March 28, 2024 ~ Maundy/Holy Thursday
The
Book of Exodus 12:1-14
The
Gospel of John 13:1-7, 31b-35
For
the Passover, God, through Moses and Aaron, promised protection to all whose
homes displayed the blood of a sacrificed lamb and proclaimed it a day of
remembrance forever. It is celebrated this year before sundown on April 22 and
ends after nightfall on April 30. It is a Festival of Liberation remembering
the Jews’ Exodus from slavery in Egypt.
On this Thursday, Jesus
knew his earthly life was coming to an end. In his final Passover supper with
the Disciples, he gave them ~ and us ~ the mystery of the sacrament of His Body
and Blood ~ the Eucharist [U-ka-rist]~ as a
New Covenant with God, a perpetual remembrance of Him for the redemption of us
all. On this night, Jesus surprised his Disciples by washing their feet, as a
servant would do, to show them humility. And on this night, he told them that
Judas would betray him, and, that Peter would deny him 3 times.
The phrase “Last Supper” never appears in the
Christian/New Testament as for Jesus and his followers, this was Passover,
which occasionally occurs at the same time as Christian Holy Week/Easter,
though not this year. The name for this day in our time varies with Christian
worship traditions: Holy Thursday, Great and Holy Thursday, or even Thursday of
Mysteries. The Anglican/Episcopal tradition calls it Maundy Thursday which
some say comes from the Latin mendicare for beg or, from mandatum for
mandate or command. Maundy Money is a silver coin distributed
by/for a reigning British monarch as a symbolic gesture to elderly pensioners
on this day.
We now enter the
solemn Easter Triduum [trid-oo-um], a
period of three days, that in its fullest extent, begins with a
Liturgy tonight after sundown, reaches its high point in the Easter Vigil on
Saturday night or a sunrise service on Easter Day, and concludes with Evening
Prayer on Easter night. Counting from sundown to sundown: Thursday
to Friday is 1 day, Friday to Saturday is 2, and Saturday to Sunday is the 3rd
day.
However your Christian denominational
Tradition names it, on this night, Jesus said, I give you a new
commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also
should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples
if you have love for one another [John 13:34-35].
Jesus, Lamb of God,
Tonight, we remember You in the Garden of Gethsemane with the
disciples who could not stay awake with You for even one hour. In
ordinary human existence it isn’t that hard to imagine escaping into sleep as
someone else is praying for something you don't quite understand. Would I
have had the prayer words I'd need? Do I have them now? How much time
am I willing to give on this night, and in any day or night, to remember You in
moments of joy, or in everyday life trying to pay bills, grocery shopping, or
just filling the car with gas?
Lord Jesus, my Savior, thank You for who You were in Your human
time and for who You are in our time. Help me to be a better reflection
of Your love and humility in this world so that I may be known as a
disciple, as a true Christian.
And, Lord Christ, today I’ll give up blasting
through life unconsciously and pay attention to all the people and all the
activities of everyday life that I usually overlook as unimportant or even
annoying. I’ll take on learning to love others
every day close in and at a distance ~ family, friends, and strangers alike ~
and especially all those with whom I disagree. I’ll pray
to be mindful of my thoughts, certain of my (um) spoken
and unspoken language (!), and especially how what
I think, say, and do, expresses or diminishes how I want to love You in,
with, and for my time in this life. amen.
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