A call to serve

Here is the reflection I offered tonight during the celebration of the Mass of the Lord's Supper: some thoughts about how we are called to serve one another.

Love at all costs, part 1

The great celebration of Easter has begun.  Our gathering here tonight is the first part of one continuous liturgy that unfolds over the course of three days.  That is the reason why we refer to this liturgy as the Paschal (or Easter) Triduum.

Anyone who is a parent knows that once a newborn child holds your little finger gripped in his or her fist, you’re hooked for life (Andy Rooney, comedian).  What we are doing tonight is allowing ourselves to be held by the hand of God, loved by God and reminded that He has always loved us.  Like the newborn child, God uses gestures that are simple and yet profound in order to speak to our hearts.

Tonight, simple gestures speak powerfully.  There is a historic significance to these gestures, and yet they speak just as loudly to today’s world because they have not lost any of their significance.

When the Israelite people, our ancestors in faith, were being held captive in the land of Egypt, God spoke to Moses and his brother Aaron.  He gave them instructions that they in turn were to share with others in the community.  It’s very important that members of a community should care for one another: If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one (Ex 12:4).  While God was preparing the Israelite people for their journey, he also wanted to remind them of the importance of not leaving anyone behind.  We too need to remember this truth.  There is a place and a time for private prayer, that’s true, but our prayer must always be translated into action, and the way we care for others, especially those who are in need is the fruit of our prayer.

Jesus and the disciples were very well aware of the instructions that had been given to Moses and Aaron about how the Passover meal should be celebrated.  That’s why all he had to tell them was: Make preparations … there (Mk 14:15); they knew exactly what needed to be done, but they were not prepared for the way Jesus would transform the Passover meal and give it a new significance.

So it was that on that night in the Upper Room, Jesus … took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said: ‘This is my body that is for you (1 Cor 11:23-24).  If the disciples were confused about this first gesture, they were even more confused when the prescribed rituals for the Passover were nearing their completion, and he 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 (1 Cor 11:25).  These are simple gestures, and yet they still speak with an eloquence that our hearts can grasp, even if our minds cannot always comprehend.

But the story doesn’t end there.  Jesus wanted his disciples to realize that there’s a reason why he offers this special food: so that we in turn can go out toward our brothers and sisters and be ready to serve.  Here again, simple gestures speak, even though they may not be fully understood.  Like Jesus, we must never be afraid to get up from the table, take off our outer robes and tie a towel around ourselves (cf Jn 13:4).  Every disciple must be willing to tell others about who Jesus is, but it’s not enough to tell others the story; we must also be willing to show others how to be disciples.  We need to learn how to get up from the table and get close to those who need our help.  We need to learn how to take off our outer robes and allow ourselves to be made vulnerable.  We need to tie the towel of faith around ourselves so that we have everything we need in order to share the good news with those we meet.

Jesus washed the feet of all the disciples that night.  I’m sure that each one of them reacted in a different way.  Though they did not understand, some may have welcomed the gesture while others may have been embarrassed by it.  If we ourselves can recognize the ways in which we have welcomed the help offered to us by others, perhaps we have had a glimpse of Jesus washing our feet too.  If we are aware of times when we found it difficult to accept another person’s help, perhaps we know deep down what Peter meant when he said: You will never wash my feet (Jn 13:8), but may our hardened hearts be transformed this night by Jesus invitation: Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.

On the day of our baptism, we were all washed clean of sin and clothed in Christ (cf Col 3:10).  Even as he feeds us with his body and blood, Jesus teaches us that his life and our lives can only make sense if they are understood in terms of service to God and to our neighbour.  Every time we receive communion, we must strive to understand it as a call to serve, to recognize the face of Christ in those who need our help, and we must pray for the strength of faith to always be willing to serve as Jesus did.