Following the Master

 John 13: 16-20

¹⁶ Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Jesus Predicts His Betrayal

¹⁸ “I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: ‘He who shared my bread has turned against me.’

¹⁹ “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am. ²⁰ Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”

As we celebrate the Memorial of St. Catherine of Siena, we  return to the Last Supper.  Jesus has just washed the feet of his disciples, having given them a prime example of servant leadership. He warns them of his  upcoming betrayal in order to strengthen their faith before the torturous ordeal of his betrayal and death take place, and as we know, sets the stage for their own future sufferings and martyrdom.

While we may not be called to walk such a dramatic path, but there are "little martyrdoms" daily that purify us, draw us closer to Jesus and deepen our understanding of what he went through for us and what we are called to do for others.  It is not an easy path; we would opt out of it if we could, but following in the footsteps of Jesus, even the painful footsteps, is the least we can do for him who did so much for us. "No servant is greater than his master." (Jn 13:16) St. Catherine learned this lesson well and serves as an example for us.

Bro. Rene