Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L.
Bishop of Scranton
HOMILY
Holy Thursday – April 21, 2011
These powerful words and images from the Gospel of Saint John speak directly to my heart and, I hope, to yours as well. Can you see Jesus bending down to wash the feet of his disciples? Can you imagine their astonishment at this unexpected and extraordinary gesture of service? Can you appreciate the important message Jesus offers to all of us, his followers: “As I have done, so you must do.”
Let’s look more closely at the gospel this evening. In the gesture of washing the feet of his disciples, Jesus teaches us to embrace two very important things – one is obvious, the other less so.
The obvious lesson is rooted in the act itself. Jesus assumed the role generally given to a slave in a household. He – the Teacher and Lord – bent down on the floor and washed the feet of his disciples – a gesture of hospitality and concern in first century Palestine. In so doing, he challenged them – and us – to serve our sisters and brothers in a selfless, compassionate and tangible manner.
The less obvious lesson emerges through the apostle Peter – who clearly was embarrassed when Jesus attempted to wash his feet. “You’ll never wash my feet, Lord!” Jesus reminds him of just how essential it is for him – and us – to be humble enough to open our lives to the Lord’s mercy and forgiveness. “Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me.”
In washing the feet of his disciples, Jesus challenges us to be compassionate – as he is compassionate. In allowing Jesus to wash his feet, Peter reminds each of us – at Jesus’ invitation – that we are all in need of compassion, forgiveness, and the assurance of God’s mercy and love.
It’s difficult enough to wash someone else’s feet – to serve – when we’re tired and our resources are few and our time is limited. It’s a challenge sometimes to volunteer to serve the poor – to take care of an elderly parent – to call upon a lonely neighbor. … But it can be even more difficult to allow someone to wash our feet – to serve us – to swallow our pride, to have to admit that we are poor and in need – dependent – to accept our own mortality and limitations and to let someone else care for us.
When I was growing up, my uncle suffered from multiple sclerosis and was wheel chair bound. I never minded pushing him in his wheel chair. As a young boy, it was something of a privilege. Today, I can’t imagine what it was like for him to be so dependent on somebody else to simply get from here to there.
This night confronts us with the harsh reality of what it means to be truly human and truly Christian. It challenges us to be vulnerable before God – to admit of our need for love and forgiveness, for healing and hope. It also challenges us – all of us – bishops, priests, deacons, religious and lay faithful – to find our deepest meaning, purpose and peace in the pattern of Jesus’ life – in the service that we offer to others.
Jesus asks all of us to take up a towel, pitcher and basin, to set aside our pride and self-importance and to bend down to the ground and wash the scarred and dirty feet of another. … And then he invites us to sit down with humility to welcome another to wash our feet.
Once washed clean, Jesus invites us to the table of the Eucharist. Saint Paul so powerfully recalls the very words of the Lord himself when Jesus took bread on this very night, gave thanks, broke it and said: “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And in a similar way, Paul reminds us that Jesus took the cup, saying: “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
In this singular action, Jesus establishes the Priesthood to perpetuate the Eucharist and then provides the Church with the nourishment it needs for its very life – the Body and Blood of the Lord himself.
The Supper of the Lord, a sacred meal rooted in the Sacrifice of the Cross. … The washing of feet, a sacred gesture of service rooted in the same Sacrifice of the Cross.
Do you see how all of the actions of Jesus on this night are linked together? … This night makes sense only if we realize that, like those of Jesus, our actions here around this table are not solely a private event between ourselves and the Lord. This night makes sense only if we see ourselves like Jesus, like bread, broken in the Eucharist and given to others – in service – for their sake, for their life and salvation.
Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, in his apostolic exhortation on the Eucharist, Sacramentum Caritatis, offered the following words that speak profoundly to our gathering this evening:
“Our communities, when they celebrate the Eucharist, must become ever more conscious that the sacrifice of Christ is for all, and that the Eucharist thus compels all who believe in him to become “bread that is broken” for others, and to work for the building of a more just and fraternal world. Keeping in mind the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, we need to realize that Christ continues today to exhort his disciples to become personally engaged.” Recall what Jesus told his disciples when they expressed concern for the hungry crowds following after him: “You yourselves, give them something to eat (Mt 14:16). Each of us is truly called, together with Jesus, to be bread broken for the life of the world.”
My sisters and brothers, Jesus invites us to be nourished by his word and sacrament. He invites us to become the humble, selfless Servant who gives his life FOR US and TO US in the bread and wine of the Eucharist. He invites us to become the mystery we receive.
Jesus invites us to remember tonight and always the final challenge of Holy Thursday – found in his own words: “I have given you a model to follow. As I have done, so you must do.”
