Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Holy Thursday
April 13, 2006
Holy Thursday - Yr II
EXODUS 12:1-8, 11-14
The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, "This month
shall stand at the head of your calendar; you shall reckon it the first
month of the year. Tell the whole community of Israel: On the tenth of
this month every one of your families must procure for itself a lamb,
one apiece for each household. If a family is too small for a whole
lamb, it shall join the nearest household in procuring one and shall
share in the lamb in proportion to the number of persons who partake of
it. The lamb must be a year-old male and without blemish. You may take
it from either the sheep or the goats. You shall keep it until the
fourteenth day of this month, and then, with the whole assembly of
Israel present, it shall be slaughtered during the evening twilight.
They shall take some of its blood and apply it to the two doorposts and
the lintel of every house in which they partake of the lamb. That same
night they shall eat its roasted flesh with unleavened bread and bitter
herbs. "This is how you are to eat it: with your loins girt, sandals on
your feet and your staff in hand, you shall eat like those who are in
flight. It is the Passover of the LORD. For on this same night I will
go through Egypt, striking down every firstborn of the land, both man
and beast, and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt--I, the
LORD! But the blood will mark the houses where you are. Seeing the
blood, I will pass over you; thus, when I strike the land of Egypt, no
destructive blow will come upon you. "This day shall be a memorial
feast for you, which all your generations shall celebrate with
pilgrimage to the LORD, as a perpetual institution."
1 CORINTHIANS 11:23-26
Brothers and sisters: I received from the Lord what I also handed on to
you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread,
and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, "This is my body
that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way also
the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my
blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." For as
often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death
of the Lord until he comes.
JOHN 13:1-15
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. The devil had already induced Judas, son of
Simon the Iscariot, to hand him over. So, during supper, fully aware
that the Father had put everything into his power and that he had come
from God and was returning to God, he rose from supper and took off his
outer garments. He took a towel and tied it around his waist. Then he
poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and dry
them with the towel around his waist. He came to Simon Peter, who said
to him, "Master, are you going to wash my feet?" Jesus answered and
said to him, "What I am doing, you do not understand now, but you will
understand later." Peter said to him, "You will never wash my feet."
Jesus answered him, "Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance
with me." Simon Peter said to him, "Master, then not only my feet, but
my hands and head as well." 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." For he knew who would betray him; for this
reason, he said, "Not all of you are clean." 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? 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."
REFLECTION
Jesus knew his hour had come. He knew he would be tortured and
crucified. He knew that two of his chosen would fail him, one by
betraying him, the other by denying him. He knew the rest would abandon
him. The tension within Jesus must have communicated itself to his
apostles. They must have sensed the dread and the fear that lay heavily
on him, dread and fear that would later that evening force the blood
through his pores until it stained the ground about him. Furthermore,
the evil Judas intended surely infected the atmosphere of the room with
obscene foreboding, with sinister premonition.
Jesus stood up. All looked at him. Conversation ceased. What would he
say? Would he try to ease the heaviness that burdened the room? Would
he urge loyalty no matter what threats might be hurled at them? Would
he talk about their dreams, their hopes, their aspirations? Jesus said
nothing. He removed his outer garment, tied a towel about his waist,
picked up a jug of water and a bowl. He went down on his knees, washed
the feet of each of his disciples. He washed them, as would a slave or
a servant.
The apostles were appalled. Not simply because their Lord and Master
knelt before them like a slave to wash their feet. Their reaction was
because they knew that Jesus' gesture would change the life they had
hoped to live with him. They had hoped to rule with Jesus. This was not
how they wanted to understand "rule" or "power." So Jesus made it
explicitly clear to them: "If I wash your feet," he said, "you should
wash one another's feet."
He continued the meal, giving himself to them not only as a slave or
servant. He gave himself totally to them, to be their food, their
strength. Finally, from this room he walked out to his death, that
through his death he might give them life.
Jesus gave himself totally to us and for us. He held back nothing. As
St. Paul puts it, to describe Jesus' act of self-giving: "He emptied
himself." And if I may paraphrase the words Jesus spoke after he washed
his apostles' feet, "As I have served you, so you must serve one
another, as I have loved you, so you must love one another."
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray ...
- for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.
- for the speedy recovery of Mother Dolores Santos, O.P.
- for the speedy recover of Rita delos Reyes.
- for the personal intentions of Dr Cip delos Reyes and Jose delos
Reyes.
- good health to Mila San Juan, Yolanda Legaspi and Alejandro Legaspi.
- for the eternal repose of the soul of Jeanne B. Francisco.
- for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Acero Baby Cu
- Wedding Anniversary: Jose Sr. & Lilia Lim
- Wedding Anniversary: Robert & Bella Lee
- for world peace and reconciliation.
Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our
prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.
Have a good day!
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� 2006 Daily-Homily
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