Homily 2 (Mass -alternate)
of the Last Super Year ABC: Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo
Readings: Exod
12:1-8, 11-14; Ps 116:12-13, 15-16bc, 17-18; 1 Cor 11:23-26 and John 13:1-15
Christ, Eucharist, Love and Service (CELS)
On Tuesday evening
here in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, the Bishops, clergy, religious and
the entire faithful gathered around the Archbishop at the Cathedral of St. John
the Evangelist to celebrate the Chrism Mass. That evening liturgy was an expression
of our faith in Christ, the High Priest, the unity of the Sacred Priesthood and
appreciation of Christ’s one redeeming Sacrifice of Love. Oils of Catechumens,
the Sick and of the Chrism were blessed. Oils that the Holy Pope Francis
during his Chrism Mass in Rome has encouraged every priests to go out and
anoint the faithful with, especially the sick, the poor and the needy!
Tonight we begin the Sacred Triduum, three solemn days which encompass the
Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ and draw each and every one of us into
remembering the passion, death and resurrection. You and I know the power of
memory, remembrance! Remembering is so powerful. It revitalizes, reactivates
and keeps past reality alive in us. Holy Thursday brings to our minds
three gifts: the gifts of the Lord’s Super/the Holy Eucharist, the gift
of the Sacred Priesthood and the gift of Christ redeeming love, love that is
stronger than death, stronger than the fear of the fleeing disciples, stronger
than the untruthfulness of the power mongering Pilate and of the few “Jewish
elites”; a love stronger than the betrayal of Judas, the denials of Peter, the
mockeries of the Roman soldiers and the human selfishness. Christ, the
High priest loves his own to the end- all of us, our pastor, our priests, deacons,
s sisters, mom, dad, our children, friends, grandpa and grandma (Jn 13:1).
Where ever you are located here in this Church tonight or standing out there in
the narthex, know that Christ loves you!
The Eucharist of which
institution we reenact today is a banquet of love, gratitude and service. It
provides us a particular opportunity to remember not only how much God loves
and would want to “wash our feet” but His ever living presence in our lives, in
our homes and families. It teaches us to cultivate a sense of gratitude.
I remember growing up in a family of six
children surrounded with many nieces and nephews. We ate together and served
one another from the same plates and drink from the same cup. In sharing and
serving I would feel the deep love, the friendship, the nourishment, the strength
and the support of my family and a sense of gratitude to my parents. We would
laugh, joke and talk with trust about events in life, and some of them very
important.
I want to
believe that when Christ gathered his disciple in that upper room for that Last
Super, a night before his passion he knew the importance of a shared meal, a
meal of love and sacrifice; a meal that nourishes and strengthen us in our
weaknesses. He wanted this sacred meal, this new Passover to be remembered. He
says “Do this in memory of me” (MK14:22ff; Matt 26:26ff, Lk 22:19ff and John
13:1-15), instituting also the Ministerial Priesthood.
In the Second
Reading Paul of today Paul says,
“ I received from the Lord what I also handed
on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took break,
and after he had given thanks, broke it and said, “this is my body that is for
you. Do this in remembrance of me.” With the cup Christ said, “this is cup is
the new Covenant in my blood, do this as often as you drink it in remembrance
of me (1 Cor 11:23-26).”
Jesus will always
remain really and substantially present with us in the Holy Eucharist. After
this meal tonight Jesus would walk across to that garden of Gethsemane (in the
daily chapel) from there he would be arrested, harshly interrogated by Annas,
Caiaphas and brought to Pilates’ Praetorium for trial. Jesus as John will
testify will be killed on the cross sacrificially at the same hour the
paschal lamb of the Jewish Passover is slaughtered in today’s first reading,
(Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14), making Christ, in this new dispensation, the new
Passover Lamb, the cup of the new Covenant of love and Service. On the Cross
his bones will not be broken and his priestly inner - seamless tunic will not
be torn nor shared among soldiers. In this Jesus is protective of each and
every one of us, our marriage and religious vows, family values, Christian
unity (“May they be one” Jn 17), our priesthood, friendship and faith. He also
knew the journey to that cross would be rough but his priestly dignity would
remain intact, a tunic of love – challenging even the modern priesthood, in
need of your prayers always.
In Exodus chapter 29:4
at the ordination ceremony of Priests, Aaron’s feet and those of his children
were washed at the entrance of the tent as stipulated in the old laws (Lev
8:6), for a different reason, external purification. But still in the
context of this meal Christ gave us a sign of interior purification (John
13:1-15) by washing the feet of his disciples, something deeper than deeper
than external ritual.
By washing the
feet of his disciple Jesus shows the depth of his love, a love leading to the
cross. He teaches the hesitant Peter and all of us new way of sacrificial Love,
a new way of service and friendship. Not a new way of “eye service.” He teaches
us a new way of self-transcendence not a new way of self- aggrandizement. He
teaches us a new way to serve not a new way to be served; a new way of humble
friendship with all including the poor, the prisoners and the
marginalized. By washing his disciples feet Jesus overcome by love the
inequality that existed by nature between himself and those whom he had chosen
as friends. I always believe that how we treat one another publicly or in
private is the true measure of the condition of our interior life, especially
of our life of prayer.
As we celebrate this Last Super sharing in the
bread and wine of new covenant of love, gratitude and selfless service, Christ,
and ready to adore him at that Altar of Repose in that garden, let us know that
Christ sees us, he loves us and recognizes us. He sees the rich, the poor and
the downtrodden. Let us know that having
been washed clean, we have been given the spiritual capacity and blessed with
the divine strength of his examples (John 13:12-15) to joyfully love and
gratefully serve one another as Christ has first loved and served us.
