Daily Readings - Thu Apr 14 2022
Exodus
1The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,2"This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you.3Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household.4And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb.5Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats,6and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.7"Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.8They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it.11In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD's Passover.12For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD.13The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.14"This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.
1 Corinthians
23For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread,24and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me."25In the same way also he took 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."26For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
John
1Now 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.2During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him,3Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God,4rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist.5Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, do you wash my feet?"7Jesus answered him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand."8Peter said to him, "You shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no share with me."9Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!"10Jesus said to him, "The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you."11For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, "Not all of you are clean."12When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, "Do you understand what I have done to you?13You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.14If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.15For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.
Sermon
The readings today take us on a journey through the heart of God’s love and the call to humility and service. In the first reading from Exodus, we hear the story of the Passover, where the Israelites are instructed to mark their homes with the blood of a lamb so that the angel of death will "pass over" their firstborn sons. This act of faith and obedience is a powerful reminder of God’s deliverance and the sacrifices He makes for His people. The context of this reading is deeply rooted in the history of the Israelites, marking the night before their liberation from slavery in Egypt. It is a story of salvation, trust, and the establishment of a sacred ritual that would forever shape the identity of God’s people.
In the second reading from 1 Corinthians, we fast-forward to the Last Supper, where Jesus institutes the Eucharist. Paul recounts how Jesus, on the night of His betrayal, took bread and wine, offering them as His body and blood, and commanded His disciples to "do this in remembrance of me." This reading connects directly to the Passover story, as Jesus becomes the new Lamb of God, whose sacrifice frees humanity from the slavery of sin. The Eucharist is not just a meal; it is a profound act of love and remembrance that unites us with Christ and with one another.
The Gospel from John deepens this theme of love and service. Jesus, knowing His time on earth is coming to an end, humbles Himself to wash the feet of His disciples. This act of humility is a shocking reversal of power and privilege, as the Master becomes the servant. Jesus then commands His disciples to follow His example, saying, "If I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash the feet of one another." This is not just a symbolic gesture; it is a call to live out the love and humility of Christ in our daily lives.
These readings remind us that our faith is rooted in God’s sacrificial love and calls us to live out that love in service to others. Just as the Israelites were saved by the blood of the lamb, we are saved by the blood of Christ, who became the ultimate Passover sacrifice. The Eucharist invites us to remember this sacrifice and to be transformed by it. And in washing the feet of His disciples, Jesus shows us that true greatness is found in serving others. As we reflect on these readings, let us ask ourselves: How am I living out the love and humility of Christ? Am I willing to serve others, even in the simplest and most humble ways? May we allow the power of the Eucharist to transform our hearts and may we follow Jesus’ example by loving and serving one another.