Sadly, many Christians don't focus much on Holy Week... and I've traditionally been one of them. For many of us, Easter is about Sunday, and the days leading up to it are about preparation, shopping, cooking, travel or just an extra day off work. But, there is a reason why tomorrow is a national holiday... and it's not just because the "actual" holiday falls on a Sunday. No, it's because the celebration of Easter is an event, not just a day!
Thursday, being Christ's final full day on earth, marked these important events:
- Jesus joined the twelve disciples for a Passover meal (often referred to as "The Last Supper"), during which He instituted the observance of what is now known as Communion. Luke 22:14-19
- Jesus took on Himself the role of a slave, and washed the feet of the twelve, then commanded them to follow his example to serve others. John 13:4-17
- Jesus predicted his betrayal during the Passover meal. John 13:21-30
- Jesus prayed, was betrayed by Judas and was arrested, in the Garden of Gethsemane. Luke 22:39-53
In some Christian traditions, today is marked by Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday observances, often involving foot washing and/or Communion. "Maundy" is a bit of a foreign word for me, but it is from the Latin word mandatum, which means mandate or commandment, the significance of which comes from the commandment of Jesus to go and serve others, as he modeled in the washing of the disciple's feet.But, I think perhaps the washing of the feet was more significant than just modeling humility and service. Perhaps the real significance was in the symbolism of the cleansing. Just as the elements of the first Communion were symbols... the broken bread representing the suffering He would endure in His body as it would be broken, and the cup representing His blood that would be shed as the end-all payment for sin... I see the cleansing of the disciple's feet as symbolic of the cleansing from sin that was about to be made possible by His impending death. The commandment, then, was bigger than just acts of service and kindness, or to "serve others as I have served you", but to model the example of Christ in a way that points others to Him and the true cleansing His death offers. That's a big calling for the twelve... and for me?
Easter... it's not just about Sunday!
Between the time we first moved to our new house (and joined our current parish) and Holy Thursday, our parish received a new priest. We were new to the parish and he was new to the parish, and we were in his first "Baptism Class" (expecting #4 of 5) - so we connected early on.
ReplyDeleteHe implemented a tradition that I had never seen before. The priest washing the feet of five parishioners at mass in front of everyone. Uh, guess who he asked?? Yup. Me.
Ugh..
It was the LAST thing I wanted to do, but agreed to it as we were new, he was new, and a little twinge of guilt (or was it a twinge of “obligation”?)