Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter
Servants With Christ
Liturgical Cycle: A, B, C | Lectionary Cycle: I, II
Introduction
In his preaching, Paul presents Christ as the one who is coming, which the whole Old Testament was leading to, and John the Baptist as the immediate announcer of Jesus’ appearance of that fulfilment.
Jesus had told his disciples quite insistently and emphatically that neither power nor rank was to be the mark of the disciple but service: serving love. Now at the Last Supper, he showed this by his own example when he, the Lord and Master, washed the feet of his apostles. They, the servants, are no greater than their master. And his messengers are no greater than Jesus who sends them.
Opening Prayer
All-powerful God,
your Son Jesus, reminds us today
that we are no greater than your and our servant,
Jesus, our Lord and Master.
Give us the love and endurance
to serve you and people
without waiting for awards or gratitude
and to accept the difficulties and contradictions,
which are part of the Christian life
and which are normal for followers
of him who bore the cross for us,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.
First Reading
In Antioch of Pisidia
From Paphos, Paul and his companions set sail and arrived at Perga in Pamphylia. There, John left them and headed back to Jerusalem,
while they continued from Perga to Antioch in Pisidia. On the Sabbath, they entered the synagogue and took their seats.
After the reading of the law and the prophets, the synagogue officials sent this message to them:
“Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the assembly, please speak up.”
So Paul got their attention, signaled for silence, and started:
“Fellow Israelites and all you who fear God, listen.
The God of our people Israel chose our ancestors; and after he had caused them to increase during their stay in Egypt, he led them out by mighty deeds.
For forty years, he fed them in the desert;
and after he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance.
All this took four hundred and fifty years.
After that, he gave them judges, until Samuel the prophet. Then they asked for a king; and God gave them Saul, son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin; and he was king for forty years.
After that time, God removed him and raised up David as king, to whom he bore witness, saying, I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will do all I want him to do.
It is from the descendants of David that God has now raised up the promised Savior of Israel, Jesus.
Before he appeared, John proclaimed a baptism of repentance for all the people of Israel.
As John was finishing his life’s work, he said: ‘I am not what you think I am, for after me, another is coming, whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.’
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 89:2-3, 21-22, 25 and 27
R. (2) Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The favors of the LORD I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.
For you have said, “My kindness is established forever”;
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
R. Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
“I have found David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have anointed him,
That my hand may be always with him,
and that my arm may make him strong.”
R. Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
“My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him,
and through my name shall his horn be exalted.
He shall say of me, ‘You are my father,
My God, the Rock, my saviour.’”
R. Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus Christ, you are the faithful witness,
the firstborn of the dead,
you have loved us and freed us from our sins by your Blood.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Truly, I say to you, the servant is not greater than his master, nor is the messenger greater than he who sent him.
Understand this, and blessed are you if you put it into practice.
I am not speaking of you all, because I know the ones I have chosen, and the scripture has to be fulfilled, which says:
The one who shares my table
Has lifted his heel against me.
I tell you this now before it happens, so that when it does happen, you may know that I am He.
Truly, I say to you, whoever welcomes the one I send, welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me, welcomes the one who sent me.”
Prayers of the Faithful
– For the leaders and ministers in the Church, that they may not seek honor and power, but in all simplicity, serve their brothers and sisters, we pray:
– For all those in public office, that they may not just seek power and private gain but give the best of themselves to work for the interests of people and country, we pray:
– For doctors and nurses, that they may serve the sick with great love and dedication, we pray.
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord, our God,
as your Son Jesus himself serves us
in the signs of bread and wine,
he asks us to drink with him the cup
of self-sacrificing service.
Let your Son fill us with that love
which he alone can understand
that to be great is to serve others
and to use up our lives
to give them a chance to live.
May we seek no other reward
than to share the destiny of Jesus,
our Lord and Savior forever.
Prayer after Communion
Loving Father,
in this Eucharistic celebration
your Son Jesus has been with us
as the servant of us all.
Let him dispose our hearts
and give us his sensitive courage
to understand and accept others,
to accompany them on the road of life,
to suffer their pains, to rejoice with their joys
and to carry each other’s burdens,
that he may be with us,
now and for ever.
Blessing
“Servants are no greater than their master,” is Jesus’ reminder to us today. What moves service and makes it dedicated and unobtrusive is love. If we love people, they can come and ask us for any service. May God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTION:
John 13:16-20
Confront betrayal with love
Today’s Gospel passage brings us the words of Jesus after washing his disciples’ feet during the last supper. With the institution of the Eucharist, Jesus teaches us about sacrificial love and with the washing of the feet, he teaches us about humility and service. At the last supper, Jesus left us examples of love and service, which are the foundations of our Christian faith.
Explaining the passage, Pope Francis said, With the washing of the feet of his disciples, Jesus modified his own commandment of love: He had earlier taught his disciples to “Love your neighbour as you love yourself,” but now he modifies it and gives us the new commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you.”
The way Jesus loved his disciples was by kneeling before them, washing their feet, and allowing even his traitor to approach and kiss him. And he tells them in clear terms: “`I have given you an example’, implying to reject from their hearts their pride, their ambitions or any desire to dominate.
In Psalms 41:10, the psalmist complains bitterly of a friend’s treachery. Judas’ betrayal fulfils the words of the Psalm. ‘The one eating bread with me raised his heel against me.’ Lifting one’s heel against someone means hurting him brutally.
Through the Last Supper discourse of Jesus, John is trying to answer the question of betrayal faced in the early community. How do you treat those who harm you or cause you grief, especially those who are close to you in some way? Jesus addresses the issue of infidelity and disloyalty in relationships. He knew beforehand that one of his own disciples would betray him. Despite such knowledge, Jesus does not distance himself from such a person or protect himself from impending danger. Instead, he expresses his love, affection, and humility, even to the one he knew would “stab him in the back” when he got the opportunity.
To share a meal with someone is a gesture of friendship and trust. Jesus extends such friendship to Judas even at the moment when he is conspiring to betray his master. The expression “lift his heel against me” reinforces the brutal nature of this act of betrayal.
Jesus, on the other hand, loved his disciples to the end, his death on the Cross. The Way of the Cross for those who believe in Jesus is the way of humiliations, rejections, and betrayals that we would face in our daily life situations. While confronted with the crosses of life, Jesus invites us, his disciples, to proclaim him through our acts of love, forgiveness and faithfulness.
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John 13: 16-20
Love in the Face of Betrayal
During the Easter Season, we continue to rejoice in the Resurrection of Christ, yet today's Gospel draws us back to the Upper Room—to the moment when Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. It is a powerful reminder that the path to the Resurrection is always through the Cross, and through self-giving love.
Jesus, fully aware of the betrayal that awaits Him, kneels before His disciples in humility. He washes even Judas’ feet and shares bread with him—a gesture of deep friendship. Still, Jesus does not shield Himself from hurt. Instead, He confronts betrayal not with anger or distance, but with love. In doing so, He reveals the heart of God: merciful, vulnerable, and steadfast.
This is not easy love. Jesus redefines the commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you.” It is a love that gives itself completely, even to the unworthy. It calls us to forgive, to serve, and to remain faithful even when others fail us.
The Easter season is not only a celebration of victory over death—it is also a challenge to live as Easter people. In the light of the Risen Christ, we are called to carry our crosses with hope, to forgive with courage, and to love with humility.
Today, let us reflect: when we are hurt or betrayed, do we choose retaliation or love? Can we, like Jesus, wash the feet of those who disappoint us?
As we walk in the joy of the Resurrection, may we follow the example of our Risen Lord, who teaches us that true glory comes through humble love.