Daily Readings - Thu Apr 01 2021
Exodus
1The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt,2"This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year.3Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household.4If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat.5The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats.6Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight.7Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs.8That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast.11This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD's Passover.12"On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn-both men and animals-and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD.13The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.14"This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD -a lasting ordinance.
1 Corinthians
23For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night 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, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."26For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
John
1It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.2The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus.3Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;4so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.5After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"7Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."8"No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."9"Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!"10Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you."11For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.12When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them.13"You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am.14Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet.15I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.
Sermon
Today’s readings guide us through a journey of love, service, and remembrance, weaving together the Old Testament, the institution of the Eucharist, and Jesus’s humble act of washing His disciples’ feet. The first reading from Exodus recounts the Passover, a pivotal moment in Israel’s history where God spared the firstborn of the Israelites, marking their liberation from slavery. This act of divine mercy and deliverance is a powerful reminder of God’s covenant with His people, setting the stage for the deeper covenant to come through Jesus Christ.
In the second reading, St. Paul explains the Eucharist, instituted by Jesus on the night before His Passion, as a sacrament that unites us to Christ and to each other. Just as the Passover meal was a sign of God’s presence and salvation for the Israelites, the Eucharist is the new Passover, where Christ’s body and blood are offered for our redemption. This sacred meal calls us to remember Christ’s sacrifice and to live as a community bound together by His love.
In the Gospel, Jesus takes this a step further by not only giving us the Eucharist but also modeling humility and service. By washing His disciples’ feet, Jesus teaches us that love is not just a feeling but an action. He, the Lord and Teacher, stoops to serve, showing us that true greatness lies in self-giving love. This act of humility is not just a gesture; it’s a way of life. Jesus calls us to follow His example, to serve one another, and to love as He has loved us.
These readings invite us to reflect on how we live out our faith in daily life. Just as the Israelites remembered the Passover to stay connected to God’s mercy, we are called to remember Christ’s sacrifice through the Eucharist and to live as people transformed by His love. Let us ask ourselves: How am I serving others? Am I living with the humility and love that Jesus modeled? May we allow these readings to inspire us to be people of gratitude, compassion, and self-giving love, remembering that the heart of our faith is not just in what we believe, but in how we live it out.