Listen to His Word (lectio/read):
Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?"
He said, "Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, 'The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.'" And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.
When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve. And as they were eating, he said, "Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me." And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, "Is it I, Lord?"
He answered,"He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born." Judas, who would betray him, answered, "Is it I, Rabbi?" He said to him, "You have said so."
Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is my body."
And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, "Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom."
And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Linger (meditatio)..silently meditate on His Word:
(Join children in closing eyes and envisioning the passage, re-read again... again...linger. Don't rush on.)
Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is my body."
And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, "Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Lift up voice in prayer, responding to His Word (oratio):
Father, we, like Judas, have dipped hands with You, ate from Your table... and have betrayed You. You know. And yet You still invite us to the Passover Table, the place of our deliverance from bondage.
You took of the bread, accepting what was to come, and offered it as nourishment.
You gave thanks, though the betrayer sat before You.
You broke bread, Your very body, for the likes of us.
You gave of Yourself, flesh and blood, to those with the courage to follow, to eat and drink at this table.
This Last Supper was the world's most costly feast: You, God incarnate, gave Your flesh as our food, Your blood as our drink.
Father, we give thanks for this food for in it we taste and see that the Lord is good, sins forgiven. In the name of Him on whom we sup.
Live the Word (contemplate it so long that it settles down into heart, hands, feet):
Today, drink from the cup. Whatever God gives today, give thanks for it, and drink it all down. The eucharist, another name for the Lord's Supper, comes from the Greek word that means "thanksgiving."
Today, live the eucharist. Count your blessings; wake up to the feast that He has spread before you. How can we not give thanks?
Take, eat, this is His body given for you.
Print, mount, cut, hang art symbol on Easter Tree
Artist: Leonardo da Vinci
For the rest of the Behold the Lamb series, a heart preparation for Easter
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