Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass from this world to the Father. – John 13:1

       In 2012, Candy Chang transformed an abandoned building in her New Orleans neighborhood. She put up a wall that had this lines written: “Before I die, I want to_________.” People came by and completed the sentence with their own hopes, dreams and final wishes. Walls like this have been put up in 70 countries.

       While there are those who want to travel or go on an adventure, some want to “help a Third World country,” “put up an orphanage,” or “cure cancer.” Others want to “be the best father,” “hug my grandkids,” and “tell her I love her.”

       Jesus was clear about what He wanted to do before He died. We saw it in how He lived.

       We know how He spent His last day, too. It was with people dear to Him. He prepared them for a life without Him. And although it was not clear to them, He gave them His message of love and service to others during their last meal together.

       Until the end, His message and His life was consistent. It was love. Kitty D. Ferreria (kittydulay@yahoo.com)

Reflection: How are you continuing Jesus’ legacy while you live?

Help us live lives of love and service every day, Lord.

St. Martin I, pope and martyr, pray for us.

The feast of the Passover marks the deliverance of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. This feast is also significant to us Christians but the focus is on the deliverance brought by eternal life. Jesus died on the cross and freed us from death and sin, and this paved the way for us to the promised land of heaven.

1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 “This month shall stand at the head of your calendar; you shall reckon it the first month of the year. 3 Tell the whole community of Israel: On the tenth of this month every one of your families must procure for itself a lamb, one apiece for each household. 4 If a family is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join the nearest household in procuring one and shall share in the lamb in proportion to the number of persons who partake of it. 5 The lamb must be a year-old male and without blemish. You may take it from either the sheep or the goats. 6 You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, and then, with the whole assembly of Israel present, it shall be slaughtered during the evening twilight. 7 They shall take some of its blood and apply it to the two doorposts and the lintel of every house in which they partake of the lamb. 8 That same night they shall eat its roasted flesh with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 11 “This is how you are to eat it: with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand, you shall eat like those who are in flight. It is the Passover of the Lord. 12 For on this same night I will go through Egypt, striking down every first-born of the land, both man and beast, and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt — I, the Lord! 13 But the blood will mark the houses where you are. Seeing the blood, I will pass over you; thus, when I strike the land of Egypt, no destructive blow will come upon you. 14 “This day shall be a memorial feast for you, which all your generations shall celebrate with pilgrimage to the Lord, as a perpetual institution.”

R: Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.

12 How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me? 13 The cup of salvation I will take up, and I will call upon the name of the Lord. (R) 15 Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones. 16 I am your servant, the son of your handmaid; you have loosed my bonds. (R) 17 To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving, and I will call upon the name of the Lord. 18 My vows to the Lord I will pay in the presence of all his people. (R)

The Last Supper was part of the life of the early Christian community. Today, the Holy Eucharist commemorates the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross and allows us to share in the work of salvation. Let us remember the great gift of the Eucharist.

23 Brothers and sisters: I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, 24 and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.

Service is top priority for Jesus. Through service, He shows His love for and commitment to us. Even though He is the Son of God, He set aside His divinity and became man to save us and reveal God’s love for us. Let us rejoice in the redeeming love of our Savior.

I give you a new commandment, says the Lord: love one another as I have loved you.

1 Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass from this world to the Father. He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end. 2 The devil had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand him over. So, during supper, 3 fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God, 4 he rose from supper and took off his outer garments. He took a towel and tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel around his waist. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Master, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing, you do not understand now, but you will understand later.” 8 Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me.” 9 Simon Peter said to him, “Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well.” 10 Jesus said to him, “Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed, for he is clean all over; so you are clean, but not all.” 11 For he knew who would betray him; for this 4reason, he said, “Not all of you are clean.” 12 So when he had washed their feet and put his garments back on and reclined at table again, he said to them, “Do you realize what I have done for you? 13 You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am. 14 If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.

think: Who in your family, parish or community has been a selfless, tireless servant? How would you thank them for their service?

Read the Bible in one year Leviticus 4-6

T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST

thank You, Lord, for: ______________________________________________________

THREE-IN-ONE

“Three-in-one” coffee and tea sachets flood the market nowadays. Sachets, to start with, have started a sachet sub-culture everywhere. In the Philippines and many other poorer countries, you can get almost everything in sachets: oil, vinegar, the ubiquitous soy sauce, laundry detergents, fabric softeners, etc. In the Philippines, fabric softeners are a unique success story — but this is for another reflection in the future!

       The whole point why I speak about “three-in-one” sachets is because tonight, we are starting a rough equivalent of a three-in-one liturgical celebration. The Church has always called it a “triduum” — the Paschal Triduum. It is no accident that it sounds very much like a big English word – continuum – which is what the three days are.

       The Mass of the Lord’s Supper opens this “three-in-one” celebration. We call this day Maundy Thursday, from the Latin word “mandatum” or commandment. It has reference to the great commandment to “love one another” and that mandate to love is best shown in the twin sacraments that the Lord instituted during His last Passover meal with His disciples: the sacraments of holy orders (priesthood) and the Eucharist.

       One cannot exist without the other. The priesthood is for service, the source and summit of which is the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the great sacrament of love that, more than anything else, calls to mind the ultimate and supreme self-offering of the Lord by pouring His blood and offering His Body for the sake of fallen humanity.

        It is unfortunate that, for many, the Catholic “three-in-one” celebration of the Easter Triduum has been replaced by another form of a secular three-in-one: relaxation, rest and fun, and a retreat to the beaches. The civil holidays have almost totally replaced the Church’s holy days!

        Today is a good time to remind ourselves of the reason for these holy days: “You call me teacher and master, and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.” Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

----------- REFLECTION QUESTION ----------

Do you give importance to and observe the Easter Triduum?

Jesus, more than relaxation and fun, may I find my rest in Your presence this Lenten season and always. Amen.