Daily Catholic Mass Readings for April 14, 2022
First Reading: Exodus 12.1-8, 11-14
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.
Psalm 116
1I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.2Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.3The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow.4Then I called on the name of the LORD: "O LORD, save me!"5The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.6The LORD protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved me.7Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.8For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling,9that I may walk before the LORD in the land of the living.10I believed; therefore I said, "I am greatly afflicted."11And in my dismay I said, "All men are liars."12How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to me?13I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD.14I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.15Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.16O LORD, truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant; you have freed me from my chains.17I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the LORD.18I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people,19in the courts of the house of the LORD - in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD.
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 11.23-26
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.
Gospel: John 13.1-15
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
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.