John 13: 16-20
When Jesus had washed his disciples’ feet, he said to them:
“Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But it is to fulfill the scripture, ‘The one who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ I tell you this now, before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am he. Very truly, I tell you, whoever receives one whom I send receives me; and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
What God Has Done for You
It may seem weird or strange to return to the story of Holy Thursday four weeks later. Lent and the Triduum have long passed, and we are in the Easter season! But it serves as a reminder of what we are supposed to be celebrating. Not only in this season of Easter do we celebrate Christ's resurrection, but we also celebrate the washing away of our faults or sins. God has forgiven us. God has redeemed us. And four weeks into the celebration of Easter, we are invited to sit with this again. And so, I invite you to a moment of reflection. Take a moment to embrace the memory of what God has done for you. And in turn, is there someone you could forgive today? Is there someone you could invite to the resurrection? Maybe yourself?
—Austin Kleman, SJ, is a Jesuit scholastic of the Midwest Province working as a therapist at Arrupe College of Loyola University Chicago.
Prayer
Grant me, O Lord, to see everything now with new eyes, to discern and test the spirits that help me read the signs of the times, to relish the things that are yours, and to communicate them to others. Give me the clarity of understanding that you gave Ignatius.
—Personal Prayer of Pedro Arrupe, SJ