St Paul has passed on to us the tradition of what Jesus said and did at His last supper, in taking and blessing bread and wine and making them the sign and memorial of His body and blood sacrificed for us. Three of the gospels recount the same scene and actions. But St John's gospel account of the supper focuses on something quite different that Jesus said and did. Or is it so different ? In washing His disciples feet, Jesus gave an example of service and said that they should do the same kind of thing.

We are to copy Jesus in doing service for each other: faith and the practice of religion is certainly not a "private" thing, as many people like to claim. But the greatest service that Jesus did was in giving His life for the world's salvation. As He told His disciples earlier, "Greater love than this no one has than to lay down their life for their friends" (John 15:13). In giving His flesh and blood at His last supper, He did the ultimate service and told us to keep on doing as He did in His memory and to proclaim His death. As we celebrate this evening's liturgy, let us pray to the Lord to give us a deeper appreciation of our daily or weekly Eucharist together, and make us more conscious of how intimately connected are our service to others, and our worthily taking part in the Eucharist of the Lord's supper.