Holy Thursday.

HOLY THURSDAY.

Good Evening every one, today we celebrate Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday. Maundy means mandate. Jesus our Lord at the last supper that was celebrated this day gave the mandate to His disciples namely asking them to love one another as He had loved them.

He asked them to love others because every one belongs to God and they were also created in the image and likeness of God our Father who by liberating His people from Egypt said that you are my people and I am your God.

1. In today’s first reading from the book of Exodus talks about Passover. It talks about how God saved His chosen people from slavery, from pain and suffering. God will never let His people suffer or go through hardships and pain. Because they belong to Him alone and nothing can stop Him from loving us unconditionally. When we suffer, there He is to protect and save us. When His chosen people suffered in Egypt in the hands of pharaoh and others, He heard their cry and sent prophets and Holy people to save them. He is our God and we are His people.
2. In the second reading St. Paul tells the people of Corinth that what he received from the Lord he was giving to them. And he continued to say that the Lord on the night before His betrayal at the last supper took bread and gave it to His disciple saying ‘This is my Body. Take this and eat it in remembrance of me’. In the same way He took the chalice and gave it to His disciples saying this is my blood and drink it, in remembrance of me’.  Dear friends every time we eat the bread and drink from the cup, we remember the great act of God that is sending His only Son Jesus to be our Saviour and Lord. Without Him, we might have perished and would be nothing but because of the Lord, we become holy and blameless. We became special and important. When we eat the body of Christ and drink His blood with deep faith and acknowledgement of His love and forgiveness, we begin to awaken the spiritual power that is in us.

In the gospel, our Lord Christ as washing the feet of the apostles gives a new mandate to His disciples namely love one another as I have loved you. How can we love one another? Every time the disciples asked a question to our Lord. He did not explain to them with words instead with examples. When they asked Him, Lord, teach us to pray. He showed them by going to lonely places and deserted areas and being with God our Father. When they about forgiveness. He showed them by forgiving the people who crucified Him on the cross saying Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing. And today He asks His disciples to love one another by washing the feet of the disciples. Yes, the Lord became a servant. Let us love one another by helping and serving others. Amen.