Maundy Thursday…can’t get away

Today is Maundy Thursday.  Maundy, from the latin means Commandment: Commandment Thursday.  What then is the commandment?  What does Jesus tell his disciples to do?

Jesus washes the disciples feet by Grieg Leach
Jesus washes the disciples feet by Grieg Leach

The great commandment of Jesus: Love one another as I have loved you.  Today Jesus gives meat to that prayer.  He bends down as a servant to washes his disciples feet.  In order to do so, he crosses all sorts of cultural boundaries.(I meditated on this last year.)  God bends down and washes humanity’s feet.

Love demands action.  Big action tomorrow on the cross yes, but today as well.  Jesus leaves the disciples with the call to love and the example of humble service.

How do we follow this commandment?  How do we love one another?  How do we bend down to incarnate that love in service?

If you haven’t participated in a Maundy Thursday service, the ritual washing of feet, I encourage you to make this part of your Holy Week this year.  Find a local church and wash someone’s feet…let your feet be washed.  The cross is not the whole story of holy week.

Published by Mike Angell

The Rev. Mike Angell is rector of The Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion in St. Louis.

One thought on “Maundy Thursday…can’t get away

  1. Man I missed going to one of these services this year. I tried to explain it to Rachael, but you’re right, it is a unique point of focus in the Easter week and it should be observed as often as possible.

    Not in Tokyo though, I guess…

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