By Fr Antony Christy, SDB –
The Word in the Holy Week
Another Passion Week amidst the Pandemic – the Maundy Thursday
April 1, 2021: Exodus 12:1-8,11-14; 1 Corinthians 11: 23-26; John 13: 1-15
This Thursday is central to the Paschal Mystery, for varied reasons: firstly, because today we see happening things that are a foreshadow or a foretaste of what is to come – the body and blood to be given on the Cross is already pre-announced, the passage from death to eternal life that is to be accomplished on the resurrection of Christ is already explained in the passover meal, the very essence of Christ’s life, death and resurrection is summarised in the call to serve each other; secondly, because it is the beginning of the climax of God’s salvation plan, the climax which began in the incarnational event and reaches its peak in the resurrection event. The Maundy Thursday gives us three important messages to ruminate on, even midst the pandemic –
The Meal and the Eucharistic Community. The Lord renders us the Eucharistic Community by giving us a meal to nourish us individually and as a community. The meal, as explained in the book of Exodus, already contains so many Eucharistic elements – the community factor, the salvific factor, the festive factor, and so on! This day makes us Eucharistic Community and that is why so much importance to the Eucharistic Lord – with the meal and the adoration and the vigil. How much of importance do we give to the Eucharist…not making it merely a spectacle to be witnessed, but celebrating it as the personal presence of Christ our Saviour in our lives? How easy gets to limit our rapport with the eucharist, to the transmission media and the social media?
The Memorial and the Ministers of the Lord. The Lord sets up this gathering of the people of God as a memorial of the covenant, specially the everlasting covenant made in the blood of Christ. And to facilitate memory, he creates his own ministers, so close to his heart and leaves them as living memories of his covenant. This is the challenging call that the Lord has given to every person called to ministerial priesthood…that they remain the living memorials of the presence of the Lord amidst God’s people. How grateful are we for the Priests given to us as gifts from the Lord – how much do we pray for them and uphold them in our regular prayers?
The Mandate and the People of God. The people of God are created in the name of God and the defining identity that is given, is the command of love! Love – it was that made us and it was love that saved us and love is the call that makes us truly people of God. “By this they will know that you are my disciples, by the love that you have for each other.” The mandate, from where derives the word Maundy Thursday, is not merely a command to do, but a task that defines our very existence as people of God. How prepared are we to share a love that is modelled after the love the God has for us – the Lord says: love one another, as I have loved you! Do I really believe that love is my call and my identity?
May this day remind us, that we are everyday called to people of the mandate, the mandate of love!
Fr Antony Christy is a Salesian Priest from 2005, who has a Masters in Philosophy (specialisation in Religion) and a Masters in Theology (Specialisation in Catechetics). He is currently pursuing his doctoral research in Theology at Salesian Pontifical University, Rome. Walking with the Young towards a World of Peace and Dialogue is the passion that fires him.