got any no's left?

Homily

Holy Thursday of the Lord's Supper

1 April 2021 No Foolin'

St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center at the University of Kansas

AMDG +mj

No no no no no no no . . . never!  How many no's did you bring to Mass tonight?  What's your last no? What's your never?  That's our pivotal question for Holy Thursday.

Whatever your never is, know this.  You're up against a God who is the worst at taking no for an answer.  So hang onto your never tonight, if you can.  I dare you.

For whenever I say no, this guy moves, so that my every no that is initially a step away from him might eventually be a yes that takes me to Him.  And when He moves, He moves decisively, and dramatically!

Our first parents said no in the garden, and as their child so do I!  No I will not love.  No I will not obey.  No I will not serve.  In response, He moves!  From the no of the garden he can see the Fiat of the greatest member of our race.  So He moves, decisively and dramatically, from the abundant heart of His Father to the womb of a poor little girl.

What do I say to this baby?  I say no!  I will not hold you.  Away with Him.  Crucify Him.  Yet from this no of Calvary, from the denial of Peter who ran away scared, Jesus could see the meager courage of a man like Fr. Dan, and the pathetic yes of a priest like me.  So He moves.  He moves not only through the yes of the Immaculate Virgin, He moves even more dramatically, and decisively, through my sin-soaked words, to be born anew on this altar.  This is my body, broken for you.  This is my blood, poured out for you.

What do we say to the gift of the Eucharist?  We say no!  What will you give me to hand Him over to you?  Yes, one of you eating with me is the one who will betray me! Surely it is not me, Lord?  You have said so!  What does Jesus say to this no?  That's right, He moves.

From the no of those who rejected Him in the flesh to the no of those who reject His sacramental presence at table, He can see your yes.  He can see your little yes.  Lord, I am sorry for hurting you.  I do not deserve for you to come under my roof, but only say the word.  In response to all these no's, He moves tonight through your Amen from this altar into your body.

Still, the greatest distance remains.  Still, Jesus is only getting started.  For there are more no's to be overcome with love.  Unless I wash your feet, you have no part in me.  Unless He gets past your last no, your never, all of this is for naught.  All of this, His moving from the heart of His Father, to Mary's womb, to Calvary, to this altar, and into your body, doesn't work unless you also let Him wash your feet. You will never wash my feet. What is your last no?  What is your never?  Whatever it is, just know what you're up against.  You're up against the guy who's the absolute worst at taking no for an answer.

He has come all this way, in case just one of us might allow Him to travel past our never, and wash our feet.  The sign that our never has been conquered once and for all by His love, is that we will wash each other's feet.