Room of Last Supper, Jerusalem
John 13:16-20
Along with all my credit cards and cash and ID’s that I have stuffed into my wallet, I also carry with me a little note that Jaime wrote me way back when she was in high school. As I unfold it today, it begins to fall apart at the creases and so I tape it back together to keep it intact. It’s a simple note from a daughter to a dad but, for me, it is priceless, worth more than any expensive birthday present or gift! And I wouldn’t trade it or be parted from it (her) for all the coffee in Brazil (new simile).
I think we forget that sometimes! It’s the simple gestures, the simple words of comfort and love that mean the world to us! Why else do we continue to display a child’s drawing on our fridge long after they have grown up? Why else do we hang on to birthday cards decades later? Simple words and gestures that carry a lifetime of meaning and emotion!
There is a lot going on in today’s Gospel. Jesus has just shared His Body and Blood with the Apostles. He has just washed their feet! He reminds them that no servant is greater than the master And then He reveals that Judas will betray Him with the words “The one who ate my food has raised his heel against me.”
There is so much happening that we can easily miss what could be the most important part of this Gospel passage. Two simple words! I AM! It is a phrase that takes us back to Moses and the burning bush. God identifies Himself as YAHWEH – I Am Who I Am! Jesus is reminding his Apostles that, no matter what happens (betrayal, doubt, even death) He is the eternal and divine Son of God. And He brings them the hope of resurrection and eternal life.
I AM! Simple words! But they are at the heart of our faith and offer us the promise of eternal life with our Savior.