Homily for the Mass of the Lord’s Supper
Delivered at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Wichita Falls TX.
Fr John Robert Skeldon
April 5th, 2007
There is a beautiful poem that I think best captures the thrust of this wondrous feast—all of the readings, the symbols, the actions, the drama of this beginning of the Triduum, the Sacred Three Days, that we do in the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper.
It is simply called Love by George Herbert.
Love bade me welcome; yet my soul drew back,
Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack
From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning,
If I lacked anything.
Isn’t this how we all are? We know our unworthiness and, yet, love-Jesus Christ still invites us to the feast. He simply wants to wash our feet. The God of heaven and earth takes a position lower than us, to show us something of what loveis. We feel unworthy, and we are, but Love makes us worthy. Jesus makes us worthy. “Lord, I am not worthy…but only say the word and I shall be healed.” He is saying the word. He is wanting to wash our feet.
He is wanting to feed us. He is wanting to love us. I am more and more convinced that we today do not lack from loving others. What we lack is from truly allowing ourselves to be loved, to be vulnerable and transparent and open enough to let ourselves be recipients of love. Love sweetly questions us if we might allow ourselves to be loved.
“A guest,” I answered, “worthy to be here.”
Love said, “You shall be he.”
“I, the unkind, ungrateful? Ah, my dear,
I cannot look on thee.”
Love took my hand, and smiling did reply,
“Who made the eyes but I?”
We all think we know how we are, what we look like. Most of us think that we are the worst of sinners, the most undeserving of mercy, compassion, trust, love. We have sinned and we will hold ourselves in that sin. We feel as if we are the greatest frauds and cheats. Our first response to people thanking us and wanting to love us is: “Oh, but if he/she only knew what I am, what I have done….” Perhaps, according to our own designs and the way the world thinks, we are not worthy to be here. But still, Jesus says to us: “You shall be he/she.”
After all God still went looking after Adam and Eve in their sin; Moses looked upon the face of God; Jesus still washed Peter’s feet; Jesus still looked at Peter after his betrayal. Love does not hold us in our sins. Love wants to free us from our sins. “Has no one condemned you? Neither do I condemn you. Go….” “Señor, me has mirado los ojos, sonriendo has dicho mi nombre....”
“Truth, Lord, but I have marred them; let my shame
Go where it doth deserve.”
“And know you not,” says Love, “who bore the blame?”
“My dear, then I will serve.”
“You must sit down,” says Love, “and taste my meat.”
So I did sit and eat.
We still believe it is all too good to be true. We keep protesting like Peter: “You’ll never wash my feet.” And then when we realize the enormity of the gift, we think that we ought to do it, we ought to be the ones, again like Peter: “Then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well.” Why can we never be happy enough just to receive what is offered, what is given? Why can we not sit down and eat the banquet that Love prepares? This is the whole meaning of the washing of the feet, of the Eucharist-the body and blood of the Lord, of the priesthood. We are just invited to sit and eat. Jesus tells sister Martha that she is burdened by too many things: “only one thing is necessary and sister Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken from her.”
Jesus wants to wash our feet, so that we might wash others’. Jesus wants to feed us with his body and blood so that we might become his body and blood to others. Jesus wants us to sit and eat, so that we might invite others to sit and eat. Jesus wants to take us in the hand so that we might take others’ hands. Jesus wants to serve us so that we might serve others. Will you let me be your servant, let me be as Christ to you? Pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant too.
It all starts when we humbly let Jesus look us in the face, putting aside all our defenses and pretensions, and let him say: “You shall be he/she.” It starts when allow ourselves to be loved. My song is Love unknown, my savior’s love for me. Love to the loveless shown that they might lovely be. O who am I that for my sake, my Lord shall take frail flesh and die? O who am I? I am the invited guest to the banquet of love. Will I enter? Will I sit and eat?