Wednesday, April 20, 2011
HOLY THURSDAY - A
HOLY THURSDAY - A
Ex 12:1-8, 11-14 / Ps 116:12-13, 15-16, 17-18 / 1 Cor 11:23-26 / Jn
13:1-15
EXODUS 12:1-8, 11-14
Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, `This month must be the first
of all the months for you, the first month of your year. Speak to the
whole community of Israel and say, "On the tenth day of this month
each man must take an animal from the flock for his family: one animal
for each household. If the household is to o small for the animal, he
must join with his neighbor nearest to his house, depending on the
number of persons. When you choose the animal, you will take into
account what each can eat. It must be an animal without blemish, a
male one year old; you may choose it either from the sheep or from the
goats. You must keep it till the fourteenth day of the month when the
whole assembly of the community of Israel will slaughter it at
twilight. Some of the blood must then be taken and put on both
doorposts and the lintel of the houses where it is eaten. That night,
the flesh must be eaten, roasted over the fire; it must be eaten with
unleavened bread and bitter herbs. This is how you must eat it: with a
belt round your waist, your sandals on your feet and your staff in
your hand. You must eat it hurriedly: it is a Passover in Yahweh's
honor. That night, I shall go through Egypt and strike down all the
firstborn in Egypt, man and beast alike, and shall execute justice on
all the gods of Egypt, I, Yahweh! The blood will be a sign for you on
the houses where you are. When I see the blood I shall pass over you,
and you will escape the destructive plague when I strike Egypt. This
day must be commemorated by you, and you must keep it as a feast in
Yahweh's honor. You must keep it as a feast-day for all generations;
this is a decree for all time.
1 CORINTHIANS 11:23-26
For the tradition I received from the Lord and also handed on to you
is that on the night he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread,
and after he had given thanks, he broke it, and he said, `This is my
body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.' And in the same
way, with the cup after supper, saying, `This cup is the new covenant
in my blood. Whenever you drink it, do this as a memorial of me.'
Whenever you eat this bread, then, and drink this cup, you are
proclaiming the Lord's death until he comes.
JOHN 13:1-15
It was before the feast of the Passover. Jesus realized that his hour
had come to pass from this world to the Father, and as he had loved
those who were his own in the world, he would love them with perfect
love. They were at supper and the devil had already put into the mind
of Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray. Jesus knew that the Father
had entrusted all things to him, and as he had come from God, he was
going to God. So he got up from table, removed his garment and taking
a towel, wrapped it around his waist. Then he poured water into a
basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the
towel he was wearing. When he came to Simon Peter, Simon said to him,
"Why, Lord, you want to wash my feet!" Jesus said, "What I am doing
you cannot understand now, but afterwards you will understand it."
Peter replied, "You shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered him, "If
I do not wash you, you can have no part with me." Then Simon Peter
said, "Lord, wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head!"
Jesus replied, "Whoever has taken a bath does not need to wash (except
the feet), for he is clean all over. You are clean, though not all of
you." Jesus knew who was to betray him; because of this he said, "Not
all of you are clean." When Jesus had finished washing their feet, he
put on his garment again, went back to the table and said to them, "Do
you understand what I have done to you? You call me Master and Lord,
and you are right, for so I am. If I, then, your Lord and Master, have
washed your feet, you also must wash one another's feet. I have just
given you an example that as I have done, you also may do."
REFLECTION
Why does the Church, for today's celebration, choose to focus on
Jesus' washing his apostle's feet rather than on the institution of
the Holy Eucharist?
"He loved his own in the world and loved them to the end…He rose from
supper… took off his outer garment… took a towel and tied it around
his waist, poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples'
feet." So that, indeed, he might show how much he loves them. For he
already knew how, later in the evening, he would be betrayed, denied
and abandoned by them. Looking back, they would be overwhelmed by the
horror of what they had done. They would understand the forgiving
compassion of their Master's love.
Jesus knelt to wash his disciples' feet. Washing the feet was, in
Jewish society, a task for slaves. Abasing himself before them, Jesus
meant to introduce something new into their lives. It meant giving
themselves in services as slaves to one another. "I have given you an
example to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should do
also."
If we wish to share in the Eucharist in which the loving Lord, the
Sacrificial Lamb is present, we must give ourselves in love,
sacrificially to one another. The Eucharistic Sacrifice relates us in
love to the Lord as it relates us to our brothers and sisters.
May the love of Jesus for his followers, for us, expressed through the
Eucharist fill us with a deep desire to give ourselves in service to
one another. Jesus came for us all, sinners, the sick, the poor, to
wash our feet. Could we do the same in likeness to our Master?
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Angeli
- Jo Marcelo
- Jun Lee
- Allen P.
- Leah Magcamit and Ginny Belardo
… for the personal intentions of:
- Josheil Dapo
- Edu and Andrea
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Chickiamco Terly
- Birthday: Judge Corazon Tordilla
- Birthday: Bon Malvar
- Wedding Anniversary: Catherine Ngo & Robert Hines
- In Memoriam (+): Diosdado P. Macapagal
… 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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