Holy Week Thursday April 5, 2007

Thursday of Holy Week

April 5, 2007



“Jesus rose from the meal and took off his cloak. He picked up a towel and tied it around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel he had around him.”

John 13:3-5

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What place in line are you? Jesus took the last place. The Lord and Master of all, whom all creation should worship, became smaller than us all and took the very last place in line. He traded all the glory of heaven for all the sin of earth so that we could walk on him to get to heaven. We read in John 15:12-15 how there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Look how the one, who is Lord and Master of everything, becomes smaller than us all and takes the last place in the line of all humanity that was and will ever be. And in this pinnacle of humility, this smallest one, who is the Savior of all, calls us friend. On the evening of His Last Supper for you and me and all human beings that will ever be, he rises from the table, takes off his cloak, ties a towel around himself and washes and dries the disciples feet with the towel. The King and Lord and Master of all takes the form of a slave, becomes the smallest, and takes the last place in the line of all humanity in order to serve us all.



You call yourself Christian? You want to be just like Jesus? Take the last place in line. Be small. Lay down your life as a slave in service to all.



Ponder what the scriptures are really all about. “Though Jesus was in the form of God he did not deem equality with God something to be grasped at. Rather he emptied himself and took the form of a slave, being born in the likeness of men.” Phil. 2:6-7 “The first shall be last and the last shall be first.” “Defer to one another out of respect for Christ.” See how Christ defers to us all by becoming smallest, taking the last place in line and serving us as a slave so that we could walk over him to get to heaven. As we defer to each other out of respect for Christ, we become small and take last place. We humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord and how we do that is to humble ourselves before one another. “Let all parties think humbly of others as superior to themselves.” Phil. 2:3 The scriptures are about being small and taking the last place in line in serving all.



Practice forgetfulness unto self and remembrance of Christ. The world is always reminding us that it is about being first in line, being big, being served or serving oneself. Our self wants self, self, self. Jesus wants others. In the epic battle of our carnal nature seeking self and Jesus’ nature seeking others, we need to remember and be transformed. We need to remember to forget seeking ourselves, live for Jesus and ask for the Holy Spirit to give us the power to do so! Yes, through the power of the Holy Spirit we can move from living for self to being small by taking the last place in line in service to all.



At each mass, beginning with the Lord’s Last Supper which we celebrate this night, we remember and ask for the Holy Spirit’s transforming power. We remember how Jesus taught us forgetfulness unto self and remembrance of God. Jesus became small, took the last place in line, and forgot about his own life as he became a slave to die for us all. And we see how God’s transforming power raised Jesus from death to life. Like Jesus did, we remember to forget living for ourselves and live like Jesus. And in this remembering, we ask the Holy Spirit for the power to live small, take the last place in line and serve all.



Remember to forget yourself and remember Christ. Be small. Take the last place in line of all humanity. Serve all. Beg the Holy Spirit to make it happen.



Live the confronted life!

+Fr. John