from the Companion Directors Team
“Do this in remembrance of me” (Lk 22:19).
The words that Jesus spoke at the Last Supper remain in our hearts and inform who we are as Precious Blood people. After breaking the bread and sharing it with the apostles, he lifts the cup, gives thanks, shares the cup, and says, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many” (Mark 14:24). He entrusts his people with the honor to continue to make present this sacred meal as well as his sacrificial offering foretold in this hallowed moment. Everyday all over the world, people gather at Mass to encounter Christ in the Eucharist. They are then sent to be Eucharist in the world.
Jesus speaks of the sending at the Last Supper too. He will shed his blood for us, and he asks us to love one another. That is our end of the covenant sealed in his blood. As we follow Jesus through Scripture, we get a good sense of the depth of love to which he speaks. Yes, he is referring to those in our circle of friends and family, but it is clear in the story of the Good Samaritan that he is asking us to go beyond those confines. Just as there were no restrictions placed on his love, I sense his message to us is to love in the same way especially when it is difficult. During this holy time, he kneels down and in humble service washes his disciples’ feet summoning: “If I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” A picture of humble sacrificial love is painted.
Every Sunday at Mass, we relive the events of Christ’s Life, Death, and Resurrection, and we are sent. Perhaps Jesus affords us this opportunity over and over again so as we continue to share his love with others, we will stretch ourselves in compassionate service going further and further outside what was once our comfort zones. As we do, may we grow in imitation of the One who shed his blood for us.