Holy Thursday

Good morning. Quite a tall order! Today’s Gospel offers to us one of the most important lessons Jesus has to offer us. It sums up in its entirety what we are to be about . “Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.” This one single act sums up what as married couples we are to be about, this gift of self and His message to us should be a reminder to us what we are called to each and every day in our relationship with our spouse and with others in our lives. This is, in a very special way, what we are called to in marriage, for without sacrifice and self-denial the love between a wife and a husband just cannot exist. This lesson in today’s Gospel sums up for us what we are each called to, to love, and it is not possible to do so except by our willingness to engage in self-denial and the giving of ourselves. If we read further in the passage from John’s Gospel we would read that if we follow in the example of our Lord and we are servants to each other, then God will bless us. “…blessed are you if you do it.” Indeed, if we can strive to give of ourselves each day for each other, then indeed our marriage will find favor with God, and our relationship will grow in love. If we follow in the example of Christ in our marriage, then God will indeed be glorified in our marriage and we will come to know the true joy and harmony of marriage as God intended it to be from the beginning. So, as He did for us, we should do for each other. Make a great day!