Maundy Thursday the lesson of Love

-
Over the next few days we will learn a great lesson in fact the greatest lesson that we can ever learn. This journey should open our hearts afresh and renewed in answering the greatest question: What does love look like? 

The answer has many different facets and Jesus will show us what it actually means Jesus will show us that it will look like many different things. Each part of the answer will help us rediscover the glory of God and what he actually means to us. Are you ready for the journey Are you open for the Today in this Mass we see a depth of love from the author of love. Through these actions we are told to do the same. So let's look at what Jesus does?

First of all he bends low and washes feet. The thing that in the times of Jesus was left by the slave is done by Jesus. He washes these smelly uncompromising feet. Taking then into his hands to wash. Lovely drying them what is he saying. Love is about serving your fellow human being no matter who they are. Jesus teaches us to wash each-others feet. To get down low to kneel and to wash is to recognise the dignity of the person. This act of love is how we should see and recognise others in the world around us. This self giving love is about reaching out to the lost and marginalised its about listening and learning taking people from where they are 

This teaching on love carries on with the giving of self to us in the body and blood. The disciples would have know what this all meant because of the book of Exodus how it related to God’s saving action and how this meal was significant of the promise made to God to his people. It was already about love. 
Jesus ups the game. He shows the depth of his love by giving his very self in his body and blood. Its a game changer. From now on the disciples will never be the same. ITs the same with us. Through these significant events it changes us. It also makes me realise that it does not belong to me it belongs to us as a community. The Mass is not a private devotion it is a public act of worship it is not MY MASS it is a gift from Jesus himself to the Church to his people. Therefore we should embrace the Mass the tradition that has been received listen carefully and let the words change us and transform us into being more like Jesus himself.  When we eat of the body and blood of Jesus we say in a loud voice amen what we are saying is the yes to Jesus that this sacrament will change us and we need to be open to that change. 

So we learn two things here the love of service and sacrifice the love of giving totally to Jesus and our response is amen. 


This response is an important one it is a response I myself made at my ordination today reminds me of the commitment that I made to Jesus to be more like him and live my life in service to me Brothers and Sisters. This service to the Church has got more difficult but no less fun. With the lack of priests, we all need to be challenged into rediscovering the person of Jesus. We need to embrace and understand the change to bring ourselves and others to Jesus. We need to learn more about him listening in prayer and penance and learning who he is for us. There are opportunities to do this in our parish. To love someone means that we have to be willing to change and to grow to learn new things to reach out to those who are lost or have mis understood what it all means. It means to work together with the whole of the parish community to make this place a place where we can experience his love and peace. So when you say Amen today jus think what you are saying amen too. What you are going to do what are the gifts and talents that you have been given by God to build up this mission of love and do what we have been taught. Watch and see at this Mass the acts of service and sacrifice and see where you can fit into the tradition that we have received to pass it on to people who have never experienced this love that comes from the act of service and the act of sacrifice. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Year of Service

-
Image
  This last weekend I was able to look back with friends at the wonderful year I had with the Vincentian Volunteers. Looking back I can see that there are many elements to this year that have remained always with me. These I can now see and after reflection have shaped my life since this most formative year. From this year I went on to train for the priesthood and became a priest. After 16 years I left ministry and now try my best to live my Christian values and life in the world. In a recent upgrade to my CV I realised that my whole adult life has been in some sort of service to others and usually to the most vulnerable and those on the fringes of society. From working in Top Shop to ministry to the Hospital to the work I now do in education. This all stems from this year I had with the community and putting Love in action. Yes I have made mistakes on the way and my human frailty has been evident but this life was never going to easy and straight forward.  When I look back on that yea
Read more

Easter

-
Image
  Over the last few years I have had major issues with the Catholic Church. I think that my issue is the authority of the Church and how many clergy, not all, use and abuse their power and class the laity as stupid idiots. I can say this as for 16 years I was a priest and caught up in the system. When you're in the middle of it you can't aways see what is going on around you. I could not see what the Church as a structure was doing to peoples lives. Until I was out I realised that the Church and Im talking about the Catholic Church here is full up of repressed men who are scared of change scared of themselves and scared of the laity. Those who speak out especially clergy who want significant change are laughed at by others and classed as trouble makers. This includes Pope Francis himself who wants change but sometimes can't get it because of what he has inherited. It is an issue that has gone on your centuries.  This does not allow for a healthy functioning Church. There ne
Read more

What have we learnt? Covid and the last year.

-
Image
Over the last year since the start of the Covid pandemic there has been much in the press about the affects on society. We have seen that there are many people who are anxious, feel alone and worried about the future. So I looked on the Internet for the Christian response to the Pandemic. I was not surprised to see that there were many articles to suggest that the Christian Church as a whole has failed in this time.  In the first Lockdown the Churches were asked to close and there was no public worship. As the infection rate went down the Churches could open for private prayer. In the recent lockdown many places of worship have remained open although the infection rate being a lot higher. I have maybe been a thorn in peoples sides by asking why. I even wrote to the Cardinal  to ask him why. I argued that they should be left shut because of the demographic that tend to go. I got a standard reply back. When I looked in newsletters I read many times about how to give your collection and t
Read more