In the history of the Old Testament, there are two major salvific events, in which God delivered His beloved Israelites: from the 430-year long slavery in Egypt and from the 70-year long Babylonian exile. The former is commemorated with the feast of the Unleavened Bread, which begins with Passover (Pesach). Passover is what Sacred Paschal Triduum, the three days from the sundown of Holy Thursday until the sundown of Resurrection Sunday, reflected for Christians.
Evening of Holy Thursday is to commemorate the day
of the Lord’s Supper, which is also known as the Last Supper. According to the
Synoptic Gospels (Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke), this supper is Passover
Seder dinner, at which Jesus instituted the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist,
offering unleavened Passover matzo bread as his body and Passover wine in the
chalice as his blood, as he preached in the synagogue in Capernaum (John
6:22-59) (Matthew 26:26-30//Mark 14:22-26//Luke 22:14-20).
While today’s First Reading (Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14)
provides Torah background on how Passover Seder is prepared to begin the feast
of the Unleavened Bread. In this reading, we also understand that it is Jesus
himself to be the Passover sacrifice lamb (Exodus 12:3-10, 13), his flesh to be
eaten through the bread of life, and his blood to be shed to be saved from
God’s wrath and to be drunk for the new covenant (Matthew 26:26-30//Mark
14:22-26//Luke 22:14-20). And this is also reflected in the Second Reading
Epistle (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). Jesus is indeed the Lamb of God (Agnus Dei)(John 1:29), whose blood to
save us, in the context of the First Reading (Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14).
Though we tend to image supper as a biggest meal of
a day with a relaxed atmosphere, Passover Seder supper is more like a quick
meal (Exodus 12:11) before going on a long journey. And it turned out to be a
40-year long journey in the desert, upon crossing the Red Seal, known as
Exodus. Because the Israelites could not afford to waste even a minute in
escaping from Egypt into freedom, as delivered by God, who commissioned Moses
to lead, everything for this supper had to be prepared and done in strict
order. That is why it is called Seder, which means “order”. The Gospel texts
also describe how meticulously Lard’s Supper was prepared as instructed by
Jesus (Matthew 26:17-19//Mark 14:12-16//Luke 22:7-13).
The Gospel Reading (John 13:1-15) reminds us that
the instituting the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is not the only thing that
Jesus did on Holy Thursday during the supper
but to give the new commandment of love – mandatum novum de caritas through washing his disciples’ feet.
The washing of feet that Jesus performed his
disciples reaches the servant leadership, which reflects that humility is
absolutely necessary to lead people with love. Thus, the new commandment he
gave on that evening was to love one another as he had demonstrated (John
13:34), with a symbolic example of washing feet. And observing this new
commandment of love characterizes Christian discipleship (John 13:35). Because
of this new commandment of love that Jesus gave, Holy Thursday is also known as
Maundy Thursday, as “maundy” derives
from “mandatum”(command). And, it is
to commemorate the caritas (agape),
selfless love, that Jesus commanded us to practice as his disciples
(Christians).
The opening sentence of today’s Gospel Reading is
very important, as the Lord’s Supper commemoration also mark the beginning of
Paschal Triduuum:
Before
the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass from this
world to the Father. He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end
(John 13:1).
With the Passover Seder supper, the Lord’s Supper, the
hour has come for Jesus to pass from this world to the Father (John 13:1). The
Lord’s Supper that took place on Holy Thursday was the fullness of time for
Jesus to enter into the Passion, to walk his way to Calvary do die on the
Cross, to be buried, and to rise and to ascend. It is to go on the other direction of John
3:16, upon John 1:1, 14.
During Advent Season, we reflected why God
incarnated the Theos-Logos (Word-God)
to let him dwell among us (John 1:1, 14), impregnating the Immaculate
Conception, Blessed Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18;
Luke 1:35). This is how Christ came from
the eternity to us in the world through incarnation of the World, through the
body of Mary – so that Christ the Son, incarnated in the human flesh of Jesus,
can dwell among us as Immanuel (God-with-us)(Matthew 1:23; cf. Isaiah 7:14)(John
1:1, 14; Matthew 1:18; Luke 1:35). God the Father did this out of His love for
us (John 3:16). And, this Passover night of the Lord’s Supper, is the night to
begin the fulfillment of the reason for Christ the Son to have been sent so
that he can pass from this world and to return to the Father, reflecting love
of the Father and Christ the Son (John 13:1).
So, John 13:1 recalls what Jesus said to Nicodemus:
Just
as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted
up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so
loved the world that He gave is only Son, so that everyone who believes in him
might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into
the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him (John
3:14-17).
And, passing from this world to the Father reflects:
Now
is the time of judgment on this world; now the ruler of this world will be
driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to
myself (John 12:31-32).
It is the time of the judgement – just as it was the
time of the judgement against Egypt, as “cup of God’s judgement”(Psalm 75:9)
was poured out (Exodus 7:14-11:10; 12:29-30). And, on the day after offering
the cup of the new covenant (Matthew 26:28//Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25) as
the cup of salvation, during the Lord’s Supper as lifting up the chalice of
Passover Seder, Jesus took the cup of judgement on our behalf (Matthew 26:39,
42//Mark14:36//Luke 22:42; John 18:11). Because of Jesus to have taken up the
cup of judgement, the judgement of the hour was not on us but on him.
And, as the body of Jesus was lifted up on the Cross
the very faithful, Mary the mother, and other women, and John gathered around
him at the foot of the Cross (i.e. Matthew 27:55–56), and but more began to
gather as the risen Jesus was lifted up from the earth to return to the Father
(Luke 24:31; Acts 1:1-11) and upon Pentecost (Acts 2:1-41).
Furthermore, Jesus’ passing from the world to the
Father (John 13:1) is also reiterated in John 14:1-14.
Before he would pass from the world to the Father,
Jesus demonstrated his love for the disciples by washing their feet (John
13:3-17). Then, he passed the new commandment of love as inheritance to them (John
13:34). But, to receive the inheritance, including the new commandment of love,
the disciples needed to let Jesus wash their feet – to have Jesus serve them
with his love for them (John 13:8).
As Peter wanted Jesus to wash not just his feet but
his entire body to receive more inheritance (John 13:9), Jesus said:
Whoever
has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed, for he is clean all
over; so you are clean, but not all (John 13:10).
This implies to the Sacrament of Baptism and why
this Sacrament of initiation only needed once. And the sacramental effect of
Baptism is sustained by the Word in Jesus’ kerygma (John 15:3). Thus, the foot
washing symbolizes the absolution that we receive in the Sacrament of
Reconciliation, upon confessing sins. That is why we need a priest to hear
confession and give absolution as in
persona Christi.
Each Baptized Christian bears priestly call. And it
is to serve one another with love, as Jesus has washed his disciples’ feet at
his last Passover Seder supper. In fact, this act of love was demonstrated by a
sinful woman to Jesus (Luke 7:36-50). Therefore, though we are sinners, too, we
are encouraged to serve one another with love, as symbolized in Jesus’ washing
the disciples’ feet, to keep us clean together and to be entitled to his
inheritance – eternal life and the Kingdom.
If the cup of judgement had been poured on to us for
our sins, we would not have been entitled to the inheritance. Because Jesus
took the cup of judgement in our place after the night of the Passover supper,
giving us the cup of salvation for the new covenant, we are still entitled to the
inheritance, as long as we practice the new commandment of love that we have
already inherited.
The new covenant that Jesus established with us at the Lord's Supper has been enacted with the new Passover, as he began passing from the world to the Father - from death to victorious life.
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