Love Poured Out
Tonight, we step into the Upper Room.
It is a sacred night. A night heavy with meaning, tender with love, and prophetic in its power. Jesus gathers with His disciples for what seems like a Passover meal—but this is no ordinary meal, and this is no ordinary night. This is the beginning of the end—and the beginning of everything new.
Three sacred acts mark this night: a meal, a basin, and a command.
1. A Meal of Covenant and Communion
In the First Reading, we hear about the first Passover—God’s instructions to the Israelites as they prepare for liberation from Egypt. The lamb’s blood would mark their deliverance. That meal was a sign of God’s saving promise.
Fast forward to the Upper Room, and Jesus redefines the Passover forever. St. Paul recounts it:
“This is my body… this is my blood… do this in remembrance of me.”
The Eucharist is not a mere symbol—it is Jesus giving Himself to us, completely, body and blood, soul and divinity. Not a portion. Not a gesture. But His real, living presence poured out for us.
Every time we celebrate the Mass, we are drawn back into that night—not in memory alone, but in mystery and in communion. He gives us this gift not only to feed us—but to transform us.
2. A Basin of Humility
Then Jesus does something shocking.
He removes his outer robe, kneels down, and begins to wash the feet of His disciples.
Feet—dirty, calloused, and weary. The task of a slave, not a teacher. And yet, the Master bends low.
Peter protests—he just can’t fathom it. But Jesus insists.
“If I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.”
This is love in action. This is priesthood on its knees.
Tonight reminds us that there is no Eucharist without service, no communion without humility. To receive Christ is to become like Him—willing to stoop, to serve, to wash the feet of others—especially when it’s inconvenient, uncomfortable, or undeserved.
3. A Command of Love
We call this day “Maundy” Thursday—from the Latin mandatum, meaning “commandment.”
“A new commandment I give you: love one another as I have loved you.”
At first glance, it might not seem new. After all, God has been calling His people to love from the beginning. But what is new… is the standard.
No longer is it “love your neighbor as yourself.”
Now it’s: love one another as I have loved you.
It is a radical, self-emptying, forgiving, merciful, sacrificial love.
It is the kind of love that kneels to wash feet, that breaks bread with a betrayer, that hangs on a cross for those who abandon Him.
And Jesus commands us to love that way.
That’s hard. It’s not a warm feeling. It’s a decision. A commitment. A way of life.
To love like Christ means:
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Forgiving those who wrong us.
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Serving even when we’re tired.
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Welcoming the difficult.
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Laying down our ego, our convenience, even our pride—for the sake of the other.
It’s not love until it costs something.
And it’s not Christian love unless it looks like Jesus.
That’s the challenge of Maundy Thursday: to kneel at the feet of the world and love it like Christ does.
Conclusion: Love Poured Out
Tonight is not just a memory—it is a mission.
Jesus gave us the Eucharist to feed us, foot-washing to humble us, and a command to love one another as He has loved us.
And then, He goes into the night… to give His body, pour out His blood, and embrace a cross—all for love.
So let us stay close tonight—to the altar, to the basin, and to His heart.
May we receive His love and then become that love for the world.