The Paschal Mystery of the Lamb of God

[Prayer-Soldier]

The Paschal Mystery of the Lamb of God

Scripture:

And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: This month shall be to you the beginning of months; it shall be the first in the months of the year. Speak to the whole assembly of the children of Israel, and say to them: On the tenth day of this month let every man take a lamb by their families and houses. But if the number be less than may suffice to eat the lamb, he shall take unto him his neighbor that joins to his house, according to the number of souls which may be enough to eat the lamb. And it shall be a lamb without blemish, a male, of one year; according to which rite also you shall take a kid. And you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; and the whole multitude of the children of Israel shall sacrifice it in the evening. And they shall take of the blood thereof, and put it upon both the side posts, and on the upper door posts of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh that night roasted at the fire, and unleavened bread with wild lettuce.

And thus you shall eat it: you shall gird your reins, and you shall have shoes on your feet, holding staves in your hands, and you shall eat in haste; for it is the Phase (that is the Passage) of the Lord. And I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and will kill every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast: and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments; I am the Lord. And the blood shall be unto you for a sign in the houses where you shall be; and I shall see the blood, and shall pass over you; and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I shall strike the land of Egypt. And this day shall be for a memorial to you; and you shall keep it a feast to the Lord in your generations, with an everlasting observance. (Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14)

For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread, And giving thanks, broke and said: Take and eat: This is my body, which shall be delivered for you. Do this for the commemoration of me. In like manner also the chalice, after he had supped, saying: This chalice is the new testament in my blood. Do this, as often as you shall drink, for the commemoration of me. For as often as you shall eat this bread and drink the chalice, you shall show the death of the Lord, until he come. (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

Before the festival day of the Passover, Jesus knowing that his hour was come, that he should pass out of this world to the Father: having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them unto the end. And when supper was done (the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray him), knowing that the Father had given him all things into his hands and that he came from God and goes to God. He rises from supper and lays aside his garments and, having taken a towel, girded himself. After that, he puts water into a basin and began to wash the feet of the disciples and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.

He comes therefore to Simon Peter. And Peter said to him: Lord, do you wash my feet? Jesus answered and said to him: What I do, you know not now; but you shall know hereafter. Peter said to him: you shall never wash my feet. Jesus answered him: If I wash you not, you shall have no part with me. Simon Peter said to him: Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head. Jesus said to him: He that is washed needs not but to wash his feet, but is clean wholly. And you are clean, but not all. For he knew who he was that would betray him; therefore he said: You are not all clean. Then after he had washed their feet and taken his garments, being set down again, he said to them: Know you what I have done to you? You call me Master and Lord. And you say well: for so I am. If then I being your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; you also ought to wash the feet of one another. For I have given you an example, that as I have done to you, so you do also. (John 13:1-15)

Reflection:

The chosen children of His creation were told to take the blood of the lamb and put it upon the side posts and upper door posts of the entrances to their homes so that they would be saved from the death which would come. As the blood of the lamb saved the chosen children of His creation, so too would the blood of the Lamb of God be spread upon the wood to save all who believe in Him.

The Word made flesh said He would be the cause of divisions within families and communities. Many would not understand this warning was not His true desire, rather, His desire is that all would be united through Him, but He knew the stiff necked and those deceived by the ways of evil would choose a different path. The Son of God admonished those who knew the letter of the law but did not understand the Holy Spirit of the law. As they attempted to test Him, He revealed to them the true desire of God, the desire upon which all the law and all prophesy depends; the desire that the children of His creation are called to love Him and one another.

Those who walked closest to Him were taught by Him. They called Him teacher and master. From this position of authority, He gave them an example to follow, that of the servant leader. He lived as an example of the commandments of love, for if all would serve God and one another, evil would have no hold upon the land. Those consumed by evil would be revealed through the deceptions and ways of the world to which they are seduced; deceptions craftily designed by the evil one to divide and lure the faithful away from the Spirit of the law; for if they were lured away from the Spirit of the law, they would be lured away from the Word, the way and the truth.

Through the generations, the faithful celebrate and reflect upon the Paschal mystery of the Lamb of God. It is the mystery whereby through the suffering, death, resurrection from the dead and glorious Ascension of the Son; He died to destroy our death and through His rising He restored our life. Through the blood of the lamb the tribes of Israel were saved; through the blood of the Lamb of God, all who believe in Him are saved.

He taught us the way to demonstrate our belief in Him. He taught us that if we are to truly understand and follow the Word, we must seek to serve God and to serve one another. It is through this service we demonstrate our understanding of the commandments of love. He gave us the example of the master serving those who follow Him. He became our Paschal food and then through His Passion and Resurrection, He gave us the opportunity of eternal life through our belief in Him.

If we are to truly understand and believe His Word, then, we should seek to live as He asked us to live, through love of one another as He loves us. If we live according to the commandments to love, we will seek to do the will of God and to serve and care for those around us. If we are consumed only with the matters of self, there is but one person to care for us; but if we are concerned with service to others, then, what we give will be returned to us many fold as others, too, seek to follow His example. If we are seduced by evil and we fall to the temptations to do evil to others, then, evil too shall be returned to us many fold.

If we live in love of Him and one another, then, our belief in Him will be revealed through what we offer through our hands. If what we do harms another, then, we do not follow Him. If what we do seeks to divide one from another rather than to unite all through the commandments of love, then, we do not follow Him. If what we do is only to follow the letter of the law and we do not seek to understand and follow the Holy Spirit, we do not follow Him.

In prayer, we should meditate upon the Paschal mystery before us as to what was done for us and why it had to be as prophesied. In prayer, we should offer thanks and praise for the forgiveness and salvation offered to us. In prayer, we should ask for guidance as to how we might lead our lives to follow the example set for us. In prayer, we should ask for the wisdom, strength and courage to be followers of God. In prayer, we should pray that we are guided, not to seek recriminations and divisions amongst ourselves, but to seek unity and peace within our day which can only be found through following the ways of love and service for one another taught by our Lord and Savior.

May the peace and blessings of the Lord be with you always,
Prayer Soldier