Holy Thursday | iPray with the Gospel
Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end … He rose from supper, laid aside his garments, and girded himself with a towel. Then he poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded.
John 13:1-15
Jesus, when I see You washing the feet of the Apostles I understand what Love is. When I see You – Son of God – on Your Knees, washing with Your Divine Hands some of the dirtiest feet of Judea at the time, including the two feet of the disciple who had already betrayed You… I see how much You love! The Master at the feet of His servants, God kneeling before His creatures, the Superior serving the inferior… But don’t mothers do the same when they tie their children’s laces or feed them or help them get dressed?
Love engenders humility. We could say that humility is the daughter of Charity and always goes with her mother. The more we live charity, the more humble we become. I know how much You love me, Lord, when I see You as a poor Child in Bethlehem for me; or when I contemplate You Crucified for my sins… But I understand it plainly when I see You in a Piece of Bread.
When St John Paul II was elected Pope he began his papal ministry at an intense pace. A young priest who started working with him for the first time complained to the Pope’s secretary: –‘I am exhausted! I can’t follow him! What does he have for breakfast? Where does he get the energy?!‘ The secretary smiled and said nothing at the time, but after lunch he asked the young priest to follow him. He led him to the Pope’s chapel and explained: ‘What he eats in the mornings is the Body of Christ… and where he gets the energy is from here!’ On entering the Oratory they found St John Paul II prostrated on the floor in front of the Tabernacle absorbed in prayer.
Mother, may I learn from you to treat Jesus in the Eucharist, as I pray repeating the spiritual communion St Josemaría learnt as a child: “I wish, Lord, to receive You with the purity, humility and devotion with which Your most holy Mother received You, with the spirit and fervour of the saints.”
This article originally appeared on www.ipraywiththegospel.org. Reprinted with permission. Copyright © George Boronat.
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Rev. George Boronat
Rev. George Boronat M.D. S.T.D is a Catholic priest from the Prelature of Opus Dei, working in the Archdiocese of Southwark in London. He is the Chaplain of The Cedars Independent School in Croydon, and also works as Chaplain of Kelston Club & Study Centre (Balham) and Oakwood Independent School (Purley). He has developed his pastoral ministry mainly with young people and is the author of iPray with the Gospel: Resources to Help Young People Pray.
