Every Day is Maundy Thursday

Beginning Thursday, we follow the story of Jesus’s final three days in Jerusalem and his destiny, and our destiny, with the cross. The story of these three days, which we call the Triduum, begins in the upper room with Jesus breaking bread with his disciples and continues into Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and the Great Vigil of Easter. 

The importance of the movement of these three days, what it meant for Jesus, the disciples and for us, cannot be understated. Each day and night offer opportunities for reflection on the meaning of it all as the drama that leads us into the Paschal Mystery unfolds within each of us. 

The readings are steeped in history, tradition and symbolism. They are tied to the institution of the first Passover meal found in the book of Exodus, they offer us an example of what love looks like in humble service to others. These stories offer us a sounding for who we are as Christians and who we should be as followers of Jesus.

Imagine for a moment what it was like that night with Jesus is with his friends gathered around the table. The anticipation of the Passover is in the air. There is talk of the real nature of love. And even though betrayal rushes out the door to do its bidding, a sense of peace and quiet stillness pervades the atmosphere and surely there is an awareness of the sacredness of it all.

Imagine his loving glance passing over each face. Let his eyes meet yours. What must he be thinking? For the past three years he has been teaching and guiding us to this moment. Maybe he was thinking that the only thing left to do was to demonstrate for us in a very personal and real way all that he had been teaching along the way. 

Saint Francis once said that we should preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary, use words. The demonstration of the greatest among us taking on the role of a humble servant that Jesus offers us is a perfect example of the profound nature of Saint Francis’ words. He didn’t say a word. He just got up, put on a towel, went to his knees, and washed feet…in silence.

The wetness of the water, the gentle touch of love in response to the shy offering of ourselves, the caring way he softly dries our feet, all are the quiet language of love offered in humility. We feel cleansed and loved in a way like never before. We now know something about ourselves and about God in a way that we can’t quite explain.

And then Jesus asks a question: “Do you know what I have done for you?”  He may have known the answer, and he may have also known that we would never understand the full import of what just happened until we ourselves follow his example and give ourselves in love and humility to one another. It’s a lesson that can only be understood through living it. So that is exactly what he tells us to do, to follow his example and do as he has done.

We live in a world that is in great need of a demonstration of loving service and humility, and we are the ones who can offer to the world the example set before us by Jesus. That is why Maundy Thursday is so important. We get some clear instruction about how to live and serve as Jesus lived and served. We get to feel what Jesus knew – that loving our souls through washing our feet we learn a truth about ourselves, about our neighbor, about God and about a love that can only be fully understood through living it.

We don’t have to go far to meet opportunities to bring our own healing touch into the world. The suffering and longing of our collective humanity is all around us. Surely foot washing opportunities are in our jails, hospitals and soup kitchens, but they can also be found in simple moments of our everyday life. Opportunities to wash the feet of our brothers and sisters with love are at every turn if we just look for them. Keep watch around you. Look closer into the eyes of those you encounter, and you will see it. The longing for connection. The need for a gentle word, a healing touch.

And sometimes we will see our own longing reflected in the eyes of another. We too need the touch of love. It is one thing to bend down in humility and wash the foot another. It is another to move beyond our own vulnerability and offer our own feet – to offer our heart – to the touch of love. But it is this very act of the holy exchange of gentle, loving touch that can heal us all – in fact, heal the world, one foot at a time, one heart at a time.

When we come forward for the washing of our collective feet, it’s not just a practice, we are living the love that Jesus demonstrated for us and asked us to continue every day of our lives to every corner of our lives in the world. Jesus is asking us also to extend Maundy Thursday well beyond this day. We should be washing the feet of the world every single day of our lives, because every day is a Maundy Thursday.

 Brother Dennis