Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 4-17-03, Holy Thursday, Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper

Reading I
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 13:1-15

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."

FEAST OF THE DAY

Holy Thursday is the traditional day for the celebration of the Mass of
Chrism. At this Mass, the three different oils used for various
Sacraments are blessed or consecrated for use throughout the
following year. These oils are used in the sacraments of Baptism,
Confirmation, Anointing of the Sick, and Holy. The oils not used
during the previous year are to be disposed of by burning. The Mass
of Chrism is also used by the Church as a time for the priests of a
diocese to come together with their bishop as a public sign of unity
and communion.

Today, Lent ends and the Easter Triduum begins with the evening
Mass of the Lord's Supper. The celebration of Holy Thursday serves
to remind us of historical action of Jesus instituting both the
priesthood and the Eucharist while celebrating the Paschal Feast.
On this night he fulfilled all the promises made by God in the Old
Covenant and instituted the New Convent by making a sacrifice of
his own Body and Blood in the non-bloody form of a meal. We are
reminded of this aspect of the ceremony through the narrative read
from the First Book of Corinthians.

The Mass of the Lord's Supper helps remind the faithful of Jesus'
historical institution of the Eucharist and the priesthood, and it also
reminds us that we are all called to service. This is explicitly pointed
out by the washing of feet done by the priest after the homily at this
Mass. This action echoes Jesus washing the feet his Apostles and
reminds us that we are here to serve others and that we should
always work to be humble in the sight of the Lord.

In order to remember the celebration of the Lord's Passion tomorrow,
Mass will not be celebrated, therefore a sufficient amount of bread is
consecrated today for distribution tomorrow. After Communion, the
remaining consecrated hosts are carried in a procession to the
tabernacle, and it is encouraged that the faithful adore the Blessed
Sacrament through the night. After Mass, in order to show the
solemnity of coming events, the altar is stripped of its cloths, and
crosses are covered with red or purple cloth. Holy water is also
removed form all fonts, it will be replaced by the new water blessed
at the Easter Vigil.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

In this dark vale of tears, I wish solely to feed upon this secret
manna, this delicious substance. -St. Cajetan

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TODAY IN HISTORY

858 Pope Benedict III dies
1492 Christopher Columbus signs contract with Spain to find the Indies

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TODAY'S TIDBIT

God our Father, we are gathered here to share in the 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. -Taken from the Opening Prayer for
Mass of the Lord's Supper in the Sacramentary

----

INTENTION FOR THE DAY

Please pray for all ordained ministers of the Church.

The Word Among Us

Thursday, April 17, 2003

Meditation
Exodus 12:1-8,11-14

Holy Thursday

Today, at the beginning of the great Easter Triduum, it is fitting that we read about the Israelites as they prepared to leave their former lives of slavery in Egypt. During this weekend of immense power and grace, God calls us to prepare for our own exodus, for the freedom that he has won for us by his cross.

All week long, we have been asking, “What has the cross of Christ accomplished?” Today, in the story of the first Passover, we can see a foreshadowing of the blood that Jesus shed on the cross, and the power of that blood to overcome sin and death. At the first Passover, the Israelites were to place the blood of a slaughtered lamb over the doorposts of their homes as protection from the destroying angel. This lamb was to be without blemish, just as Jesus was without sin—a perfect and fully acceptable offering to the Father. Now, because he shed his blood for us, Jesus has won for us protection against the forces of evil.

When God looks upon the blood of Jesus, death and sin pass over us. Through faith in this blood, we experience our own exodus from slavery and are brought into his presence. Our own attempts to free ourselves, our own efforts to find favor with God, will always fall short. Instead of trying to make ourselves holy by relying solely on our hard work, we must be sure we are covered by the blood of the Lamb. Then, we will know protection from the snares of the evil one and deliverance from the power of sin.

Just as God ransomed the Israelites from the land of Egypt, Jesus has ransomed us. Just as Moses delivered the Israelites from the heavy hand of Pharaoh, Jesus has freed us from slavery to the devil. As you enter into this weekend of grace and power, place before the Lord all those things that keep you bound to the ways of this world. Ask him to show you his glory as you wait for him this weekend.

“Lord Jesus, you are the great deliverer. I want to spend the next three days preparing for your deliverance. I await your resurrection with my staff in hand, with sandals on my feet, and dressed ready to follow you to freedom. Come, Lord, and deliver all your people!”

One Bread, One Body

<< Thursday, April 17, 2003 >>

Holy Thursday

Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14
1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Psalm 116
John 13:1-15

View Readings

THE LIFE-STOPPING GIFT

“This is My body, which is for you.” —1 Corinthians 11:24

The Eucharist is the body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus. The Eucharist is not only a gift from God, but the Gift Who is God. Therefore, the Eucharist is the greatest of all gifts.

How are we to respond when God gives us His body and blood? The right response to the greatest Gift is communion (see Ps 116:12ff), that is, the sharing of covenanted, unconditional love. Therefore, when Jesus gave us His body and blood, He presented us not only with the greatest Gift but also the greatest responsibility (see Lk 12:48). When God gives us His body and blood, we are put in the position where we either radically reject Him or receive communion with Him in such depth that every aspect of our lives is transformed and we are never the same. We live no longer for ourselves but for Him (2 Cor 5:15). We lose our lives (Lk 9:24).

On this Holy Thursday, let us respond to the greatest Gift by giving ourselves radically, unconditionally, and totally to Jesus. Let us not only go to Holy Communion but be in communion. May Holy Communion not only be part of our lives, but may our lives be part of the eternal, infinite, Trinitarian communion.

Prayer: Father, may Holy Communion bring an end to my worldly, selfish life.

Promise: “If I washed your feet — I Who am Teacher and Lord — then you must wash each other’s feet.” —Jn 13:14

Praise: Praise the eucharistic Jesus! Praise His body and blood!

Lenten Reflections

Thursday of Holy Week

"But if I washed your feet...then you must wash each other’s feet." (John 13:14)

Reflection.

In April of 1945 American artillery in the town of Siegburg, Germany, was shelling a nearby village, in which there were about 20 German soldiers. The natives were in constant danger of being hit by bullets from either side. Toward evening of April 12 the people persuaded the German soldiers to cease fire. Next morning the village priest carried a white flag to the American outpost to inform the commander that the German soldiers had gone and the civilian population had no desire to resist further. Instructions were given to fly white flags from all the houses. The question uppermost in the minds of the towns-people was: How will the Americans treat us?
They had heard terrible tales of cruelty on the part of the Russians. How would these conquerors act?
The Americans began a thorough search for weapons and German soldiers. Two soldiers armed with pistols came to a certain three- room home. They stopped short in the living room before a hand- carved family altar. Into the bedroom they went, to find there a beautiful crucifix. The soldiers noticed the cross. They stopped, took off their steel helmets, changed their automatics from right hand to left, and respectfully made the sign of the cross.
As a member of the family related, the members of that household feared no longer. Yes, the sign of the cross is the salute of the true follower of Christ whether he is conqueror or conquered, whether he is German, Chinese, American or Australian. It is the countersign of the Christian. In particular, it is the special salute of the Catholic.

Lenten Fact
Those who are impeded from visiting a church, during the Stations Of The Cross, may gain indulgences by piously reading and meditating on the passion and death of our Lord for one-half hour. The continued importance of the stations in the devotional life of Catholics is attested by both Pope Paul VI, who approved a Gospel-based version of the stations in 1975, and Pope John Paul II, who has also written his own version.

Lenten Action.

Imagine what it would feel like, if your loved one was taken to prison without due cause. Imagine how the apostles felt as Jesus was carried away.

Prayer

Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit you anointed your only Son Messiah and Lord of creation; you have given us a share in his consecration to priestly service in your Church. Help us to be faithful witnesses in the world to the salvation Christ won for all mankind. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

Stations Of The Cross

Holy Thursday (Evening Mass of the Last Supper)

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).

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