Service is the vocation of every Christian

By Archbishop Thomas Wenski - The Archdiocese of Miami

Photography: MARLENE QUARONI | FC

Archbishop Thomas Wenski preached this homily during the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper, which he celebrated April 18, 2019, at St. Mary Cathedral, Miami.

We have begun the Triduum – three holy days in which we commemorate that Jesus’ hour has come. In Jesus Christ, God became a man – like us. He became like us so that we might become like him. Jesus became a man like us to die like us – so that we would not have to die forever. In these days, we remember the passion, death and Resurrection of our Lord; that is to say, we remember his Exodus, his Passover from death to life – and in him, with him and through him, we too Passover from death to life; with Christ we make our exodus from the slavery of sin to the freedom of the Children of God so that we might no longer live for ourselves but for him who died and rose again for us.

La hora de Jesús ya ha llegado – fue por eso que él vino: se hizo hombre para morir para que nosotros no tuviéramos que morir por siempre. Se hizo un hombre como nosotros, se nos pareció en todo menos en el pecado para que pudiéramos parecernos a él. En estos tres días que comienzan hoy con la cena del Señor recordamos su éxodo – o sea, su paso de la muerte hacia la vida. Con Cristo, hagamos nuestro propio éxodo, para que ya no vivamos por nosotros mismos sino por el que murió y resucito por nosotros.

En esta noche Dios se nos entrega. Contemplamos a Dios a rodillas, contemplamos a Dios escondido tras las apariencias del pan y del vino. Jesús establece una Nueva Alianza con un nuevo Mandamiento, un nuevo sacrificio con un nuevo sacerdocio.

Tonight is about God’s gift of himself to us in his Son, Jesus Christ. Tonight, we contemplate God in an apron, God on his knees, God hidden under the appearances of bread and wine. As Jesus ate the Passover with his disciples, he establishes a New Covenant with a New Commandment, a New Sacrifice with a New Priesthood.

Frè ak sè m yo, dènye moman Jezi pase avè n anvan yo touye l la, chaje ak gwo koze, ak bèl jès, li chajè ak mèvèy. Lè sa a li mete tousa ki nan kè l deyò pou l montre n jouk ki pwen li renmen n. Lè sa a, li fete Fèt Pak la Ansyen Kontra a yon denyè fwa ak zanmi l yo. An menm tan, li fè n antre nan yon Nouvo Kontra a li ta pral siyen ak pwòp san li pou nou fè youn avè l. Se lè sa a tou, li lave pye zanmi l yo, pou l montre ki jan youn dwe renmen lòt, pou l montre ki jan youn dwe sèvi lòt. Konsa, jodi a, Jezi mete yon Nouvo Kontra ak yon Nouvo Kòmandman; li mete yon nouvo sakrifis, ak yon nouvo sasèdos.

“I give you a new commandment, the Lord says, love one another as I have loved you.” The gesture of washing the feet of his apostles speaks for itself. In this gesture we learn how we can put the Eucharist – our communion in the Body and Blood of Jesus – into practice in our lives. Service is the vocation of every Christian – and we only realize ourselves as persons through the sincere gift of ourselves. Service, self-giving, not self-seeking or self-assertion, is what gives meaning in our lives.

Komandman nouvo Jezi bay la, li adrese l bay patizan l yo. Si antre yo, youn renmen lot, se yon temwayaj. Se yon fason pou nou preche san nou pa pale, pou nou misyone san nou pa mache. Renmen tankou Kris la renmen nou se vokasyon chak moun ki batize, chak patizan Jezi Kri.

Moun yo met di, “rann sevis bay chagren”, men, Jezi di n, “rann sevis bay lavi, lavi net ale a. Sevi fre n ak se n yo menm jan Jezi te konn sevi nou se fason pou n viv Lekaristi a. Nan Jezi, nou we Bondye a jenou, nou we Bondye k ap lave pye nou. Epi, li di nou, ‘Se yon egzamp mwen ban nou, pou nou kab fe, menm jan mwen te fe pou nou an.'

Hoy inicia la fiesta de la "crisis pascual", es decir de la lucha entre la muerte y la vida, ya que la vida nunca fue absorbida por la muerte, pero sí combatida por ella. La noche del sábado de Gloria es el canto a la victoria, pero teñida de sangre, y hoy es el himno a la lucha pero de quien lleva la victoria porque su arma es el amor.

As we move with Jesus from the Upper Room, to the Garden of Gethsemane, as we walk with him along the Way of Cross, as we stand beneath his Cross and keep vigil at his tomb, may his words echo in our hearts: “As I have done for you, you should also do.”