April 9, 2009: Holy Thursday (B) The Lord's Supper
Meal time at my sister's house can be a messy affair. With two little ones (2 and 4 yr. old), it's hard to keep them on task--eating rather than playing with food. The little ones prefer to be left on their own, dipping his hand in the soup or grab spaghetti by its end and swirl it in the air. When it's time for their mother to wipe their face or to reprimand them for playing with their food, they inevitably break into sobs. The same thing happens when it's time to change diaper. The little one protests that it's better to walked around in soiled diaper than for momma to strap him down to wipe his behind. For even little ones, they want to be on there own and left to their own vices. They don't realize all the mess they create. (Note: The photo on the left is NOT my sister's child)
Us, big kids, also don't like to depend on other people. Take for example Morrie Schwartz who was featured in the book, "Tuesdays with Morrie." He was a renowned professor of Sociology at Brandeis University. In his 70s, he contracted Lou Gehrig's disease which is a fatal disease that degenerates his use of the muscles of his body. He got to the point of needing assistance with feeding him and wiping him after bathroom use. Physically, he became an infant again. Initially, being dependent on everything embarrassed him. But this disease taught him few life lessons. He said,
Early in our life, we feel invincible--our health is good, and we believe everything we have is due to our own work. Only later in our life do we begin to realize that we are under someone's constant care. This happens when we have our own children to take care of. Also this happens when we become ill or lose a loved one. We reflect back, "Oh, how I miss being taken care of." Only in their absence, do we begin to appreciate what they have done for us.
The same can be said for our faith. In high school I was a budding dabbler in New Age philosophy. It believed that God was NOT someone who created me. God was really me! I was ‘god’ in rough diamond form. Through esoteric meditations and practices, I was to refine this rough diamond and become the brilliant god that I was meant to be. It also said that formal religions like Catholicism was attempt to squelch this discovery process. Doesn’t this sound tempting? Unfortunately, even some well meaning Christians have fallen for variations of this temptation; this is the same temptation that Adam and Even fell for. So what’s wrong with it? If I am self-sufficient god (with little ‘g’) why do I need God (with big ‘G’)? Then, in the same line of reasoning, do I need Jesus? In high school, a Baptist classmate asked me, “Do you know Jesus?”
How did I ever come to recognize Jesus as one who is relevant in my life? Like Morrie Schwartz and St. Paul, I needed to fall from the invincible high horse. Early college, I experienced a tremendous emptiness in my life. No books on New Age or self-help helped. Then there was one fateful evening. I helped out with my parents during summer in their restaurant. It was open 7-days a week. One evening, my parents gave me a night off. I was at home resting when I got a call from police that a tragedy had happened at our restaurant. There was an armed robbery and someone was shot. Thankfully, it wasn’t my parents. As I drove quickly to the restaurant, many thoughts rushed through my mind. “It could have been me. Why was I off this fateful evening?” S uddenly with a brush of death, I was open to the possibility that my life was not my own. Perhaps, I thought, it could be possible that God (with big ‘G’) existed and He was looking out for me. That was enough crack in the once closed shut heart for God to intervene. I’m sure there are some of you out there who believe that Jesus and religion are for weak people. Like Morrie and I God uses the moments of our helplessness to teach us that we need Him.
Tonight we’ll witness God bending down low in humility to wash our soiled feet and souls. In the face of such humility and love, our invincible pride and arrogance washes away. That is why Jesus had us commemorate every year what he did for his disciples. Morrie Schwartz realized near his death that he was not invincible and that he had many who cared for him. Thus he said, "The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in." As we witness washing of feet, Jesus wants us to realize just that. He said, "I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do."
