HOLY THURSDAY
This day marks the start of the Triduum – the three-day journey as we transition from the 40 days of Lent to Easter Sunday. On Holy Thursday we read about Jesus at the Passover meal and the washing of the feet of his disciples.
For many years, my family would have a Passover Seder meal and acknowledge aspects of that Jewish tradition. We were trying to understand what Jesus and the disciples might have experienced. What would that Last Supper meal have been like? Is there a way to remember our roots in the Jewish prayers and rituals?
There are lots of resources on the internet – information to help understand the Seder as a Christian and what the Passover means. There are also blogs and information about what it means, with discussions about whether it’s a good idea for Christians. As Roman Catholics, we have the Eucharist, first revealed at the Last Supper. This cannot compare to the symbols of a traditional Passover meal. Yet, I still find value in our version of a Seder, to gather with friends and share a special meal. We usually end up discussing religious history, our faith journeys, and the problems of the world which are important things to talk about. And we might not otherwise ever have such discussions.
The other aspect of Holy Thursday that resonates with me is the foot-washing. As a mother and a nurse, I do have experience washing other people’s feet. When I worked as a community nurse, I provided many wound care assessments and dressing changes, mostly for elderly people.
One Easter weekend, I realized that, with my full work and on-call schedule, there wasn’t going to be time for me to attend Mass or even celebrate with a special meal with my family. I was feeling sad and sorry for myself as I headed to the home of my last client of the day.
When I arrived, I found myself on my knees, cleansing and bandaging the burn wounds on the feet of a busy young mother. Instead of feeling tired and burdened by the task at hand, I could hardly contain my joy at doing what I needed to do. I felt blessed to be doing this work, following Jesus’ example, literally!
I still reflect on that experience – I would see many clients needing foot care but, on that day, that special holy weekend, there came to me a different meaning to the work I was doing. I was providing care and service to this young mother, who got burned while preparing a meal, caring and serving her little ones.
As I began to write this blog I was preparing a eulogy for my younger sister, Annette, who died in February. I worked closely with my siblings to put together an online event for family and friends. This past weekend, I was able to be with three of my siblings for the event, as the others live much farther apart. Even if we all couldn’t be physically present to each other, we were able to show our love and care to each other in that virtual space and to honour Annette’s life.
Last night, I had a dream that Annette was heading off to university and somehow, as only dreams can reveal, I was able to be there with her, helping her. She and I had lots of fun memories growing up and, as adults, I did help her on many occasions (other than starting university), mostly just by being a listening ear, and doing what I could to love her through her grief and many health challenges.
John’s gospel tells us how Jesus demonstrated love and service for us. Jesus modeled a different way of doing things and then left us the mandate to wash one another’s feet. I am grateful for Jesus’ model of living love and for the Holy Spirit to empower me when I am unable to do any “foot-washing” or caregiving on my own.
Prayer
Lamb of God, help me to continually learn from your example of love and sacrifice so I may spread your blessings here on earth one footstep at a time, one day at a time. Amen.
Jeanne Lambert combines her experiences as a parish and community nurse and her music ministry, and she continues to find ways to include music in pastoral care and community hospice work. Jeanne has many diverse writings and presentations to her credit on family life, grief, wholistic health care and spiritual reflection.
