Catholic Mass Readings usccb Powerful Homily-April 06, 2023

Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14

The Passover Ritual Prescribed. ¹The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: ² This month will stand at the head of your calendar; you will reckon it the first month of the year. ³ Tell the whole community of Israel: On the tenth of this month every family must procure for itself a lamb, one apiece for each household. ⁴ If a household is too small for a lamb, it along with its nearest neighbor will procure one, and apportion the lamb’s cost in proportion to the number of persons, according to what each household consumes. ⁵ Your lamb must be a year-old male and without blemish. You may take it from either the sheep or the goats. ⁶ You will keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, and then, with the whole community of Israel assembled, it will be slaughtered during the evening twilight. ⁷ They will take some of its blood and apply it to the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. ⁸ They will consume its meat that same night, eating it roasted with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

¹¹ This is how you are to eat it: with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand, you will eat it in a hurry. It is the Lord’s Passover. ¹² For on this same night I will go through Egypt, striking down every firstborn in the land, human being and beast alike, and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt—I, the Lord! ¹³ But for you the blood will mark the houses where you are. Seeing the blood, I will pass over you; thereby, when I strike the land of Egypt, no destructive blow will come upon you.

¹⁴ This day will be a day of remembrance for you, which your future generations will celebrate with pilgrimage to the Lord; you will celebrate it as a statute forever.

Psalm 116:12-13, 15 and 16bc, 17-18 (R. see 1 Corinthians 10:16)

Response: Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.

Mark 12: 28-34

The Washing of the Disciples’ Feet. ¹ 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. ² The devil had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand him over. So, during supper, ³ fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God, ⁴ he rose from supper and took off his outer garments. He took a towel and tied it around his waist. ⁵ Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel around his waist. ⁶ He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Master, are you going to wash my feet?” ⁷ Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing, you do not understand now, but you will understand later.” ⁸ Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me.” ⁹ Simon Peter said to him, “Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well.” ¹⁰ 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.” ¹¹ For he knew who would betray him; for this reason, he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

¹² 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? ¹³ You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am. ¹⁴ If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.

Focus: Love is the sum and summary of everything. When love is there, anything and everything is possible. Maundy Thursday is a noble TASTE of love!

1.      Today’s speciality is the famous Last Supper. In that dinner scene, there are two central events: One is, Washing the feet of the disciples, and the other is, the Last dinner with his disciples. And in these two action episodes, there are two essential aspects: Witness and Institution – Witness to love, humility, and service; Institution of Holy Eucharist and Holy Priesthood

2.      Taken as such, these two actions may not be so unique and extraordinary, because there are certainly some goodhearted people who serve others, who wash them and take care of them. And also sharing a meal with friends or followers is nothing out of the way. But it is the identity of Jesus, the purpose, and the effect of these two events that make these historical and singular

3.      It is the IDENTITY OF JESUS that makes the washing of his disciples’ feet, a unique event. Jesus is their Master and Lord. He is the Son of God and Saviour. He is the King and the Ruler. But here the Master washes his disciples’ feet. The Lord kneels before the servants. The Son of God bends before the sons of men. The Saviour touches and kisses the feet of the sinners to be saved. The king attends in service of his subjects. As a climax and peak of this, he shares a meal with them. His guests are not any dignitaries but simple people. And this is the farewell meal. What a contrasting experience!

4.      This is clearly a supreme act of WITNESS, teaching in practice, an example in concrete. This is a tangible and powerful example of love, humility, and service. These two actions also become the occasions to emphasize the indispensable duty to love, to be humble, and to serve, binding on every follower of Christ. These alone are the identity marks of a true disciple

5.      A true disciple cannot be otherwise: he or she cannot be hateful and unloving, living in indifference, violence, or selfishness; cannot be arrogant, living in false dignity and self-glory; cannot domineer and subjugate others, depriving others of their due dignity and rights.

6.      These are only counter-signs! One who lives resentfully, aggressively, and selfishly, one who is puffed up and puts on airs, and who manipulates and lords over others, on the basis of affinities like caste, colour, creed, region, language, culture, rite, or money or power or position or intelligence or competence, is a disgrace to discipleship

7.      But these lessons and experiences of love, humility, and service cannot be just limited only to those few moments, as it happens many times in our case: a good number of our beautiful and inspiring experiences are so sadly limited only to some special occasions. Many unfortunately suffer from “short time memory”, “convenient forgetfulness”, and “selective practice”, especially with regard to God –and good matters

8.      But Jesus wants these triple principles to continue forever, even after his physical separation. They will enliven and transmit his presence and action, at all times. In other words, Experience, Continuation, and perpetuation of love, humility, and service – this in simple is the prime purpose of the last supper. The result of this purpose is effected in the institution of the Holy Eucharist and the Holy Priesthood

9.      Both the Eucharist and the Priesthood are nothing but the sacred sacraments which contain this experience and continue and foster that presence and action of the Lord in love, humility, and service. Every time Eucharist and priesthood are celebrated, the Lord is present and active and we are drawn to him in love, humility, and service

10.   Thus, on one hand, we are drawn to the Lord and bound with him, and also draw grace in light and strength from him. On the other hand, we are also drawn to one another and bound with each other, in one community and humanity, and are also charged to live and witness love, humility, and service

11.   Eucharist and priesthood are thus so sacred and noble because they are the containers and transmitters of the “personal” presence of the Lord in the sacramental celebration, and the “testified /concretized” presence of the Lord in a witnessing life of love, humility, and service

12.   In this context, a series of self-checking questions should be posed to us quite sincerely: How is our attitude and devotion toward the holy Eucharist? Why do we see often so much indifference, tepidity, callousness, and lack of reverence toward the Holy Eucharist? How often we are unaware that the Lord himself enters into us, abides in us, nourishes us, heals, and strengthens us?

13.   How little do we feel his effect? How often do we go away from the Eucharist, even without the least change and betterment, and continue to live worse? How can we continue so weak, so unclean, so deviated, so disunited, so hateful, so proud, so despising others, even celebrating and receiving the Eucharistic Lord?

14.   What is our attitude and approach towards the holy Priesthood and the effect of it in our lives, both concerning those who have this vocation and those who receive the fruits of their ministry? How painful it is that at times the sanctity and the dignity of this holy priesthood is so degraded!

15.   At times what disrespect, criticism, and harmful behaviour toward priests? How easily do we forget the holiness of their vocation, their immense sacrifices, and their selfless services? How uncharitably and ungratefully do we become one-sided and prejudiced and ignore their goodness?

16.   How often do we fail to encourage, and support our priests, while we demand so much from them? How often do we put too high demands on them, while we don’t bother even a little about our own quality of life? How often do we exaggerate their small defects, instead of being empathetic toward them?

17.   A balanced and healthy perspective towards priesthood is very much needed: it is holy, noble, and dignified, even though there can be imperfections. Personal defects should not reduce its sanctity, should not lower its dignity to something cheap, and should not discourage and diminish the faith of the people

18.   Experience of the Lord’s presence and his action in concrete lives blooming in love, humility and service – these should be the distinguishing marks of holy Eucharist and priesthood.