Second Sunday of Easter (C)

 

Second Sunday of Easter (C) [Jn 20:19-31]

27.04.2025

The Risen Lord Appears to the Disciples

Readings: (1) Acts 5:12-16 (2) Rev 1:9-13.17-19

1.    Theme in brief:

Liberation from fears and doubts and mission-empowerment

2.    Focus Statement:

Faith in the power of the Lord’s resurrection can liberate us from our fears due to which we are shut in, and make us worthy to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit with whose strength we can carry forward his mission of peace and reconciliation.

3.    Explanation of the text

The sudden appearance of the Risen Lord in the midst of disciples on the evening of “the first day of the week” in spite of locked doors (“for fear of the Jews,” 20:19) and barriers of walls, shows that now he has transcended all the barriers and blocks established by humans due to their fears (real or imaginary, prejudices, narrow-mindedness and selfishness.

 

Further, this appearance has a double significance:

(1) He is now having a spiritual or resurrected body endowed with all the divine glory; hence he can pass through the walls and locked doors (20:19); he is not bound by space and time any more. (2) He is in close solidarity with humanity, offering them something they long for; that is, peace and joy (20:19-21). The scars of wounds on his hands and his side confirm that he is the same Jesus who was crucified (20:20). The joy of the disciples when they see him is only a fulfilment of the promise he made at the Last Supper: “I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy from you” (16:22).

According to today’s gospel, as the Risen Lord appears to his disciples, he imparts four precious gifts to them:

(1)   Peace, with his twice repeated words: “Peace be with you” (20:19, 21). In biblical language peace involves all-round well-being, harmony and building up of human relationships (20:19, 21). In the OT, peace is closely associated with the blessing of God and salvation to be brought by the Messiah. This peace restores them to inner security and fearlessness.

(2)   Holy Spirit, with the words: “Receive the Holy Spirit” and with the gesture of breathing on them (20:22). Since breath symbolizes life, it is clear that the Holy Spirit is the Risen Lord’s own breath or life. Just as God had breathed into the nostrils of the first man (Adam) the breath of life, and he had become a living being (Gen 2:7), so also Jesus breathes on his disciples in a similar fashion. By giving them the Holy Spirit he makes them a new creation or imparts new life into them leading to the birth of a new community, the Church. Breathing on them may also refer to prophet Ezekiel’s prophecy to the dry bones (37:1-14). The apostles are now like dry bones – lifeless and full of fear. Like the prophet, Jesus causes his breath or life (= Holy Spirit) enter into the dry bones and they begin to live (Ez 37:9, 14). The Holy Spirit regenerates or rejuvenates them in such a way that they emerge from their hideouts to become courageous witnesses of the Lord.  

(3)   Mission mandate, with the words: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (20:21). He sends them into the world to continue the mission for which his Father had sent him. This mission should be understood in terms of John’s main themes – to share God’s (divine) life, light and truth with others; to dispel darkness of sin and death and to lay down their life in humble and sacrificial service for others.  

(4)   Power to forgive or retain the sins of any (20:23). He gives them a share in his power to forgive sins so that they may proclaim the forgiving love of God and carry forward his own earthly ministry of reconciliation.

Though we come to know from the synoptic gospels also that many of Jesus’ disciples had doubted about his resurrection (cf. Mt 28:17), here in John’s gospel Thomas is singled out as a representative of all of us, who sometimes doubt in God’s work and demand physical proofs or spectacular miracles (20:25). The Risen Lord makes use of this episode of the doubting Thomas to point out the necessity of putting our faith in him without seeking for miracles or firsthand experience. He declares people who arrive at such faith based on the testimony of the firsthand witnesses as equally “blessed” (20:29).

4.    Application to life                     

The Risen Lord’s sudden appearance in the midst of disciples even when the doors were locked for fear of “the Jews” (that is, Jewish authorities), symbolizes his power: (1) to cross the limits of space and time; (2) to liberate us from our fears due to which we are shut in; and (3) to reassure us in our doubts of faith. By passing through the walls and locked doors of the house where the disciples had met, the Risen Lord makes it clear that now he is present in any situation and place if only we can ‘see’ his presence with the eyes of faith. He has transcended all the barriers and blocks established by human nature or culture such as distinctions of nationality, race, ethnicity, caste, class, kinship, group, party and religion. He can unlock the doors or break the walls erected by our prejudices, narrow-mindedness and selfishness.

In our social conversation normally we speak in these terms: “we" men and “they” women; “we" Christians and “they” non-Christians; “we" nationals and “they” foreigners; “we" locals and “they” outsiders; “we” tribals and “they” non-tribals; “we" lay people and “they” clergy/religious; etc. There is nothing wrong in these expressions as log as they are mere terms of reference. But we need to examine whether they go beyond normalcy and border on racism, casteism, tribalism, groupism, ethnic conflicts, prejudices or hatred or labeling of “those people there”, etc.

Worse still, if segregation/ discrimination/ ill-treatment based on these factors is practiced within Christian community which is composed of various ethnicities, races, castes, cultures and languages, we narrow down the Risen Christ’s presence to a limited place, group, culture or situation. This is equal to not believing that Christ is really risen from the dead. Let our attitude be like this: the Risen Lord is not “here alone” (that is in my kinship circles, ethnic community, caste, tribe or group alone) but equally present in all peoples, cultures and situations. If we really believe that Christ is risen from the dead, we cannot keep him confined to only our group/ tribe/ caste/ race or restrict him to one situation only. Secondly, if we believe so we begin to ‘see’ the presence of the Risen Lord not only in pleasant and joyful situations but also in sorrowful and painful ones. When sorrow comes, where is he? Can we say: “He is here in our sorrows because he is risen from the dead.”

Today’s gospel text highlights two important aspects of any believer’s life, namely, fears and doubts of faith. First, the text says that the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jewish authorities (20:19). Like the apostles, we are often tempted to lock our ‘doors’ out of so many fears in us – both real and imaginary. Just imagine the conscious and subconscious fears haunting the minds of many of us – fear of failure in an examination, of losing in a game or match, of being robbed, of being attacked by an enemy, of remaining unemployed, of losing a job, of being killed in a bomb blast or accident, of ridicule/ criticism/ negative remarks by others, of darkness, of public speaking, of dreadful sicknesses like cancer and heart attack, of being left alone in old age, of losing one’s dignity and reputation, of breakage of relationships, of our children getting into deviant or criminal behaviour, of natural or man-made calamities (like accidents, floods, earthquakes, cyclones), of untimely or unprepared death, etc. There are also fears of what others may think of us or say to us, especially when we try to behave a little different from the general trends in our society. Then of course, there is a fear of the unknown future.

When these fears (whether real or imaginary) take control of us and rule over our minds, they keep us chained and locked within the narrow space of our own souls. Instead of the Lord directing our lives, these fears become an independent force driving us where we may not like to go. The imaginary or unrealistic (baseless) fears are our worst masters who control or drive us to wrong directions such as depression, disappointment, meaninglessness, emptiness, etc. Robin Sharma rightly says: "We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark. The real tragedy of life is when an adult is afraid of the light.” Quite often we are afraid of saying and doing what is right. The light of the Risen Lord can free us from the chains of fears (especially, imaginary or baseless ones), if we really believe in the power of his resurrection. If the Risen Lord is with us and for us, who or what can be against us (Rom 8:31-39)?

Armed with this firm faith, we need to admit our powerlessness to change the things we cannot, and surrender our lives into the hands of the living Lord. Our outer security may come from walled compounds, grill-gates, locks, bodyguards, bullet-proof vests, protective parents and companions; but our inner security comes from the power of the Risen Lord and his gift of peace – inner harmony. With his power we can overcome fear of hardship, distress, danger, persecution, peril and death. Let us place the bundle of fears before the Risen Lord and ask him to liberate us from all imaginary fears and give us the grace to face real fears with courage.

Secondly, after fears, come our doubts, epitomized by ‘doubting’ Thomas’ case in today’s gospel. They too are a part of every believer’s life. Like the apostles, we doubt whether all our efforts will be fruitful; whether our plans will succeed; whether there is a God who allows the just to suffer; and why does he allow it? We think, if God could prove his almighty powers through spectacular miracles and visions, all people of the earth could easily believe in him. Today’s gospel tells us that seeing extraordinary signs and miracles is not a guarantee of faith. When Thomas demanded such a proof from Jesus by showing the marks of nails in his hands and allow him to touch his wounds, Jesus gave him a chance to do so with another appearance (20:26-27). Today’s gospel does not tell us whether Thomas really touched Jesus’ wounds. Without arriving at a deeper level of faith, even if he had touched, he could have said that it was a ghost or just a hallucination. Unlike the apostles, our faith usually doesn’t come from direct encounter with the Risen Lord, but from the testimony of others. The action of the Risen Lord on our life is so mysterious that it cannot be seen. When unexpected, surprising and extraordinary things or events happen in our life, some believe in God’s mighty intervention and others do not. Faith in the Risen Lord leads us to a total surrender or submission to his plans and designs by acclaiming: “You alone are the Lord of my life; youy alone are my Higher Power. I bow down to you in total submission” (cf.20:28).

At baptism, the Lord had already breathed his Spirit into us and made us a new creation. In spite of that we become like dry bones lacking zeal in Christian commitment. In this Easter Season we must open our hearts to the Risen Lord and beg him to breathe his Spirit into us and renew/re-create us. With the empowerment of his Spirit, the Lord continues to send us even today with his mission – to share his peace where it is broken, to reconcile where there is disharmony, to breathe a fresh life where there is no life or where people sit in the shadow of death, to dispel the darkness of sin and to lay down their life in humble service for others. He opens the doors of forgiveness for us, so that we too can become agents of reconciliation. Let us ask ourselves whether in our families, neighbourhood and communities we are known as peacemakers or peace-breakers. Sometimes for the sake of peace and harmony we have to humble ourselves and accept our mistakes and renounce our views. Do we do it? If we do so, the winds of new life and joy, harmony and reconciliation – the breath of the Spirit of the Risen Lord - will blow over our families and communities. 

5.    Response to God's Word

What are our present real or imaginary fears? For the sake of peace and harmony, do we humble ourselves to accept our mistakes and bad behaviour? Are we known as peacemakers or peace-breakers? Does our faith in the Risen Lord enable us to recognize his universal presence in people outside our ethnic group and accept the truth from any person of good will? If we nurse strong prejudices and misconceptions about others’ religion, race, caste, ethnic background, past mistakes and bad record, what does it show? Do our occasional doubts of faith finally lead us to a faith-surrender to accept Jesus as our Lord and God? What makes us look like dry bones, lacking vitality?

6.    A prayer

Jesus, my Lord and my God, I offer you all my real and imaginary fears and doubts of faith. Be my driving force when I am plagued with fear of the unknown. When you, the Risen Lord, are with me and for me, who or what can be against me? I believe that in all my fears, doubts and perils I am more than a conqueror through you who loves me. Breathe into me the fresh breath of the Holy Spirit and re-create me. Here am I; send me with the empowerment of your Spirit to continue your mission of building up peace, harmony and reconciliation. Amen.

EASTER VIGIL (C)

 

EEEAS

EASTER SEASON YEAR C

Easter Vigil [Lk 24:1-12]

19.04.2025

The Resurrection of Jesus

Readings: OT (1) Gen 1:1-2:2  (2) Gen 22:1-18  (3) Ex 14:15-15:1  (4) Is 54:5-14  (5) Is 55:1-11  (6) Bar 3;9-15.32-4:4  (7) Ez 36:16-28; NT (8) Rom 6:3-11

1.    Theme in brief:

To meet the living Lord in all situations

2.    Focus Statement:

As Jesus is risen, now he is not found among the dead, but among the living; hence, we have to look for him beyond the tomb, and meet him in faith in all situations and among all people.

3.    Explanation of the text

Today’s gospel tells us that Mary Magdalene and other women disciples of Jesus had gone to the tomb with the spices they had prepared, understandably to anoint Jesus’ body as a sign of love, devotion, and respect (24:1). When he died, they could not pay their tribute to the body of the Person whom they loved ardently by performing the last rites of anointing the body with spices as per Jewish custom. Since the Jewish Sabbath had already begun soon after Jesus’ burial, the regulations of the Sabbath forbade such work. This gospel text shows how the fervent and faithful love of the holy women even after his death  was rewarded with the joyful news given by “two men in dazzling clothes” (presumably angels, 24:4) that he has risen (24:5). Luke says that they had gone to the tomb on “the first day of the week” (that is, Sunday as per Jewish calendar) at early dawn (24:1). [Hence Sunday became the Day of the (Risen) Lord and Sabbath day for the Christian community, whereas for the Jews the Sabbath was the last day of the week or the seventh day (Saturday).]

When the holy women reached the tomb of Jesus they were perplexed to find the stone rolled away from the tomb and the body of Jesus missing (24:2-3). The rolling away of the stone symbolizes the victory of Jesus over the forces of death. By his resurrection, Jesus has overcome death and has opened up an eternal destiny beyond their physical death for those who believe in him. The angel of the Lord said to the women: “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen” (24:5). "He" – that is, Jesus who lived in Nazareth, walked in a limited region of Palestine, taught the new Law, suffered under Pontius Pilate, died a shameful death on a cross and buried in this tomb is not "here." Because he is risen from the dead, now he is no more limited or confined to the place where they laid him, that is, to the place of his burial or to the space of his earthly life. Now he can break all barriers, walls, limitations and boundaries established by human beings and continue to save anyone who believes in his name.

Hence, the women were told by the angels that they were searching for him in the wrong place, among the dead, as if he was still dead; or in a limited space, as if he was confined only to the place where they buried him (24:5). Since he is risen, now he is a living reality, and they can meet him anywhere and in any situation through faith. The fact that Jesus is not here in the tomb (24:5) can be physically verified by the women because it is empty, but the fact that he has risen can be believed only in faith. Their bowing down of heads may symbolize their attempt to fix their minds only on physical vision.

The women become the first witnesses and proclaimers of faith in the resurrection of Christ (24:9). In the beginning the eleven apostles find the news about Jesus’ resurrection incredible and dismiss it as an “idle tale” (24:11) or as they say in modern English ‘the old wives’ tale’. As Mary said in her Magnificat, truly the powerful apostles are brought down from their thrones and the lowly women are lifted up (Lk 1:52).

4.    Application to life

Tonight we have gathered here to proclaim that Jesus is truly risen; hence he truly lives. Our Christian life or discipleship is a constant search for the Risen Lord. Tonight’s gospel text cautions us not to look or search for him among the dead or not to consider him as though he were a corpse still to be found in the tomb. After his resurrection, Jesus is not among the dead, but he is among the living. Hence, in order to find him, just as the women were told by the angels, we should not limit our search to the tomb or only to one place or situation. Nor should we limit our search for him and the need to find him only to this or any other place of worship (church), prayer, liturgy, or the limited space of our selfish desires. The gospel text invites us to look for or seek the Risen Lord away from the tomb in all situations of our life – in our joys and sorrows, daily problems and struggles, crises, calamities, trials, risks, disappointments and frustrations. We have to seek him in faith and discover him in the midst of our lives. We have to recognise him as he speaks to us in the Scriptures and comes to us as our spiritual food in the Eucharist.

If we believe that Jesus is alive, for us he is not just a hero or a great historical figure, but a living presence. His presence cannot be reduced merely to the pages of the Bible or any religious book, or a statue in a church, or to a tabernacle. He is no more in the tomb; he is a living reality. Now we are not following just an idea or ideology, a dream or an imagination, but a Living Person. It is not just enough to study him or know him theoretically, but because he lives, we can meet him in faith in all situations. Yes, if we really believe this, we shall feel his presence as he walks with us on our mountains of joy and in our valleys of tears, in our hardships, in our doubts and in all that happens to us.

Because Jesus lives, and if we firmly believe in his living presence, we can experience his peace in the midst of our disturbed and anxious minds, his providence in our deprivation, his support in our weakness and his outstretched arms in our fall and failures. Because he lives, we merely do not teach lessons from the life of a Great Teacher; we proclaim and testify to the world what we have ‘seen’ or experienced when we are touched by his powerful presence in the midst of our life-situations (cf. 1 Jn 1:1-2). He is in our Bethlehems; he is in our Gethsemanes; he is in our Golgothas; he is on our Mount Tabors; and he is in our Galilees. Because he lives, we can see something good in everything, however painful and disgusting an experience may be. Yes, because he lives, we believe that he is with us in all the ups and downs of life and will be with us for ever.

From the testimony of the resurrection given by the devout women, we come to know that those who ‘seek’ Jesus with love, devotion and faith, encounter him in impossible situations, even in death. The faithful love of the women disciples is a great inspiration to all of us not to give up our good initiatives/ welfare activities/ service when we meet hurdles/ opposition/ discouragement. These women prove the old traditional saying: “Two men looked through the prison bars; one saw mud, the other stars.” When the rest of them gave up, the women remained faithful, hoping something good against all hopes. When others saw mud, they looked beyond it by remaining faithful to their Master.

As the women initially responded to the sight of empty tomb by bowing their faces to the ground, if our gaze is fixed only on the tomb, that is exclusively on material things and worldly concerns, and if we fail to see him beyond the ‘tomb’ built by our selfishness and attachment to these things, then he is no more living for us. If we live exclusively for money, higher and higher status, more and more prestige, greater and greater income, and fail to see anything beyond this ‘tomb,’ then we are dead, that is, just existing rather than truly living. If we have no aim or cause to live and die for, then we die several times before we really die. Yes, the tomb is empty; we will not find him there. We will not find him where forces of death are at work; where a culture of death, violence and ‘might-is-right’ policy rules. We will not find him where greed, corruption and dishonesty rule. Nor will we find him only in ‘Jerusalem’ – the centre of Jewish worship or the places of our present worship. He is not confined to only church, prayer and this solemn and elaborate liturgy of Easter Vigil.

Today’s gospel invites us to look for the presence of the Risen Lord speciality among the marginalized people in our globalized and pluralistic world. We have to ‘seek’ him in a more committed manner among the poor, the sick, the underprivileged, the deprived, the suffering and the downtrodden and make the Risen Lord’s face of mercy shine on them by doing works of mercy for such people. He wants that we show a preferential love for the poor and the marginalized by our service to them. We make his presence active and striking when we continue his mission to bring life to those who are in death-like situations. By doing works of mercy for the underprivileged and the downtrodden we bring them the joy of the resurrection. Then “the tender mercy of our God” will break upon those who “sit in darkness and in the shadow of death” (Lk 1:78-79).

The message of Easter is the message of God’s mercy winning a victory over the forces of hatred, intolerance and violence. There forces are the forces of darkness and death. The question is whether we are and shall remain faithful to his mission of doing works of mercy in the midst of darkness and shadows of death. It is through our deeds of mercy done to the least ones, the dawn of the resurrection will break upon them (Lk 1:78).

Those who think that it is pointless to live and pointless to die with hope are already dead. For them the stone blocking the tomb is not yet rolled away. Besides, our lack of faith, sin or hardheartedness and self-centredness could be considered as the stones that block our vision of the Risen Lord. Today’s gospel invites us to roll away these obstructing stones. If we believe that Jesus is really living, others can notice it in our lives. After all, the fact of the resurrection was established by the effect it had on the lives of the apostles. They were totally transformed from cowardice to courageous witnesses. Do people notice the traces of Christ’s living presence in our conduct?-

5.    Response to God's Word

Do we seek the Risen Lord in all situations? Do we have faith enough to recognize the presence of the Risen Lord? Do we feel that Jesus is risen in us and in the world we live? What are the effects of Jesus’ living presence on our life and behaviour? By what signs we can know that Jesus is really living and active in our homes, neighbourhood and the Church? Have we locked up Jesus in our narrow and selfish world? Do we ‘see’ Jesus among the poor and the marginalized? Do we allow the Easter Light to dispel the darkness of sin, and baptismal water to cleanse us from evil? What are forces of death that rule our life, over which we need to win a victory with the power of the Risen Lord?

6.    A prayer

Risen Lord, open the eyes of our faith that we may seek you and discover your presence in the midst of our lives – its problems, trials, struggles, joys and sorrows. Roll away the obstructing stones which block our vision beyond the limited space of our selfish desires. Grant that we may recognise you as you speak to us in the Scriptures and come to us as our spiritual food in the Eucharist. Walk with us Lord, in our valley of tears, in our hardships, in our doubts and in all that happens to us. May we experience your support in our weaknesses and your outstretched arms in our fall and failures. Amen.

 

Maundy Thursday (C)

 

Maundy Thursday (C) [Jn 13:1-15]

17.04.2025

Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet

Readings: (1) Ex 12:1-8.11-14 (2) 1 Cor 11:23-26

1.    Theme in brief:

The Eucharist energizes us for a humble and sacrificial service

2.    Focus Statement

The Eucharist gives us spiritual energy to give ourselves totally in humble and sacrificial service of the needy that we may become worthy to have a share with Jesus and be his faithful disciples.

3.    Explanation of the text

By washing the feet of his disciples in the context of the Passover Meal – which is his Last Supper with his disciples – Jesus takes upon himself the role of a servant, since it is the duty of servants (literally, slaves) to wash the feet of their masters and guests. Here he presents the image of lowliest of servants as he stoops down to wash the feet of his disciples with a basin in hand and a towel around his waist (13:5). It is a sort of acted role-play to demonstrate his intention to render humble service to humanity unto death and thus accomplish his mission. The disciples are stunned at this act of humility and the reversal of roles with them. This humility of assuming a servant’s role symbolizes his ultimate act of humility and sacrificial love to be demonstrated on the cross. He wants to teach that the same love that he demonstrates by laying down his life on the cross should also be demonstrated by his disciples by laying down their lives in humble and sacrificial service.

Traditionally, the symbolic meaning of foot-washing done by Jesus is explained as an act of humility from his part. True. But in addition, it refers to his role of servanthood. A servant’s duty was, as per Jewish custom, to wash the feet of guests as they arrive for feasts and gatherings. Here Jesus stoops down like a servant to render a humble service as if they were his masters. This is clear from his explanation to Peter’s objection: “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand” (13:7). If it is a mere physical washing of feet, what is there to understand later on? Or if this action is meant only to teach a lesson in humility and service of a slave, even then what is there to understand later on? Anybody can understand a slave’s service on the spot. Experts tell us that the word “later” in this context refers to his sacrificial death on the cross. Jesus, in fact, says that only when he lays down his life on the cross, the disciples will understand how and to what extent they should serve out of love for one another. Thus Jesus gives the connotation of “service” to his entire ministry, including his passion and death.

When Peter objects, Jesus explains that washing his feet is a condition to have a share or part with him (13:8). To have a share (literally, inheritance) with Jesus is to have fellowship with him or to participate fully in his life, and to be his faithful disciples. For that the disciples themselves must be interiorly washed first with the water of baptism (13:8) and be willing to “wash one another’s feet” as their Lord and Teacher has done (13:14-15). Foot-washing is not to be taken literally, but to mean giving (or spending) one’s life totally in service. Through foot-washing he wants to demonstrate that service-mindedness is a requirement for discipleship. As Jesus’ body is given up (broken or sacrificed) for the service of humankind, the disciples also need to sacrifice their bodily energies for others’ service, making it a sacrificial service.

4.    Application to life

John’s gospel has no narrative of the institution of the Eucharist. Instead, we have the episode of washing of disciples’ feet by Jesus during his Last Supper with his disciples. Why did Jesus wash the feet of his disciples? The traditional answer is to humble himself. Though this answer is true, there is a further or deeper meaning in this symbolic act. In it we get the image of a servant stooping down to wash the feet of his disciples. A servant symbolizes not only humility but also service rendered to the master. Since Jesus washed the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper and the first three gospels tell us that he instituted the Eucharist during it, we can find a close relationship between the Eucharist and foot-washing. From what is explained above, it is clear that foot-washing symbolizes Jesus’ supreme act of service rendered to humanity by his sacrificial death on the cross. The Eucharist is a memorial of the total self-gift of Jesus given to us as a result of his humble service that reaches its climax at his sacrificial death on the cross. As he told his disciples he tells us: If you want to have a share with me, or if you want to be my faithful disciple, you too should also stoop down to “wash one another’s feet” (that is, humbly serve one another).

Not only John, but also the synoptic gospels take Jesus’ sacrificial death as his greatest act of service rendered to humanity. Take for example, in Mk 10:45 Jesus says: “The Son of Man came not be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many” (or to redeem many people). Giving one’s life refers to death. In Lk 22:19, Jesus says at the Last Supper, “This is my body, which is given for you’’, and “Do this in remembrance of me”. In other words, “This is my body which is given for your service”. Jesus was a man for others. During the Last Supper he gives us a spiritual nourishment (namely, the Holy Eucharist) to be men and women not for ourselves but for others. By washing the feet of his disciples in the context of the institution of the Eucharist, he wants to tell us that his body is broken and blood is shed for our service. Hence, we too must ‘break our bodies’ and ‘shed our blood’ (that is, spend ourselves) for the service of others. The Eucharist, if taken in this spirit, gives us spiritual energy to ‘break our bodies’ and ‘shed our blood’ to serve others with commitment and devotion.

What is service then? It mainly implies self-giving or giving one’s life for the welfare of others which includes a sharing of time, talents, goods, resources, knowledge, speech, and energies for the good or welfare of others. Service and sacrifice are interrelated; no service, no sacrifice and vice versa. “Do this in my memory” is the same as do this in memory of my sacrificial service. Hence, whenever we hear these words during Holy Mass, we are reminded that our bodies (i.e., energies, talents, time, activities, etc.) need to be given or sacrificed for the service of others. Today we need to ask ourselves whether we receive the Eucharist as a spiritual energy to give ourselves in service, or just as a routine, or just for our psychological satisfaction.

The word Maundy Thursday comes from the Latin word ‘mandatum’ (= commandment). It refers to the commandment given by Jesus at the Last Supper to love one another as he has loved us (Jn 13:34 and 15:12). It is also a command to serve others like a humble servant by sacrificing one’s own life for others. Jesus’ admonition to his disciples “You also must wash one another’s feet” (Jn 13:14) is the same as, “love one another as I have loved you” (15:12),  or serve one another as I have served you to the point of laying down my life on the cross.

There are two types of services which we render: (1) those which we have to render out of compulsion, like our daily work/job/duty and household chores; and (2) those which we willingly and voluntarily take up out of love for the good of those who are in need of our love. Do we involve ourselves in the latter type of services? Like Jesus, are we willing to stoop down to heal, care, serve, reconcile, forgive and comfort those who are in need of this sort of services? Do we actively look for opportunities for this sort of service in our own little ways? Even a word of comfort/ consolation/ assurance in favour of the needy and the suffering is a matter of service. The Lord whom we encounter in the Eucharist is encountered among such people. It is by “washing the feet” of such people (that is, by serving them) that we live our Eucharistic experience in the sacrament.

Today, let us examine and see whether we, who receive the Eucharist regularly, are affected or influenced by Christ’s way of thinking about rendering service in our society and the Church, or by world’s way of thinking:

Ø  Though jobs are called “service’’ in the secular world, many people consider their jobs as a means only for earning money, not for the service of humanity or society or for nation building. What about you?

Ø  People are respected and their services are valued highly if they bring plenty of money. For example, in many third world countries, the service rendered by working women as nurses and teachers is valued higher than that of so many mothers at home who teach and nurse their children day and night, only because they are not paid for it. How about you?

Ø  There is a tendency in quite a number of people to escape from occasions to render service including leadership roles in the society and the Church, if there is no monitory or prestige reward. Is it true about you?

Ø  We observe many people wanting to escape from common work and meetings and refusing to share their time, talents, knowledge and energies within their own community. Do you do so?

Ø  We also see people wasting a lot of time in gossiping, loitering around, playing cards, fiddling with mobile phones and watching TV for hours after hours, instead of using some of that time for social or community service. Do you sacrifice your time for common service?

There is a tendency in many of us to receive the Eucharist for personal and private spiritual benefits only and dissociate it from concrete deeds of service. Normally, after receiving the Holy Communion during the Mass, we are accustomed to thank the Lord privately who comes into our hearts in the form of Sacred Bread and pray to him for a while. Many of us may be praying only for personal favours from the Lord or for our own spiritual advancement. Besides these, today’s gospel-message reminds us to pray to the Eucharistic Lord to energize us to do works of mercy or concrete deeds of service as he demonstrated by washing of the feet of his disciples.

We can choose any one or two of the following works of mercy: to share our food and drink with the hungry; to volunteer for serving drinking water in public places/ functions/ gatherings/ celebrations; to give away our clothes/ utensils/ furniture/ equipments/ gadgets to the poor or the needy; to share our space/ place/ facilities with the poor for resting in between their work or for conducting classes/ coaching/ meetings/ gathering of the poor; to visit the sick in houses/ hospitals; to visit the elderly senior citizens at their homes or in the Homes for the Aged; to comfort and pray for the sick; to take proper care of the sick; to donate blood to the poor patients; to visit the houses of persons arrested by the police or put in prison; to spend time in praying for a departed person and to console the bereaved family; to visit such bereaved families some time after the funeral to console them and to pray with them. Only when we connect the Eucharist with works of mercy and service, it becomes the Bread that gives life and love to the world (not only to us).

5.    Response to God's Word

Do we involve in any voluntary service? Like Jesus, are we willing to stoop down to serve the needy without any appointment or compulsion? Do we join any social service group or association, or totally keep ourselves confined only to our homes? At home also, do we expect others to serve us at our beck and call, or equally contribute to the total welfare of the family? What type of service do we routinely render to family and society, and what we do not, though they need it very much? Is reception of the Eucharist only a custom to be followed routinely, or a reminder (memorial) of Christ’s service rendered to humanity which culminated in his sacrificial death on the cross? Do we take it as spiritual nourishment given by Jesus to serve like him? Does Eucharist energize and send us to spend our energies, talents, time and resources for the service of others?

6.    A prayer

Lord Jesus, for our sake, you became a humble servant to the extent of sacrificing your life on the cross. You were a man for others. Thank you for giving us such wonderful spiritual nourishment in the Eucharist to be men and women for others. Thank you for giving us spiritual energy through the Eucharist to serve others. Grant that with this energy we may ‘break our bodies’ and ‘shed our blood’ by sharing our time, talents, goods, knowledge, speech and energies with the needy, not out of compulsion, but out of love. As we meet you as our Lord and Master in the Eucharist, grant that we may meet you also among the poor and the needy through our service to them.  Amen.