Beloved, today is Holy Thursday normally known as Maudy Thursday. This word Maudy means command. It is Maundy Thursday because the Church celebrates this as the day on which Jesus gives His love command. What Jesus is in effect doing is summarizing His entire life, in teaching us how to be humble and to serve everyone irrespective of their status and feeling towards us.
We celebrate three anniversaries on Holy Thursday:
First, the anniversary of the first Holy Mass, as Jesus gave His body and blood to us for the forgiveness of sins. Secondly, the anniversary of the institution of ministerial priesthood in order to perpetuate the Holy Mass, to convey God’s forgiveness to repentant sinners, and to preach the Good News of salvation;
Third, the anniversary of Jesus’ promulgation of His new commandment of love: “Love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 13:34). He did this by washing the feet of His Apostles in humble service.
In the first reading, God gave the people of Israel specific instruction in preparation for their liberation, by preparing the sacrificial meals, which is known as the Passover meal. God told them to take an animal, slaughter it for each family to eat and the blood sprayed on the lintel of each household.
He told them that, “When I see the blood I will pass over you and you shall escape the destroying plague when I strike the land of Egypt.” The flesh must be eaten with unleavened bread. This ceremony must be remembered and be celebrated as God’s liberation for the people of Israel for all time to come. Jesus in the latter times and during His life time transformed the Jewish Passover into the New Testament Passover.
Today’s Gospel describes how Jesus transformed the Jewish Passover into the Eucharistic celebration. After washing the feet of His Apostles and commanding them to do humble service for each other, Jesus fulfil the plan of God for the salvation of humankind by giving His Apostles His own body and blood under the appearances of bread and wine as spiritual food and drink. The Eucharist is life to our soul, which everyone of us must cherish and must participate in it with purity of heart.
He washed the feet of His Apostles, including the ones who were to deny and betray Him. Most times, we pay hatred to hatred to those whom we think are our enemies, whereas they may be the best friends we may ever had. As Jesus washes the feet of Judas Iscariot and Peter, He shows them love and forgiveness. He is also admonishing us to go and do the same, showing the perfect example of a true follower of Jesus Christ. In practical terms, that means we are to consider others’ needs to be as important as our own and to serve their needs, without expecting any reward.
Jesus enriches us with His real Presence in the Holy Eucharist, offering Himself as the sacrificial lamb sharing with us His divine self. Thus, it is by sharing our blessings, our talents, time, health, and wealth with others, that we become true disciples of Christ and obey His new commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you.” We could do also our part by visiting the sick and the less privileged, offering them what we have.
We are to carry Jesus to our homes, our places of work, our schools, and our communities, conveying to others around us the love, mercy, forgiveness, and spirit of humble service of Christ whom we carry with us. We are to also, offer our services to all without counting what it will cost us.
Let us learn to show love and pray for those who persecute us. That does not mean that we should make ourselves vulnerable to those who mean harm to us. Jesus today teaches us that, in whatever situation we find ourselves, God is always with us to support us even in our miseries and agony, we give God all the glory. Peace be with you. Amen!
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