Daily Gospel Reflection
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May 16, 2019
When Jesus had washed the disciples’ feet, he said to them:
“Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master
nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him.
If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it.
I am not speaking of all of you.
I know those whom I have chosen.
But so that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
The one who ate my food has raised his heel against me.
From now on I am telling you before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe that I AM.
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send
receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”
For the last few years, I have volunteered as an altar assistant at the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper at our church. I find it is a powerful way to begin the Triduum and to reset my perspective for celebrating the Paschal Mystery over the next three days.
During Holy Thursday Mass, our pastor removes his outer garment and washes the feet of fellow parishioners. As an altar assistant, I get to watch and assist our pastor, sharing the humbling experience that Jesus ritualized when he washed the disciples’ feet. I contemplate the liturgical moment, imagining myself in the room with Jesus and the disciples, feeling the warmth and love radiating from our Lord.
As Christ exemplifies in today’s Gospel, power, control, and prestige are not virtues that gain us access to the Kingdom of God. Rather, the true happiness of God’s Kingdom begins with humility, allowing ourselves to serve one another as God created us. When we strip ourselves of our arrogance and assertiveness, we can serve those around us, no matter our background or theirs. Silencing the protests of our egos and humbly serving others, we begin to find it more natural to praise God for all that we have been given. This gratitude opens our hearts, making it easier for us to adopt the servant mentality Christ modeled for us and taught us.
When we discover this humility, we find the true meaning of happiness—serving, with love, our neighbors, our enemies and people from all backgrounds.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, if our Baptism as Christians has incorporated us fully into your life, then we have a responsibility to act and speak as our Father does. You told us throughout the Easter season about your priorities. All too often they are not ours, and for this we ask forgiveness and assistance. We can’t become more fully like you all on our own. Please help us. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Brendan is one of the great saints of Ireland. He is most famous for being the main character in the fantastic Irish sea-tale, the Navigatio, which tells of Brendan and 60 followers embarking on a voyage to find the "Isle of the Blessed"—the Garden of Eden, or paradise.
Brendan certainly was a real person, and it is possible that he even travelled with some followers to spread the good news. He was born in Tralee on the west coast of Ireland and was educated and befriended by several of the other saints of Ireland. He was ordained a priest and shortly afterwards gathered some followers and established a common life with them in a monastery.
The monastery he founded in Clonfert in 559 grew to include some 3,000 monks. It is said that an angel dictated to him the rule that guided that community.
It is possible that his travels took him to some of the British Isles. His Navigatio suggests that he even reached the Canary Islands, the Spanish archipelago off the coast of northwestern Africa.
A stained glass window dedicated to him colors the chapel in Dillon Hall—it depicts three yellow birds from the Canary Islands.
As we follow God on our journey of discipleship, let us ask Brendan for his boldness in following God beyond the borders of our own maps for our lives.
St. Brendan the Navigator, your faith led you to great adventures at the ends of the known world—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Brendan the Navigator is used with permission from Catholic Online. Last accessed March 11, 2025.