Homily
Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord's Supper
9 April 2020
St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center at the University of Kansas
Jesus is the worst . . at taking no for an answer.
From the no of the garden, to the no of the cross, to the last no remaining in my heart, Jesus is the worst . . at taking no for a final answer. Instead of accepting my no, he moves, so that every no which is initially a step away from him, might eventually be a step toward him. And when he moves in search of my next yes, He moves dramatically.
From the no of the garden he hoped in the Immaculate Fiat of the Virgin, and so traveled from the abundant heart of the Father to be conceived poor, small and naked in her womb. From the no of the cross he could see the repentant yes of Peter, and through him to the eventual, sin-soaked yes of a poor priest like me.
And so he travels, allowing Himself to be moved even more dramatically by words than by her perfect Fiat, even though I have no clue what I'm doing up here. He travels from the pure Magnificat sung in the soul of His perfect tabernacle into the pitiable liturgy of a Church that this year has to downsize and livestream on Facebook.
From the no of all those who scourged him in the flesh he could see your desperate, half-hearted yes to adore His mystical sacramental presence on YouTube from your couch. So he moves to be born for you on this altar.
See how bad he is at taking no for an answer? He travels a span greater than the universe for the slightest chance of finding the most pathetic yes. And still, he's just getting started.
For the greatest distance remains. Here is where it gets most real. All of that traveling, all of that refusing to take no for an answer, is worth nothing, if the final destination for Jesus is on this altar. For the distance that Jesus is most desperate to travel on this most holy night is the distance between this altar and my heart.
What is that last no of my heart? That's the pivotal question. Where am I saying to him - Lord, you will never wash my feet. I know, this year, this Lent has gone to shreds. I haven't talked to a single person who had a good Lent. Not one. You're watching this on TV, for God's sake. Maybe you're expecting nothing to happen this Triduum. I don't know.
I do know this. If this is not the year that I let him travel this final distance, and wash my feet, when can I honestly say I will ever let him?
Whenever it is, remember this. Jesus will never give up on you. For he is the absolute worst . . at taking no for a final answer.
He will keep moving, and moving dramatically, until the promise of this holy night is fulfilled - and he sees all of us washing each other's feet.
Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord's Supper
9 April 2020
St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center at the University of Kansas
Jesus is the worst . . at taking no for an answer.
From the no of the garden, to the no of the cross, to the last no remaining in my heart, Jesus is the worst . . at taking no for a final answer. Instead of accepting my no, he moves, so that every no which is initially a step away from him, might eventually be a step toward him. And when he moves in search of my next yes, He moves dramatically.
From the no of the garden he hoped in the Immaculate Fiat of the Virgin, and so traveled from the abundant heart of the Father to be conceived poor, small and naked in her womb. From the no of the cross he could see the repentant yes of Peter, and through him to the eventual, sin-soaked yes of a poor priest like me.
And so he travels, allowing Himself to be moved even more dramatically by words than by her perfect Fiat, even though I have no clue what I'm doing up here. He travels from the pure Magnificat sung in the soul of His perfect tabernacle into the pitiable liturgy of a Church that this year has to downsize and livestream on Facebook.
From the no of all those who scourged him in the flesh he could see your desperate, half-hearted yes to adore His mystical sacramental presence on YouTube from your couch. So he moves to be born for you on this altar.
See how bad he is at taking no for an answer? He travels a span greater than the universe for the slightest chance of finding the most pathetic yes. And still, he's just getting started.
For the greatest distance remains. Here is where it gets most real. All of that traveling, all of that refusing to take no for an answer, is worth nothing, if the final destination for Jesus is on this altar. For the distance that Jesus is most desperate to travel on this most holy night is the distance between this altar and my heart.
What is that last no of my heart? That's the pivotal question. Where am I saying to him - Lord, you will never wash my feet. I know, this year, this Lent has gone to shreds. I haven't talked to a single person who had a good Lent. Not one. You're watching this on TV, for God's sake. Maybe you're expecting nothing to happen this Triduum. I don't know.
I do know this. If this is not the year that I let him travel this final distance, and wash my feet, when can I honestly say I will ever let him?
Whenever it is, remember this. Jesus will never give up on you. For he is the absolute worst . . at taking no for a final answer.
He will keep moving, and moving dramatically, until the promise of this holy night is fulfilled - and he sees all of us washing each other's feet.
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