Holy Thursday

Holy Thursday Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper Readings

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.”

Why is tonight different from every other night? For our Jewish brethren it is the Passover of the Lord, when He led them out of slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land. This is the night of their redemption when the Lord showed His saving power to all the nations and the nations were in ewe. This is the eternal covenant with the people of Israel.

For Christians, Jesus has become the Passover of the Lord. For tonight, He would allow Himself to be stripped of His dignity and life and be led to slaughter as an innocent lamb. He did this so would have life and in doing so, He destroyed the pangs of death. The Passover of the Lord is also a reminder of our own Baptism, when we died in the waters of Baptism to be restored to life in the fullness of the Spirit. This is the night when the new and eternal covenant will be consecrated in the blood of Jesus Christ and salvation for all people will be the reward of His suffering and death.

But with this Passover, comes a responsibility. For before He suffered His passion and death on the cross, He washed the feet of the apostles and gave us the command to wash the feet of one another. All are equal in the eyes of the Lord and each is called to care for their brothers and sisters in the by the station of life into which they are called. Priests are called to administer the sacraments and bring Christ to us, ever present in the Holy Sacraments. Deacons are called to minister to the people of God in their daily lives. Married couples are called to be the image of community through their love for one another and the families. We are called to be Jesus as He washed the feet of His apostles and called us to do the same.

God Bless You,

Deacon Phil