Holy Thursday Homily – Mass of the Lord’s Supper

In chapter 9 of “In the Midst of Our Storms,” I proposed a focus for the foot washing other than service:  As we identify with Simon Peter’s resistance, we can discover a part of our lives heretofore neglected – our precious and terrible vulnerability.  And I proposed this again on Holy Thursday (3/24)… and with a slight difference.

The late Fr. John Kavannaugh, SJ taught us (“Still Following Christ in a Consumer Society“) to see the connections between what we avoid in our personal lives and whom we avoid every day. Those whose weaknesses or differences provoke our self-rejection and self-loathing point to the key “place” where Christ abides every moment.

So, do we meet Christ more authentically in service of others or in self-reflection?  Yes. The one has everything to do with the other. For, without diving into the mystery of human vulnerability, we live on the surface and miss connecting with the Risen Christ.  Perhaps this meditation on the Foot Washing of Holy Thursday will speak to you. Blessings! –roc,sj