Almost half of St. John’s Gospel is taken up with a description of the Passion (the death and Resurrection) of Jesus. Prior to that, in the first half of his Gospel, the words “life” and “live” occur about fifty times, but not once in Jesus’ conversation with the disciples at the Last Supper … it is as if death is hovering near. In those same verses of his Gospel, there is a significant mention of darkness: as in “Judas left…and it was night.” (13, 30)
The way that “life” appears to fade away near the end of St. John’s Gospel, it might seem like everything is terribly depressing. However, in that conversation at the table, the word “love” occurs thirty-one times. Do you think it is possible that Jesus wants to remind us that love is not afraid of darkness and suffering?
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Another feature of St. John’s Gospel is that there is no account of “the institution of the Eucharist” at the Last Supper. Instead, we are told about Jesus’ washing the disciples’ feet. The feet are the lowliest part of a person, the most down-to-earth. St. John is deliberately saying that Jesus offered the humblest service. Afterward, Jesus sat down and said, “If I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” In equivalent words, “Do this in memory of me,” which are the words of “institution” in the other three Gospels. Let’s be sure to take this to heart: in even the humblest service we do for one another, Jesus is present! We should talk about His “real presence” in that, too. It is a kind of Eucharist.
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Celebramos hoy la memoria de la Cena de Despedida de Jesús. En su Cena, tan cargada de emoción y significado, Jesús hizo y dijo cosas insólitas y chocantes. Como el más humilde de los siervos, Él, el gran Maestro y Señor, lavó los pies de sus discípulos y les dijo que se hicieran, como Él, servidores los unos de los otros, servidores del pueblo.
Después, cuando estaban comiendo, les pasó el pan y el vino diciendo: “Esto es mi cuerpo partido para ustedes. Ésta es la copa de mi sangre derramada por ustedes. Ámense unos a otros como yo les he amado.”
Estos acontecimientos ocurrieron hace mucho tiempo, y sin embargo, Jesús nos repite a nosotros: “Hagan esto en conmemoración mía” Nos ha dado ejemplo. Tenemos que hacer nosotros como Él ha hecho. Como Él ha servido, así tenemos nosotros que servir. Y como Él nos ha amado, así debemos amarnos unos a otros.
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Holy Week at Holy Cross Parish
╬ March 28: Holy Thursday Mass, 7pm (Bilingual) [No Morning Mass or Adoration during the day]
Washing of feet during Mass & Eucharistic Procession & Adoration in the School Hall afterward, until 9pm
╬ March 29: Good Friday [No Morning Mass or Confessions]
- Stations of the Cross, Noon
- Good Friday Service, 3pm (English)
- Living Stations of the Cross followed by Spanish Good Friday Service, 5:30pm
╬ March 30: Easter Vigil Mass, 8pm (Bilingual)
╬ March 31: Easter Sunday Masses, 9am (English) & Noon (Spanish)
