Do This
March 28, 2013
Holy Thursday
The Spirit of the Lord
GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; He has sent me to bring glad
tidings to the lowly, to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the
captives and release to the prisoners, To announce a year of favor from the
LORD and a day of vindication by our God, to comfort all who mourn. Isaiah
61:1-2
Rolling up the scroll,
he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the
synagogue looked intently at him. He
said to them, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:20-21
Piety
Father, how can I make a return to the LORD for all the good
he has done for me? Jesus, can I take up
the cup you lifted for the salvation of the many? Holy Spirit, come upon me and give me the strength
to call upon the name of the LORD. Amen.
Study
From the beginning of his public ministry until the very
end, Jesus preached, healed, prayed, taught, and proclaimed because the spirit
of the Lord was upon him. The joy of the
readings from the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday morning will be followed with the
example of Jesus washing the feet of those he served…providing a model for us
to follow. By tomorrow afternoon, this
joy will pass as Jesus bows his head on the cross and hands over his Spirit
back to the Father.
Our Little Lenten Instruction Manual will end with this
lesson in total humility, total service and total emptying of self for the sake
of others. As Joseph and Nicodemus bury the empty body, we will complete our
fasting, alms-giving and prayer that we may imitate the life of Jesus and obtain
the promises of the cross.
Action
Jesus makes a simple request of us on Holy Thursday. "Do this." As we remember his final act of sacrifice,
can we take his Spirit upon us and do what Jesus did when he was sent to
serve?
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