Homily Text: Canon Pat Browne on Holy Thursday

The Last Supper - Fritz von Uhde

Nothing sums up better the hospitality of God than the Last Supper - His unconditional welcome to all of us.

Years ago a friend invited me home to his parents' house. On the way up to the front door, I didn't know it, but I stepped in something. I innocently entered the house and took some steps across the carpeted hallway where his mother was waiting to greet me, a beaming smile on her face.

Suddenly everything changed. She spotted what I had carried in on my shoes and the marks on the carpet and she went into one.

"Oh my God, stop him. Stop him. How am I ever going to get that out of the carpet, and so on. She was berserk. I had never felt so unwelcome anywhere in my life. I didn't know where to put myself. I felt uncomfortable for the rest of the evening and could not wait to leave. I think the next time I went back there was when she died - for her funeral.

In contrast we arrive tonight to Gods house. We are all of us carrying in to his house something or things that make us unclean and are unworthy. But what do we find? God on his knees offering to washing our feet.

Washing away our dirt. Much more than dog poo. This is the dirt of sin that clings too easily to us. Jesus our God not only welcomes us but bends down to make us clean. He wants us in his life unclean though we may be. I no longer call you servants but friends.

No one arrives at Mass clean. I think we have made too much of this thing called a state of grace, saying in the past that if we're not in such a state we cannot approach the Lord in the Eucharist. What we forget is, that it is the very act of coming, wanting to be clean, wanting to change our wrong behaviour - that is the cleansing moment. Jesus does this for us when we get here, just as he did for Zaccheus. He ate with Zaccheus first -while he was still in his unclean state. But it was Jesus doing so that empowered Zaccheus to change. As St Paul put it God demonstrates his love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. You see it is not just Confession - but the Eucharist also, which is a Sacrament of forgiveness. You don't eat with someone whom you haven't forgiven. That Jesus eats with is the s9gn in itself that he has already forgiven us.

Kindness changes hearts.

When are you ever going to be ready, to be worthy to receive the Lord in Holy Communion? Never is the answer.

So we must stop playing games with God, deciding on whether we are worthy or not and instead get on our knees and hand over control to the Lord. This is what the prayer before communion really means. Lord I am not worthy to receive you under my roof...but...wait for it....YOU only say the word and my soul will be healed.

Peter tried to control the situation when Jesus went to him....Lord you will never wash my feet. But when he realised what Jesus wanted to do for him he quickly changed his tune.....Lord not only my feet but my......

Let's you and me follow his example - go on our knees and humbly accept that the Lord wants to do the same for us.

I arrived at my friend's house with dirt on my feet and was made to feel unwelcome. I arrive at God's house unclean in a far more sinister and damaging way but here I am embraced and welcomed as a long lost friend who has come back.

Thanks be to God

Canon Pat Browne is Parish Priest at Holy Apostles, Pimlico, central London, and Roman Catholic Duty Priest at the Houses of Parliament.