A night reflection for Maundy Thursday
If I were arrested and held this night, what would I be found guilty of?
Line*, a displaced Lebanese woman, prepares and serves coffee in a camp in northern Lebanon.
“Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father; having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.”
In England and Wales, we commonly call this Thursday of Holy Week, Maundy Thursday from the Latin mandatum, ‘mandate’ or ‘command’; referring to the ‘new commandment’ that Jesus gives his disciples on the eve of his death: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” (Jn 13:34)
Here at Jesus’ final meal, in the breaking of the bread and the washing of feet, we see what that love looks like. Gathering us around his table, to share the meal that sustains us, Jesus gives us the gift of himself. Humbly bending to take a towel and a water basin and wash the dust from the feet of his friends, Jesus shows how we are to live as God’s people in this world.
This is a new command. Love by being available to one another. Love by tangible acts of welcome and compassion. Love by serving, rather than seeking status or recognition.
As we allow Jesus to wash us, feed us and show us how to live, let’s pray that we may learn to give our lives in loving service to others. May we never stop seeking a world where all are invited to the table of life.
Prayer
Merciful God, call us to your table and wash us clean, so we may open our hearts in compassion and care for the whole human family. Amen.
Act
Spend some time in quiet contemplation with our night reflection for Holy Thursday.