No greater love
My dearest friends, for almost six weeks, we have been attentively practicing the three ancient disciplines of fasting, prayer and almsgiving, and preparing for the liturgy that has begun on this holy night. In truth, by the time this liturgy draws to a close, three days will have passed us by, for the sacred action we have begun will not be concluded until Saturday evening at the end of the Easter Vigil.
This three-day-long liturgy is made up of a number of significant moments, each of which is worthy of special attention. Like all liturgical moments, this gathering allows us the extraordinary privilege of hearing the voice of love spoken in the words of the scriptures, of touching the holy source of all love with our own human hands, of tasting heavenly food with our earthly tongues and of glimpsing the immortal source of all love with our mortal eyes. The signs of God’s immeasurable love are all around us, proof that there is indeed no greater love than the gift that is offered to us tonight.
In our midst this evening is some of the sacred oil which were blessed and consecrated here in this Church just a week ago. The Oil of Catechumens will be used during the celebration of the Sacrament of Baptism. This oil will be used on Sunday morning when we will baptise an infant whose parents will then present him to the community and formally request that he be numbered among God’s elect. The Sacred Chrism, which also stands in our midst, will be used on Sunday in order to seal the promise of God’s salvation for this little one who is to be baptised. A mixture of olive oil and balsam, Chrism is a fragrant oil which is also used for the Sacrament of Confirmation, to anoint priests and bishops on the day of their Ordination, and to consecrate new places of worship. The third bottle which is present holds the Oil of the Infirmed. This oil is used exclusively for the anointing of the sick. Whether it takes place in a church such as this, or in a hospital room, the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is a sign of God’s closeness and tender compassion for those who suffer in body, mind or spirit.
The liturgy we have embarked on tonight is yet another expression of God’s tender love for all of us, his beloved. He provided for the bodily needs of the Israelite people before they set out on the journey, and even today, he continues to provide for our needs, nourishing us with his word and with special food to sustain us in the task of living out the mission of discipleship today. The apostle Paul reminds us that on the night when he was betrayed, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it. He also took a cup and offered it to them. Bread and wine are simple gifts. They would have been present at almost every Jewish table. Jesus takes the ordinary things in life and transforms them into the most precious of gifts. He continues to do this even today, taking our humble gifts, our talents, our words, our gestures of hospitality, our attempts at reconciliation, and transforming them into extraordinary examples of love.
As though the offering of his body and blood were not enough to cause the apostles to question Jesus’ actions that night, he went even further. We too might be tempted to miss the deeper meaning of this sacred meal, except that Jesus himself enacted the most striking example of the night for us too. The gospel passage tells us that he got up from the table and proceeded to wash the feet of his disciples.
Here again, Jesus lessons go deeper than they first appear. If we were in Peter’s place, each one of us here might be tempted to ask, Are you going to wash my feet? The self-emptying that is expressed in this gesture of humility seems as foreign for us as it did for Peter, yet this is a prophetic example that all of us are asked to adopt. You should try it if ever you get the chance. Get down on your knees in front of someone you love, or better yet in front of a complete stranger. Gently remove shoes and socks. See the calluses, the manicured nails, the twisted arthritic joints. Take that foot into your hands and gently caress it. Splash warm water on it; feel the tension wash away too. Then look up into the eyes of that person. A bond is forged between servant and served. Ritual breaks down barriers, even the ones that we sometimes struggle to maintain. Don’t expect this to be a comfortable experience. At times it can be challenging and even consoling.
Foot washing unites us with the self-emptying Christ. It opens a door to the mystery of God’s self-giving that we celebrate during these three days. Whether foot washing, Eucharistic self-giving or self-surrender on the cross, each opens the door to the same mystery. In each, God gives the divine self, in Jesus, for the life of the world.
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