How have I offered myself in humble service to others?
We have spent the past 40 days of Lent renewing and reinvigorating our faith in preparation for Easter. The sacrifices and penances we have made have softened our hearts to be ready to enter the Easter Triduum — Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil — in which we commemorate the passion, crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Easter Triduum allows us to walk in Jesus’s footsteps during His final hours on earth.
Holy Thursday is an important and profound day of celebration in the Church. This day marks the end of Lent and beginning of the Easter Triduum, the three holiest days in the Catholic Church. This day is a pivotal day in the life of Jesus as it marks the institution of the Holy Eucharist and the institution of the priesthood, and also the new commandment that Jesus gave us to “love one another.”
But how do I love my neighbor? I’m learning that I must first love God. It is only with my eyes fixed on God I learn how to love. Not as the world loves but in a divine love that bears good fruit. A love filled with mercy and compassion. A love that walks alongside others in their journey and trying to understand what it is like to walk in their shoes. This is how I assure others of Your presence and love, bringing my neighbor to know their belovedness. This act of holy listening draws me closer to You in service. I must give away what I have received, the knowing of my own belovedness. And the times when I hear the whisper of God’s voice, the one with whom I am well pleased. This is the spiritual journey where we can rest and the “Camino” we walk daily for refreshment and renewal. These moments are a break from our daily routine in order to have the mountain top experience of knowing God’s presence which is there to sustain us for the rest of our journey until we see this in a powerful way again.
Being present and listening is a humble service to others.
Lord, thank you for the gift of knowing You and myself well enough to surrender and get out of the way. Help me always ask to know your will and how I can be the best version of myself according to You. Authentically Yours.
Smitten With Goodness 