Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well.” John 13:8-9 (full readings)
Kevin's Reflections: That Holy Thursday falls on the feast of St. Anslem this year provides rich material for further reflection on the marvelous mysteries addressed in all of today’s readings. That holy medieval theologian, father of the scholastics, stretched his mind to the limits of its abstract thinking abilities to argue for the all-surpassing greatness of a God so great that he, and only he, out of every being in all the universe, could not even legitimately be conceived not to exist. And yet, in today’s readings, we see that this God of infinite greatness and power had deigned that his own son should come to mere humans to be slaughtered like a sacrificial lamb, so that we might enjoy salvation and eternal life in his presence. Any who would reject God must remember that he rejects not merely an abstract concept, but the flesh-and-blood reality of the Jesus Christ who walked this earth in historical time. Consider too how God incarnate lovingly chose to give his all to us, so that we might eat his body and drink his blood in the new covenant with him. Will we choose to accept or reject him? Peter first rejected Jesus’ offer to humbly wash his feet, but when Jesus spelled out the cost of this rejection, he accepted the offer – and then some! Are we today willing to become completely and totally “awash” in Christ, flooded by the graces he gives us through the Eucharist? Are we willing to accept him into our every part of our being? Jesus’ last words of this gospel reading were “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.” Here lies a life lesson too. The infinite source and Creator of all being chose to allow even his only begotten son to bear great suffering so that we might have eternal life. How then can any of his creatures who call themselves Christians declare the lives of the unborn unworthy of our love and protection?
* Kevin Vost, Psy.D., is a supervisor of disability adjudicators by day, and a Catholic author, speaker, radio, and television guest by night (and by vacation days). His latest book is St. Albert the Great: Champion of Faith and Reason. He welcomes questions and comments at www.drvost.com.
* Kevin Vost, Psy.D., is a supervisor of disability adjudicators by day, and a Catholic author, speaker, radio, and television guest by night (and by vacation days). His latest book is St. Albert the Great: Champion of Faith and Reason. He welcomes questions and comments at www.drvost.com.
Faith Challenge: Imitate Christ’s model and perform some simple act of kindness to humbly serve a loved one or stranger today.
Our Prayers: Prayer to end abortion, Spiritual Adoption, Alpha Center, Peters family (JP). Add Prayers on our website. Pray with meals, bedtime, wake up, LIFE Runners, etc. Consider mid-week Family Rosary (17 min). Let’s pray now.
Feast Day: St. Anslem (1033-1109), philosopher, theologian, Archbishop of Canterbury.
Faith Quote: "God cannot be conceived not to exist. God is that, than which nothing greater can be conceived. That which can be conceived not to exist is not God." ~ St. Anslem
* Pray/Fast: Prayer connects us with God’s will & His miracles, changing us & helping others. Fast from things that take your eyes off Jesus. Those who pray together stay together, and close to God!
* Save Unborn (& family): Abortion reality (images)…#1 death cause (23% pregnancies). Prov 24:11 & Jer 1:5. “A great poverty that a child must die that you might live as you wish.” Mother Teresa.
* Evangelize: Make room for unbelievers & re-evangelization of self, by way of prayer (relationship) and following Christ’s example of love (service/sacrifice/mercy). Matt 28:19.
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