Day after day we gather around this altar
table to do what Jesus asked us to do. And what was that? Well, our second
reading is clear about what he asked us to do: to share a meal in memory of
him. And this “Remember me” of Jesus is surely the most poignant request in all of
Sacred Scripture. We are blessed as a community to be able to do this, to
respond to Jesus’ request this evening. Many of our brothers and sisters around
the world are unable to do this today. So, as we remember what Jesus did on
this night, let us remember in a special way all those who can’t physically be
with us.
Why do we do this? Why do we gather around
this altar table? Why do we continue to share a meal in memory of Jesus? Simply
put, we do this because we believe that Jesus is here. We believe that whenever
we gather together like this, the living risen body of Christ is among us. And
why do we believe this? Because Jesus says so! As St. Paul says: “On the night before he died, Jesus took bread and said 'This
is my body.’” We believe that when we gather like this and offer the
Eucharistic prayer, the bread and wine is really changed into the living risen
body of Christ. And we believe that together we are transformed into the same
living risen body of Christ. In other words, when we proclaim this mystery of
Christ, we are proclaiming our own mystery, our own reality. This is what St.
Augustine reminded his hearers of centuries ago: “If you are the body of Christ, then it is your mystery that is placed
on the Lord’s table! It is your own mystery that you receive! When you say 'Amen,' you say 'Amen' to what you are. Your response is a personal signature, an
affirmation of faith. When you hear ‘The Body of Christ’, you say ‘Amen.’ So be
then members of his body, so that your 'Amen' may ring true!”
We come together around this altar doing
this in memory of Jesus so that we might be his body and have the strength and
power to continue to build the Kingdom that Jesus inaugurated - to build it by
washing one another’s feet. At this and every Eucharist we ask to be changed;
to become more than we are as individuals; more grateful for who we are; more generous;
more forgiving; more able and desirous to wash one another’s feet in the
multiple ways we are invited to do so in close community living.
When Jesus washed Peter’s feet
that same night, Peter’s response was clear and unambiguous: “No way are you going
to wash my feet!” Now this could be seen as an expression of Peter’s humility.
But I don’t think so and neither does the tradition of the Church. What was
going on in Peter’s mind at that moment, we don’t exactly know. But I
don’t think it had to with his feet. I think it had more to do with Peter
feeling vulnerable and exposed and uncertain about what he might be getting
into. As we know, later on in this night his vulnerable uncertainty will
explode in a vociferous denial of even knowing Jesus. I can’t help but surmise
that Peter’s hesitancy and fear had to do with parts of himself that he was
withholding, not just from Jesus, but from himself. My guess is that Peter had
a secret, maybe a number of secrets – a past that haunted him, a brokenness
that terrified him and was just too painful to deal with. And so, it was a lot
easier and safer to say NO to Jesus and push it all away and in so doing attempt
to push Jesus and his brothers away. Maybe he hoped that Jesus would leave him
alone, because he just wasn’t up to letting him get so close to his hurt and
vulnerability. He wasn’t ready to let Jesus and his brothers in. We all know that
after the resurrection all this changed for Peter. Jesus didn’t let Peter push
him away. He came back to him; and Peter finally let Jesus get in. Hopefully
this touches a chord in each one of us.
This is a special night for Jesus. But it
is also meant to be a special night for each one of us. So let’s not back down, as Peter did when Jesus approached him with basin and towel. For this is
our night also. It’s a night to remember who Jesus really is and who we really
are with and in him - his body. It is our night to bring all that we are and all that we have,
including, and most especially, our frailty, our weakness, our fears, our sins,
our brokenness in all their varied ramifications. To bring it all and lay it on
the table. Put it out there, come clean. After this Evening Mass of the Lord’s
Supper, the altar will be stripped bare. Let that be a sign of our own willingness
to be stripped bare of all that gets in the way of our being, really and truly,
the Body of Christ. This is Jesus’ night, and this is our night.
Excerpts from Abbot Damian's homily this evening.
