Meditations for Holy Week: Maundy Thursday
| Thur Apr 6 |
am: 102 pm: 142, 143 |
Jer 20:7-11 | 1 Cor 10:14-17, 11:27-32 | John 17 |
MAUNDY THURSDAY
LITURGICAL THEME FOR THE DAY: On Holy Thursday, we reenact the Lord’s Last Supper, which He shared with His apostles on the night He was betrayed and arrested. This is one of the most beautiful liturgies of the entire liturgical year. At the Mass, the priest will wash the feet of twelve men, just as Jesus did. Also on this night, priests all over the world will renew their sacred vows. This is because, at the Last Supper, Jesus not only instituted the Mass (Eucharist) but also the ministerial priesthood. The word maundy comes from the Latin word mandatum (commandment) which is the first word of the Gospel acclamation “I give you a new commandment: Love one another as I have loved you.” (John 13:34) and so these are the words spoken by our Lord to His apostles at the Last Supper, after he completed the washing of the feet.
At the supper that was lovingly prepared for our Lord, probably by his Mother and the other women who followed him and, as the Gospels say, cared for his needs, he rose from the meal, took a basin and a towel, and began to wash his disciples’ feet. This seems to have caused some consternation among the apostles. Washing the feet of guests seems to be the work of a servant, perhaps even a slave. This is a profound example to follow!
MEDITATION OF THE DAY: We should imitate Christ’s humility in the washing of the feet. This ritual carried out in churches throughout Christendom and speaks volumes about what it means to truly follow Jesus. We are humbled by Jesus’ willingness to do such a personal and menial task. The model of love and willingness to sacrifice for others are so strongly portrayed in the simple act of washing feet. With that act, Jesus put his faith in the apostles, and through the ages, to each of us. We do not always understand, but we can follow Jesus’ example and model of humility and sacrifice. This sacrifice is than set forth for all time in memoriam when Jesus gives the gift of himself on the offering of the Passover feast in the bread and the wine.
One cannot help but notice that these passages record Jesus’ longest recorded prayer. It is found in John just before Jesus’ arrest. In it, Jesus asks the Father to protect his followers. It is interesting to note that Jesus asks to be glorified but His trial and crucifixion were to be far from glorious. The prayer of Jesus tells us three things about the disciples: They accepted the Jesus’ teachings, they knew with certainty that Jesus was divine, and they believed that Jesus was sent from the Father. Not a bad summary of our faith to this day!
PRAYER OF THE DAY: Almighty Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood: Mercifully grant that we may receive it thankfully in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord, who in these holy mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
Holy Week Discipline – Imagine what it would feel like if your loved one was taken to prison without due cause. Imagine how the apostle’s felt as Jesus was carried away. Maundy Thursday. Read John 13:1-17, 31b-35. Perhaps washing the feet of someone with whom you are called to be more intimate with.
ANCIENT WORDS/PRESENT GRACE: “It is to those who have the most need of us that we ought to show our love more especially. –St. Francis de Sales
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