Maundy Thursday (2011)

With just over one third of his Gospel to go

John moves from meditating on the signs,

the pointers,

about who Jesus is

to the events that reveal him fully.

He says:

now he showed how perfect his love was

This full disclosure takes place in these three days,

starting with Jesus’ last meal with his disciples.

John writes for a mature, reflecting, praying Christian community.

He sees no need to describe the main novelty of the meal,

the taking, blessing and sharing

bread and wine –

with the words:

this is my body,

this is my blood,

eat, drink.

For, like us,

John’s community celebrated this memorial each Sunday,

and John has already reflected on all this in Chapter 6 of his gospel.

Instead,

he recounts the washing of the disciples feet at the start of the meal.

Like Jesus’ action with the bread and wine later in the meal,

this action prefigures Jesus’ offering of himself tomorrow.

He laid down his outer garment, to wash his disciples,

he will lay down his life, as a prayer for our forgiveness –

and later, in a resurrection moment,

When he had washed their feet he took up his clothes again

Peter objects to this rite

and Jesus says:

‘If I do not wash you, you can have nothing in common with me.’

A clear parallel to the words in Chapter 6

If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man

and drink of his blood

you will not have life in you (Jn 6:53)

‘If I do not wash you, you can have nothing in common with me.’

This is not meant to be taken too literally,

the dialogue with Peter makes clear,

this isn’t really about washing.

Rather, to really know Jesus,

we must know His offering was for us,

and then follow his example.

Our participation is to be two-fold:

we must let ourselves be washed;

we must abandon notions of self-sufficiency and pride

accepting the ministry of others,

and this isn’t just ‘churchy’ ministry –

but needed help and support of any kind,

physical, financial, emotional, spiritual....

And we must wash others,

we must be ready to lay aside our outer garment,

lay aside our life,

to serve others.

Although it is not one of our sacraments,

the rite of washing of the feet,

which we celebrate shortly,

is a graced sign of joining ourselves to Jesus’ offering.

Jesus is quite clear:

we must be washed by him

we must be fed by him

we must be given his cup by him

Later in today’s Mass,

several new ministers of Holy Communion will be commissioned.

They will assist with distribution of communion.

It is because we have ministers that we are able to offer holy communion in the fullness of the sign,

to offer the chalice,

to the whole congregation.

Paul says we

‘eat this bread and drink this cup’

‘to proclaim the Lord’s death’.

I do encourage you, at this Mass in particular,

to join in the fullness of the sign that is offered.

Only priests when saying Mass minister Holy Communion to themselves,

Otherwise, we do not take communion,

we are given communion,

we receive from a minister.

This is true also of the ministers,

who are first given communion

before they give communion.

This much more than simply a practical arrangement

it is a ritual expression

that first we receive, then we give,

that Jesus comes to us, then we take Jesus to others.

In Mass, Jesus himself is our servant,

he serves us,

then we go from Mass to be servants in the world.