“Why is this night different”?
In Jewish tradition, asking children this question highlights the annual Jewish seder meal. It leads to a discussion about the turning point in Jewish history – their Exodus or the liberation from slavery.
The question is one of the important ways that parents pass on their awareness and gratitude for the night that changed their world forever. Much of the seder is designed to fulfill the biblical obligation to never lose sight of this story.
Perhaps during Holy Week, we should be asking our children… and ourselves… Why is this Holy Week different from every other week?
For the last few Mindwalks, I have been exploring the dimensions of that question. (Palm Sunday – the Great Misunderstanding. Holy Week – God’s Reset button, )
I invite you to walk with me in continuing my exploration.
Holy Thursday
“Do this in memory of me!”
On the night before he was brutally crucified, Jesus calmly washed the feet of his disciples. This act of a servant was shocking! So much so that Peter at first refused to let Jesus, the Master and Messiah, wash his feet.
John has Jesus asking, “Do you understand what I have done?” Obviously, they did not. So, he spelled it out. “In memory of me,” I want you to wash one another’s feet just as I have washed yours.
Washing one another’s feet transformed the menial act of a servant. It has become the practical sign of love for our neighbor, loving your neighbor as God has loved you.
This was certainly different than what Peter and the others expected as they prepared the feast.
Only with the outpouring of God’s own spirit on Pentecost would they begin to understand how this simple gesture symbolized all his teaching and examples.
Good Friday
But Peter’s shock at Jesus washing his feet was mild in comparison to what took place on Good Friday!
He never imagined Jesus dying on a cross.
In laying down his life on the cross, Jesus acted out God’s love for us. He put a bloody exclamation point on God’s continued and unconditional love for us. “Greater love than this….”
Somewhere in the Middle Ages, we got side-tracked into seeing Jesus’ death as a way of satisfying an angry God, a way of changing God’s mind.
But God’s mind never changes. God continues to love us from the first moment of our self-centeredness. With his dying words, Jesus says love one another as I have loved each of you.
In forgiving his enemies, Jesus was demonstrating to them what they had missed. Jesus showed God’s love, not only for “the good,” but even those on the margins, different from ourselves and even our ENEMIES.
Why is this week different for me?
It is not because Jesus wanted to change God’s mind, but MY mind.
Jesus wants me to change my mind about setting limits on who I will love nurturing the same mindset as Christ Jesus. (Phil 2:5).
I will wrestle with Jesus’ question to me, “Do you understand what I have done?” I will look at the cross, not as a symbol of Jesus trying to change God’s mind.
I will look at it as Jesus’ plea for me to change my mind. This week challenges me to think about the limitations I put on who I will love.
God’s mind is to love each of my brothers and sisters the way God loves.
I will look forward to rising to new awareness of life and the outpouring of God’s spirit of love on Pentecost.
Does this make sense to you?
Click below for an early version of this Vincentian Mindwalk
Holy Week reflections 2022
If I may be permitted a diversion regarding the Holy Thursday foot washing ritual. On two occasions, I have been on the receiving end of this “service” and those who were with me felt the same: it’s more demeaning to the one served than to the one serving. I can relate to Peter’s reluctance.
It occurred to me that this ritual probably served a different purpose than what I first imagined. Jesus wasn’t preparing them for their meal (we’ll get back to that in a minute), he was preparing them to retire for the evening. There’s less need for clean feet while eating, but there’s certainly great cause not to drag all the dirt of the day into the place where you sleep. So, there was likely some tension about what exactly are we getting ready for? Confusion is also added to what should have been a rather familiar, “why is this night different?” when there’s talk of a betrayer – one sitting at the table – where we all were made ready for bed (even though we would be going out later to the Garden).
Someone (likely a group of women), got the room ready for the meal, prepared the food and drink, and made sure everything was according to Hoyle (to modernize the Scriptures a little). They performed a seemingly invisible function to the Gospel writers. Perhaps, those of us who were committed to a life of service to the Church can relate better to their role than to what Jesus had done.
In attempting to put all those elements together, I realized that a very similar experience awaits me and my family. A friend has decided to visit, take over our kitchen, and prepare a meal that SHE likes (one we politely consumed at her home years ago). She seems to be alone in considering it one of “our” favorites. It will seem demeaning to have someone cook food for us, especially in our own kitchen, and then expect our gracious appreciation for what she has done. Once again, we will have to make sure everything else is ready for the event and then she’ll swoop in and do something designed to make her feel good.
I expect a question similar to what was on the minds of the Apostles, “what are we being prepared for?” They were being prepared for hat ultimate “retiring” that Jesus would experience the next day. Perhaps, after reflection later, I’ll better appreciate what will have happened.
I would like to see the foot washing ritual replaced with something more modern, which has the two elements that the Gospel story has: (1) providing an unexpected (and unappreciated) service, and (2) doing so while invading their personal space. You know what I mean, “Let me clean out your glove compartment for you,” or “Let me have a look at your phone to get rid of the junk you don’t need.” Those are ridiculous examples, but at Church something as simple as “Let me put this apron on you” would capture the notion of being prepared for something we’re not accustomed to, especially if it were accompanied by “How about spending some time in the kitchen today?”
Holy Week is never just an “ordinary” week.
These reflections were very important to me because I am caught between “forgive them for they do not know what they are doing” and “wash each other’s feet”.
Having seen what happens when a young movement in our beloved R.C. Church makes colossal errors to the point to push some people even to take their own life, I have been asking God to help me do both things at the same time. Difficult but not impossible. For once, I know how I can make also lots of errors, therefore, the forgiveness came to me easier than washing each other’s feet.
When my conscience told me to leave such movement, I did so. I was told to not open my mouth in Rome (evidently with the Vatican, among others) since no one would have believed me. They would have only believed the “movement”.
My conscience told me to try to bring the situation of that young movement (which up to recently had been enjoying the praise from the high religious authorities around the world) to the attention of the Church, especially for the good and safety of many vulnerable members of such movement. I would like to consider this action as “washing each other’s feet”.
Inside of me, I feel no hate, no harsh judgement. I am convinced, instead, that this very movement started from a very good idea: living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, along the years, “another gospel” started circulating from the person who founded this movement down to all its members. The coexistence of two diametrically opposed gospels brought not a few (even among the leaders) to become mentally sick and/or confused to the point of losing their abilities of seeing what was happening.
To whomever reads this reflection, I am just asking to pray for everyone who needs strength, courage, and determination to do what Jesus asked us to do: wash each other’s feet as well as to ask God to give us all that Charity which makes me and others forgive this movement for they really do not know what they are doing.