Homily at St Dyfrig’s for the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, 2024.
Maundy Thursday
Today I have celebrated two weddings already, and now I welcome you to the wedding supper of the Lamb.
Twice today, I have heard a couple promise to honour each other with their bodies. And now the Lord Himself pledges to honour your body with his.
At the Last Supper, Jesus honoured Peter and the other apostles by washing their feet, as a servant would honour his Master. In a few moments I shall honour a few of you, representatives of this whole community.
At the Last Supper, Jesus honoured his followers by giving them his own body, in the form of bread, to be received into theirs. There is no greater intimacy that to become physically part of one another. Tonight, as at every Mass, the Lord will offer us His Own Body to consume, to become nourishment for our bodies and souls.
And what about us? How can we make a return for such love?
Every time we choose to attend Holy Mass, we honour His Body.
Every time we keep the hour’s fast before receiving Holy Communion, we honour His Body.
Every time we genuflect to the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, we honour His Body.
By keeping the sanctuary lamp alight, by using incense at Mass, by respecting each church as a holy place, we honour His Body.
By doing each one of these things, we renew our marriage vows to the Lord.
But do we do these things as a slave honours a master, or as a bride honours a groom?
Do we come before the Lord as prodigal sons and daughters, knowing that we deserve nothing but delighting in the prodigious love? Or do we come before the Lord like the elder brother who, despite living in the Father’s house, has not appreciated that all the Father’s bounty is at your disposal?
Love cannot be forced. But if we do not do these things out of love, perhaps it is because we have not yet let ourselves be loved by the Lord.
“Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof.” How many of us, like St Peter, protest that we are unworthy of His love? Take care! It is healthy to recognise that we are unworthy, but it is dangerous to refuse His gift of love.
Yes, it is so easy to refuse a gift which seems too precious. Once, when I was attending a World Youth Day in Canada, I met a Canadian family where the Dad offered me a flight in his private plane. It seemed such an extravagant gift that I refused – and ever since, I have regretted it. This man flew for a hobby. He would have burned the fuel whether I was with him or not. And it was only my sense of unworthiness that stopped me from accepting.
To miss out on a joy ride in Canada is but a small misfortune. To miss out on the double gift of salvation and friendship which Jesus offers us would be an eternal tragedy. In the end, St Peter yielded and let Jesus wash his feet. By saying yes to the Lord, we honour his body.
We in our turn are called to be servants of one another. We give our bodies to the Lord by spending our time in service to those in need. In the coming weeks, I will invite us to come to an Open Listening evening to ask how we can do this in our community. Can we be more effective at visiting the poor? Might we start a bereavement support group? How can we minister more effectively to the University students who come and go in our midst? Those questions are not for tonight, but to prepare for them, ask the Lord to open your heart. Each day in Eastertide, ask the Lord anew: “How are you calling me to wash the feet of your friends?”
A Jewish bride would undergo a ritual bath before her wedding night. The Lord washed the Apostles’ feet before they received their First Holy Communion and were commissioned as priests of the New Covenant. They were humble. They were cleansed. They were honoured.
We, the people of the New Covenant, have honoured Jesus by coming to this place tonight. Jesus now honours us with the sign of humble service and the sacrament of His Body and Blood. Blessed are those who called to the wedding supper of the Lamb. Lord I am not worthy that you should come under my roof – but only say the word, and my soul shall be healed.
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