Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter
(Acts 13:13-25; John 13:16-20)
In John Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost the great angel Lucifer takes a definitive stand
against the Lord God. “I will not serve,” he says. To emphasize the point, he gives his
reason. It is “better to reign in hell”
he says, “than to serve in heaven.” Then,
after distorting the notion of service, he goes off to bring havoc to the world.
For some, service undermines the exalted idea they have of themselves. It shows them that they are not the force
that sets the universe in motion but a small cog in the order of things. Yet Jesus served -- very visibly the night he
took off his tunic to wash the feet of his disciples. Service then does not demean our stature;
quite the contrary, it conforms us to the Lord.
When we serve faithfully and well, we show ourselves worthy of a place
in God’s house, a seat at His table.
The reference to Judas in the gospel reading today points to
a man who, like Lucifer, refuses to serve.
It is thought – perhaps because he was the treasurer of the community --
that Judas rivaled Peter as head disciple.
In the reading Jesus implies that Judas’ difficulty is that he cannot
see himself taking off his tunic, much less give his life, in faithful
service. Thus, he too takes a definitive
stand against the Lord.
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