infinite patience, tries to teach them by example. They need to understand that charity is to be the characteristic virtue of his followers. He takes off his outer garments so as not to get them dirty. The apostles are staring at him. He goes to the first one with a towel and water, kneels before him, and like a slave, begins to wash his feet. The apostles are flabbergasted. Why is Jesus doing this? One by one, he cleans their feet, with care and happiness. He smiles up at each one as he works. He comes to Peter. A problem is created. Peter doesn’t want this to happen. Jesus shouldn’t humiliate himself like this for him! “Peter, it is necessary,” Jesus says. Peter accepts, but still doesn’t like it. Finally he is finished and they still look at him without understanding.

3. If He Can Do It, Why Can’t I? Jesus knows that we learn best from example. Now he explains why he did it, “If you want to be my follower you have to have this kind of humility and charity.” Luckily they don’t have to follow his example immediately, as they will have to mull this example over a bit before they fully understand it. Jesus knows that his example will stick in their memory and teach them in the years to come. All they need do is follow his example. So many times we have read about what kind of charity a Christian should have: A Christian’s charity should be without limits. But words alone don’t help us live as we should; example however is another thing. We need to imagine Jesus’ example and follow it, or we can recall the example of charity of someone we know and ask ourselves, “If he can do that, why can’t I?”

Dialogue with Christ: Dear Jesus, like the disciples, I resist your teaching on charity. Sometimes it doesn’t seem practical, but will only leave me vulnerable and easily wounded. What will happen if I practice charity with others and they don’t practice it with me? They will take advantage of me! Of course, these attitudes correspond to someone who doesn’t understand charity at all. Help me to learn that charity gives without expecting anything in return; that it is generous to a fault. Help me to look at your example of washing the apostles’ feet as something I should try to imitate every day, not just something to be read about and admired. I know I will only understand your love when I begin to practice it myself with all the totality and generosity of the day when you washed your disciples’ feet.

Resolution: Today, the beginning of the Easter Triduum, I will look for special opportunities to practice the kind of charity that Jesus practiced in the Upper Room.

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