HOMILY FOR THE 4TH THURSDAY IN EASTER — YEAR A
HOMILY THEME: “Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me.”
BY: Fr. Mike Lagrimas
Acts 13:13-25; Psalm 89:2-3, 21-22, 25-27; John 13:16-20
When Jesus had washed the disciples’ feet, he said to them: “Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it. I am not speaking of all of you. I know those whom I have chosen. But so that the scripture might be fulfilled, ‘The one who ate my food has raised his heel against me.’ From now on I am telling you before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe that I AM. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”
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“The fruit of silence is prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is love, the fruit of love is service, the fruit of service is peace.” This comes from St. Teresa of Kolkata. Prayer and faith without love are meaningless. So, too, is love without action and service. There is so much talk about love. But only talk, no action. The Apostle John, then, implores, “Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth”. (1Jn 3:18).
St. Augustine puts it this way: “What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.”
Love, then, is not just a noun to be discussed and talked about; it is basically an action word. Jesus has time and again taught His followers about love. But He knew that they still do not comprehend this teaching. That is why, to impress this on them, Jesus did something strange and shocking. At the Last Supper in the Upper Room, He stood up, took out His outer garments, and with a basin filled with water, He washed the feet of each one. The Twelve were stunned! They could not believe what they were seeing. Simon Peter vehemently refused: “You will never wash my feet” (Jn 13:8). But Jesus insisted: “Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me.”
Their reaction is understandable. Washing the feet is done only by slaves. In each household, there is a slave stationed just outside the door whose sole job is to wash the feet of those entering the house. Hence, to see their Master and Lord kneeling down in front of them and washing their feet is utterly scandalous to them.
But Jesus does this to instill in them the lesson on the new commandment of love. He is not only showing them His humility, but He is also showing Himself as the model of love. So, He challenges them: “If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do” (Jn 13:14-15). He, then, urges them to follow exactly what He did, for, after all, He is the Master, and they are His followers: “Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him.” With these words Jesus is urging them to follow His example of love and service.
He, then, predicted about His forthcoming self-immolation which will be put in motion with the betrayal by one of them: “The one who ate my food has raised his heel against me.” He said this not to disturb and upset them, but to help them understand how the way of love operates: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Jn 15:13). By doing this, He also shows the most vivid proof of His divine origin: “From now on I am telling you before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe that I AM.” Jesus is Himself God, because He bears the unique and distinctive mark of God, that is, love: “God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him” (1Jn 4:16).
The world is suffering so much, not because there is lack, not of resources, but of love that brings about artificial shortage of resources. How long will people learn the example of love shown by Jesus? When will they stop talking about love and begin doing love?
Let the words of an American sociologist, Morrie Schwartz, give us some points to ponder: “So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they’re busy doing things they think are important. This is because they’re chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.”
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