Never underestimate the power of symbols, words, a single sound
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Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor.
A reflection on the daily readings, for Holy Thursday, by Father Perry.
By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor
And it is all about oil and anointing and grace, and blessing and becoming a kingdom; and priests for our God and Father.
And we hear Jesus speak: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. …”
We celebrate his anointing, and ours, too!
The Mass of the Lord’s supper
We begin by commemorating the Passover— the night when God freed his people from slavery and set them free.
In God’s words, he said: “I will go through Egypt, seeing the blood, I will pass over you — no destructive blow will come upon you; and this will become a perpetual institution.”
We clearly come to remember Jesus the Christ as our food and our drink, as he joyfully gifted us at that supper and at every supper in which we commemorate his presence and love in those symbols, and in that reality of the meal of friendship and love that deeply satisfies and makes present this Lord of life in our food and drink.
A meal, so simple and so profound, and meant to touch and satisfy our deepest hungers and our deepest thirsts.
+ But something more tonight. On this one night in which we celebrate that first Last Supper, we also are given in that narrative a transforming call and mission.
On that night of all nights we are given the call to love and to serve — to become foot washers.
Jesus shows it by doing it and then inviting us to do it also.
“Do you realize what I have done for you?” And truly, in that moment, Jesus gave us a profound see-and-hear moment as he told them: “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.”
We should, I believe, never underestimate the power of symbols, the power of words, the power in a single sound.
And we should also never underestimate that power, both to us as individuals and as a communal body.
It is pretty universal, in every language on earth, to think and experience and become involved in just two words — Our Father.
And we know the rest.
And in that precise moment our communal experience is so deeply and profoundly uniting, just as Jesus had intended.
On another note (no pun intended), a certain Beethoven wrote on paper four notes that went “dah dah dah daah!”— and almost everyone on our planet knows the piece.
Oh, to be honest, all might not know it is his 5th Symphony, but almost all will hum the next line in recognition of this musical creation and masterpiece.
Ah, the power of words and the power of musical notes!
And Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and invited us to do the same.
And he also took bread and wine and blessed and broke it and gave it to us to eat and to drink.
Ah, the power of symbols and words, and receiving and experiencing presence, and food and life and love.
Oh, what a night!
Father Perry D. Leiker is the 13th pastor of St. Bernard Catholic Church. Reach him at (323) 255-6142. Email Father Perry at pleiker@stbernard-church.com. Follow Father Perry on Twitter: @MrDeano76.
