April 1, 2021
/Maundy Thursday
Exodus 12:1-14; Psalm 116:1, 10-17; Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-17, 31b-35
The Rev. Jeffery Bohanski
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Amen
Good evening. Welcome to Maundy Thursday, the first night of the Triduum, or the three days leading into Easter. This evening I find myself compelled to tell you that my husband and I love Maundy Thursday. Maundy Thursday is the highlight of our entire church year! And for me to be standing here talking to you as a priest who was ordained just a month and a half ago makes this night even more special to us.
Victor and I love the pageantry of this evening! There is the foot washing, the Liturgy of the Table, the stripping of the Altar and finally the preparation of the Altar of Repose. Unfortunately, due to Covid restrictions we will not be washing feet nor will we have an altar of Repose this year. But for us, that’s okay. Because their return next year will make next year’s Maundy Thursday even more special. Or perhaps, this year we can wash feet and have our Altar of Repose in a different way this year.
Victor and I also love the name we give this service. Maundy Thursday. You see, we grew up Roman Catholic. Our families are accustomed to calling this evening’s celebration, Holy Thursday. We often find ourselves explaining why we Episcopalians call this evening Maundy Thursday. We tell people:
Maundy Thursday. The word Maundy comes from the Latin word mandatum which is translated as command or perhaps mandate. So I guess one could call this evening Mandate Thursday.
In this evening’s reading we hear God, Paul and Jesus giving mandates.
First, in Exodus we heard God commanding Moses and Aaron how and when Passover is to be celebrated. For Passover is the night when God passed over the Israelites as God struck the land of Egypt with a plague. A plague which struck down every firstborn, human and animal, in the land of Egypt. That night, God saved Israel.
In the Epistle this evening, we heard Paul remind the Corinthians how, on the night before Jesus was betrayed, he took bread, broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you.” Paul goes on to say that after taking the bread, Jesus took the cup and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, do this, as oft as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” Paul is commanding the Corinthians to celebrate Eucharist.
In John’s account of the Last Supper, we heard how Jesus showed his disciples how to be servant leaders. Jesus poured water into a basin and washed the disciples’ feet. When he was complete, Jesus told them he had done this as an example of how they will need to do the same. Jesus added that if they were to lead as he led, they must serve. For it is in serving as Jesus had served that night that people would know that they were his disciples because people would see they love one another.
Victor and I love the pageantry, the meaning of the word Maundy and the readings of the night. But what makes Maundy Thursday the highlight of the church calendar for us is the vigil. It’s the quiet waiting and the praying together that makes Maundy Thursday special for us.
You see, it was on Maundy Thursday, twenty-six years ago, that Victor and I were healed. Yep, we were healed. We believe we experienced a bonified healing miracle. We even have a couple’s counselor confirm that.
That year Victor and I found ourselves at the end of what we call our year from hell. It was during the previous year that Victor’s father and best friend both died within two weeks of each other. Victor’s father died from an unexpected heart attack and his friend died from complications of AIDS. In addition, that year, we knew of 22 other people dying. My Aunt Grace was included in that number.
As one might expect, we found ourselves fighting a lot that year. We disagreed on everything. It got to the point where we were asking ourselves if it would be better off if we separated and went our own ways. Thankfully, Victor had found a relationship counselor for us and I reluctantly agreed to attend the counseling sessions.
Our faith has always been very important to each of us. At the time, Victor and I belonged to Dignity Houston. Dignity is the Roman Catholic counterpart to Integrity. That year I found myself in charge of decorating the community worship space. The space was actually a few rooms in a part of a strip mall on Yale Street. I asked Victor for his help and he agreed. We both decided to set our grievances aside during the Triduum in order to complete our decorating tasks.
After the Maundy Thursday Service, no one in our community felt comfortable leaving the Eucharist in our strip mall chapel. So, Victor and I volunteered to bring the Sacrament into our home and return it for the Good Friday Services the next day.
We set the Sacrament on our fireplace mantel, lit a candle to keep watch and we went to bed. At about 3:00 a.m. we both woke up feeling drawn to the living room. Together we sat in silence for a time. Eventually we began to speak and to listen to each other. As we spoke, we found all the bitterness, all the anger and frustration melt away. We instinctively began using the tools of good communication skills we learned in our counseling sessions. We found a renewed sense of love and peace settle in our home. As time passed, we learned that not all our problems had been erased but we discovered we each had a new strength and peace that made our problems easier to deal with.
A few months later our counselor told us that she felt we no longer needed her services. She told us that when she first met us, she thought we would not make it. She wondered now what had changed. We told her we had brought Jesus back into our home. That was what had changed.
Victor and I often reflect back on those days and we are thankful. Not a Maundy Thursday goes by where we don’t spend some time together in prayer.
As I’ve mentioned earlier, this year we are not going to be washing feet. Perhaps we could demonstrate Jesus’ mandate for serving one another by simply wearing our masks in public. I believe when we wear our masks, we show those around us we care and are concerned for their health. We show we are trying to keep our siblings of God healthy. Thankfully, I’m fully vaccinated but I know I can still carry the COVID-19 virus. I wear my mask in public to keep others safe just in case I am infected and I’m unaware of it.
This evening, I invite you to find a place to have a quiet vigil of your own. I invite you to sit quietly and ask Jesus to come and reside in your heart and home. I invite you to reread these scriptures we heard this evening. I invite us all to ponder the image of Jesus washing his disciples feet. Notice that Judas was still one of the disciples during the foot washing. That evening Jesus demonstrated love and a desire to cleanse everyone, even his betrayer. I invite us this night to ponder who Jesus calls us to love and serve like Jesus served. Served even Judas.