Trong dữ kiện của lễ Vượt Qua, Thiên Chúa đã chỉ dạy và hướng dẫn dân Israel là loại thú nào thì được chọn, và phải làm như thế nào, phải nấu nướng và phải ăn thịt đó ra sao. Còn dân riêng của Chúa thì phải ăn mặc thứ gì và ra sao, và những gì mà mỗi hộ gia đình cần nên phải làm đ1ung như lời chỉ dậy để mọi ngưòi trong gia đình được cứu thoát khỏi những bệnh dịch và chết chóc.
- Trong bữa Tiệc Ly, Chúa Giêsu đã hạ mình khiêm tốn làm con người thấp hèn để rửa chân cho các môn đệ của Ngài.
Chúng ta hãy cầu xin Thiên Chúa ban cho chúng ta những ân sủng của ngài là luôn biết chú trọng tới những lòng tốt của Thiên Chúa qua sự rộng lượng và xót thương của Ngài vì Ngài không biết từ chối bất cứ những điều gì khi chúng ta cầu xin, Nhất là những lúc chúng ta nói "xin vâng" với Ngài, và biết khiêm tốn khi chúng ta biết phục vụ anh chị em của chúng ta. Chúng ta hãy cầu xin Chúa tiếp tục kiên nhẫn với chúng ta bởi vì chúng ta luôn luôn bị phân tâm, bị cám dỗ và làm theo ý muốn của chúng ta hơn thay vì làm việc theo thánh ý Chúa.
The Lord prepares us for every invitation he offers to us, just like the Passover and the Last supper. During the Passover account, God gave instructions to the Israelites on what kind of animal to choose, how to prepare it, how to eat it, what to wear, and what they should do so that their household would be saved from the plague. During the Last Supper, Jesus himself was the one who washed the disciples' feet and explained why he did so. From the two accounts, we can see that the Lord does not take us by surprise. He tells us and shows us how things are to be done. All we have to do is pay close attention to him.
Let us ask the Lord God to grant us the grace to be attentive to His prodding, to be generous and not to hold back anything when we give our "yes" to Him, and to be humble as we serve our brothers and sisters. Let us ask Him to continue to be patient with us since we always get distracted and tempted to do our own will.
“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.” John 13:12–15
Do you want to be holy? Perhaps this question is not one that everyone will immediately answer with a resounding “Yes.” Sadly, holiness, for some, can seem boring and unattractive. The lure of evil is very enticing on a confused and superficial level. So what is your answer to this question? Do you want to be holy?
As we begin today the sacred Triduum, we enter into the holiest days of the Church year. We walk with our Lord through His final glorification today as He celebrates the Passover with His disciples and enters the Garden of Gethsemane to await His arrest. Tomorrow we walk with Him through the stations of His Cross. On Saturday, we sit in silent adoration of His tomb as we await the Resurrection.
In the Gospel quoted above, Jesus gives us a model for holiness by the witness of His actions. He Who is the God of the Universe, the Creator of all, the Eternal Son of God, the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity, humbles Himself and takes on the form of a lowly servant by washing the feet of His disciples. He then offers them the Most Holy Eucharist for the first time, before He goes to meet His persecutors.
The model Jesus gives us is a prophetic action by which Jesus tells us that true greatness, that is, true holiness, is found in humility. Holiness is realized in our lives when we turn our eyes from ourselves and love others as their servants.
None of us are the Savior of the World, but each of us must become instruments of His saving act for others. As we accept Jesus’ gift, we must then turn to others and humble ourselves before them. We must help them to see our love and their dignity. We must serve them with humility and put them first. Doing so will then enable us to invite them to imitate us as we imitate Christ. Thus, our humble imitation of Jesus becomes a means by which Jesus invites others to follow Him.
Reflect, today, upon the invitation of Jesus: “…as I have done for you, you should also do.” Jesus gave us everything, so we must give everything to others. We must serve without counting the cost. We must love them, putting their needs before ours. We must become a model of the love of Christ for them. Ponder Jesus’ service today and throughout the Triduum and commit yourself to live the invitation given you by our Lord.
My humble Lord, may Your name be praised and adored above all things. May You be exalted by Your humility and lowly service. I see in Your humble act, dear Lord, the deep love You have for me and for all. May I imitate that humble love in my own life so that my imitation of You will help to share Your saving love with others. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you have done marvelous things for us. As a good Father, you led us, your children, little by little into the mystery of redemptive sacrifice. The yearly sacrifice of the Passover Lamb was a symbol that pointed to the sacrifice of your only-begotten Son. Help me, on this Holy Thursday, to appreciate the depth of your love for me and all humanity.
1. Sacrificing Lambs at the First Passover: At the First Passover in Egypt, the Lord commanded that every family procure a year-old lamb and sacrifice it. This was actually a very dangerous thing for the Israelites to do. The Egyptians regarded the lambs and other animals as sacred animals and living representations of the gods. Moses pointed this out to Pharaoh, who offered to allow the Israelites to worship the Lord in Egypt rather than in the wilderness. Moses responded: “It is not right to do so, for what we sacrifice to the LORD, our God, is abhorrent to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice what is abhorrent to the Egyptians before their very eyes, will they not stone us?” (Exodus 8:22). What is more, the Lord commands that the Israelites put the blood of the sacrifice on the lintels of their doors, basically announcing to the Egyptians what they had done. The Lord, then, is asking Israel to make an act of faith and trust that he will protect them. They need to be freed of any idolatry they might have fallen into while in Egypt. This sacrifice will be a renunciation of Egyptian idolatry. This is also why the Israelites will have to eat the Passover ready to flee Egypt.
Opening Prayer: Lord, quiet my heart. As I pause and take some time to read your word and sit in your presence, open my ears to anything you may want to say to me. Often I rush into prayer with my own agenda, my own lists, and requests. You are the Messiah, the one who brings good tidings to the poor, proclaims liberty to captives, and heals the blind and oppressed. May I see my own poverty, my own captivity to bad habits and sin, my own blindness and oppression. I know you want everything that is good for me. Open my heart, my ears, and my eyes to you.
A Humble Stage: Jesus was born in a stable far from the place his parents called home. No one expected to find the King of Kings, the long-awaited Messiah, laying in an animals’ feeding trough. He chose extremely humble circumstances to become incarnate. Similarly, when he declared that he was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy–in essence, publicly declaring himself the Messiah–he did not choose a grand venue. He did not go to the Temple in Jerusalem. Rather, he chose the simple, small, local synagogue in his parent’s hometown. He is the greatest King who ever lived, yet he began his public life in the most humble of circumstances.
This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. (1 Corinthians 11:24)
Today we celebrate Holy Thursday, the day when Jesus instituted the Eucharist and told us, “Do this in memory of me.” Since that day, Mass has been celebrated hundreds of millions of times in every corner of the world—all in obedience to Jesus’ command.
There is an intimate relationship between what happened on Holy Thursday and what happened on Good Friday—and that relationship applies to us today. On the cross, Jesus gave up his life for our sins and reconciled us with his Father. But his death on the cross doesn’t mean that we go to heaven automatically. We need to cooperate with the grace that he poured out on the cross. And this is where the Eucharist comes in.
The Jesus who died on the cross is the same Jesus who is now present on the altar at Mass. The One who paid for our sins on the cross is the same One who freely pours out the blessings and grace of our redemption on the altar. The One who said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” on the cross now offers himself to us—body and blood, soul and divinity—in the form of bread and wine.
On the cross, Jesus offered a perfect sacrifice that never needs to be repeated. On the altar, that once-for-all sacrifice is made present to us again so that we can marvel at our redemption. On the cross, he took away our sins. On the altar, he offers us continued strength to overcome the pull of sin and enter into his presence more fully. In effect, the work of the cross continues on the altar. That’s how committed Jesus is to bringing us fully into his kingdom!
So when you go to Mass today, be sure to lift up your heart to the Lord. Look intently at the consecrated Host, and see Jesus there before you. See him pouring out his mercy. See him pouring out his love. He is there, at every Mass, always working to draw us closer to himself.
“Jesus, I am in awe of your redemption. Open my eyes, Lord, to see you on the altar today and every day. Lord, I give you my heart.”
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