REAL SERVANTS

April 21, 2011

HOLY THURSDAY

Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper

Ex 12,1-8.11-14 . 1Cor 11,23-26

Jn 13,1-15

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And so we begin the Paschal Triduum today, Holy Thursday. We come once again to that upper room where Jesus instituted the Sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist. We feel once again the tremble of the apostles when He washed their feet. But nevertheless, we are sure that at that moment, Jesus is with us, and he stays in the consecrated hosts which remain in every altar, and which tonight will be put in another place of adoration - the Altar of Repose.

But instead of reflecting on the Gospel of the institution of the Eucharist, we are about to hear the account of John about Jesus washing the apostles' feet. After hearing many accounts of the Gospel wherein Jesus heals the sick, drives away demons and proclaims the Good News, here we are hearing that he washed his follower's feet.

When you are a newbie in attending this afternoon's mass, you can say, Ano? Parang di naman yata bagay kay Hesus ito! And it may be the coincidence. It may seem unfit for our Lord to perform such low deed. After years of performing miracles, here he is washing feet? It sounds absurd!

But let's look deeper into the situation. We hear somewhere in the Gospel that Jesus said, I came to serve, and not to be served. He had shown this in the washing of the apostle's feet. In his heart, he knew that the Father is his source of power. He performed wonders through the grace of his Father. If there's somebody to praise for this, it is not Jesus, but his Father. This is Jesus' definition of being a Real Servant, not having obedience to his own will, but to that of his Father in heaven.

This legacy he is passing to his Apostles, and through them, to us. But not everyone accepted this at first with open hearts; for Peter, this is very much awkward. Peter resisted at first, telling Jesus that he will never allow his master to wash his feet. Peter's ego is being injured at this point. In his perspective, it is he who must wash his Rabbi's feet, and not the other way around; it is very much scandalous for him and it will never happen. 

But Jesus emphasized the importance of what he's doing and he's serious. Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance of me. Unless Peter allows Jesus to wash his feet, he will never realize the full message of the three years of his Master's teaching mission throughout Judea. And this message is focused on selfless love, that kind of love which covers even our mortal enemies. This message is focused on humility, nothing of oneself, but more of God. If Peter did not allow the Lord to wash his feet, perhaps, we could never have him as the first pope, the rock and leader of the Catholic Church.

At the end, Jesus instructs the apostles to do as he did: 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. In our modern language, it is as if Jesus is saying, If I had loved you to the level of serving you, so you should serve others as I did. Never taking anything in consideration, Jesus is telling them to go and show humble service to the people who would hear proclaim the Good News. He asks them to love these flock, to the point of offering their lives for them. He exhorts them to consider the welfare of these people above theirs. 

In other words, through his washing of his apostles' feet, Jesus invites and challenges them to be Real Servants, choosing not to be served but to serve with nothing in return, loving one another as the Lord asks us to do. Through this, they would be more fitting to celebrate the Breaking of the Bread, and preach the coming of the Kingdom to the people who are waiting for it.

We continue to live in this world of secularization, the world of "me, myself and I." The threats that the Christian is facing nowadays is truly beyond mental comprehension. And we have to admit, it is hard for us to be real servants nowadays. Everyone is more focused on activities that has nothing to do with our salvation, and most to do with our damnation. We do not love our neighbor anymore; we love them for a particular price. We do not care for their needs anymore, and we are not willing to die for their sake.

Peter is more of our image nowadays. He is mirrored in people who are confused with their life. He is seen in our brothers who pity themselves and do not accept a certain event as God's will. He is heard in the cries of people who refuse to do what God wants them to do and follow their own instincts instead. Peter is realized in the people of today; we make our selves rule, and do not let God rule in our lives. We only realize that something happens as God wills, but it is too late. Blessed are those who accepted His will with an open heart, without any resistance, and do it with cheer in their spirit!

And so we ask ourselves today, Are we really fitting to be called real servants? Like Jesus who washed his apostles' feet, are we ready and brave enough to serve the poorest of our brothers and sisters? Or like Peter, do we let our pride rule above everything else and not thinking of our neighbor's sake?

Above everything else, we are called to reflect on Jesus' suffering and resurrection, and ponder on the lessons which it could give us. We are challenged by the Gospel - and by the whole Paschal Triduum - to be Real Servants. We take the example of Jesus who offered his life for all, and strive to apply it in our daily activity. We are challenged to love one another by the dimension of the Cross, offering our own lives for the sake of our brothers and sisters. We should not fear of doing this; Jesus assures us, I have won over the world!


For now, as we begin the trek of the Triduum, let us console our Lord in the Most Holy Sacrament. He is there, waiting for us, willing as always to teach us the magic of real service... to serve and not to be served. We just need to approach him. We just need to talk to him.