HE LOVED THEM TO THE END…

Exodus 12:1-8,11-14

1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 “This month shall be for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you.
3 Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month they shall take every man a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household;
4 and if the household is too small for a lamb, then a man and his neighbor next to his house shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb.
5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old; you shall take it from the sheep or from the goats; 6 and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs in the evening.
7 Then they shall take some of the blood, and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat them. 8 They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it.

11 In this manner you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’s passover.
12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will smite all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD.
13 The blood shall be a sign for you, upon the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall fall upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
14 “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations you shall observe it as an ordinance for ever.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
25 In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

John 13:1-15

1 Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
2 And during supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him,
3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, 4 rose from supper, laid aside his garments, and girded himself with a towel.
5 Then he poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded. 6 He came to Simon Peter; and Peter said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not know now, but afterward you will understand.” 8 Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part in me.”
9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but he is clean all over; and you are clean, but not every one of you.”
11 For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “You are not all clean.”
12 When he had washed their feet, and taken his garments, and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?13 You call me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.

MEDITATION

THE FIRST READING Chronicle the cultic  substance and essence of the Passover sacrifice that was instituted prior to the Israelites escape out of Egypt.This expression of faith and belief was to be observed by the entire Jewish community whenever they would congregate before sunset, to partake in the lamb supper. 

Notice the subtle deliniation between the flesh and the blood of the lamb. Whilst the flesh and blood are one, the flesh nourishes and systains whilst the excess blood placed upon the door post protects the occupants of the household or congregation from natural desasters.

THE SECOND READING: St Paul, the apostle who appeared on the scene after the Pentecost event, purposely make it known that he is the mere recipient of the New Covenant Passover liturgy. In other words, the Apostles catechised and informed Paul who did not have prior knowledge of this form of expressing the Passover Sacrifice, a liturgical act of worship and “thanks giving” [Eucharistic] which is a cultic ritual and the formal proclamation of Christ’s death and ressurection that were not an optional act of worship!

THE GOSPEL READING: It is reasonable to conclude that Jesus performed the washing of the feet ceremony prior to the Lamb Supper. It was common practice that after a long journey the host of the family—generaly the man of the house—would wash the dusty feet of the visitor and invite him or her to share  a meal. 

Simon Peter the leader of the twelve is the only one who made a huge brouhaha as to why he is unworthy that Christ should wash his feet, to the extent that he acknowledged that he was an undeserved sinner. Our Lord protects the identity of Judas by making a general note that whilst He did wash the feet of all twelve apostles, not all of them were in a state of grace! 

This was indeed the opportunity for Judas to come clean and confess his sins, but alas he remained silent. Each one of us who have committed a grave sin has every opportunity to be cleansed from our sins in the sacrament of confession. Allow Christ who love us, to wash and shower us with His fragrant soap of love and mercy so that we avoid the sacrilege of unworthily receiving His flesh and blood! 

Psalms 116:12-13,15-18

12 What shall I render to the LORD for all his bounty to me? 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD,15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.
16 O LORD, I am thy servant; I am thy servant, the son of thy handmaid. Thou hast loosed my bonds.17 I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD.18 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.

Commentary. Henry R SYLVESTER Note: The daily scripture readings are taken from the Roman Missal which the Catholic Church use in the daily Celebration of the Holy Eucharist throughout the world.Some weekly readings may differ because of the celebration of local feast days.