April 6, Holy Thursday; Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper
Ex 12:1-8, 11-14; 1 Cor 11:23-26; Jn 13:1-15
The responsorial psalm begins with the following words, “How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me?” Such an introspective question is responded to by the psalmist, who says, “My vows to the Lord I will pay in the presence of all his people.”
The readings of today speak about the goodness of God and how his people should respond to that goodness. The first reading, from the book of Exodus, narrates the story of the Passover meal of the people of Israel. The bottom line of this story is the life-giving love of God. God, who is everlastingly good, never ceases to show his life-giving love to his people. The Passover meal is the story of God saving his people. “But the blood will mark the houses where you are.
Seeing the blood, I will pass over you, thus, when I strike the land of Egypt, no destructive blow will come upon you.” Being faithful to the command of God to remember God’s saving action, the Israelites celebrate the feast of the Passover every year. Every time the Jews celebrate the feast of Passover, they remember God’s unceasing love for the people of Israel.
Despite the unfaithfulness of his people, God continues to be faithful finding ways to save us. God’s saving action reaches its definitive expression in the death and resurrection of Jesus. For God so loved the world, he sacrificed his only Son. It is no longer the blood of the lamb that saves us but the blood of Jesus. The sacrifice of Jesus gives new meaning to the Passover meal of the Jews. It is the highest and fullest expression of God’s saving action. Therefore, every time we celebrate the Eucharist, we celebrate the life-giving sacrifice of God.
The basis of Jesus’ sacrifice is God’s love for humanity, and God wants that we, who have experienced his love, become the instruments of that love. At the end of the washing of the feet before the Passover meal, Jesus said to his disciples: “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” Remember, the love of God is benevolent love. He loved us not because he wanted something from us but because he wanted our good, which is our salvation. We follow the model of his love. We love others not because we want something from them in return but because we want good for them.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
Latest News
