Homilies

My dear catechumens, candidates, and beloved friends, this night is unlike any other. Tonight is the heart of our faith, where everything we have known and hoped for comes together: “Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but he has been raised.”

These words spoken to the women at the tomb ring in our hearts tonight. They capture the extraordinary truth that transforms everything. Jesus Christ, who has always been with us, who existed before the world began and who will remain after all things pass away, has conquered death itself. Christ, our Alpha and Omega, has shattered the darkness of sin and death by rising victorious.

Pilate’s question, “What is truth?” echoes through the centuries because it captures the core of our human struggle. Pilate stands in front of Jesus, a man whose innocence he openly acknowledges, and yet he remains trapped in the familiar patterns of human history—a history of power abused, justice twisted, and truth silenced. His question is not flippant or dismissive. Rather, Pilate voices the deep uncertainty within each of us when faced with a world that appears unchanging in its cycles of selfishness, pride, and violence.

Tonight we witness something unexpected: the Lord, the master, the teacher, kneeling at the feet of his disciples. Amidst the echoes of Passover preparations, amidst talk of betrayal and sacrifice, one action pierces through: Jesus washing feet. It might seem odd that on Holy Thursday, the night we celebrate the instituion of the Eucharist, we are given a Gospel that does not explicitly show the Eucharist at all. Instead, we encounter humility in its purest form.