Thursday March 27th – Maundy Thursday
The Thursday of Holy Week is traditionally referred to as Maundy Thursday and is a significant day in the annual Christian calendar.
On the Thursday before Easter Weekend, Jesus shared his last meal with his disciples. This is often referred to as 'The Last Supper'. At the Last Supper, Jesus shared bread and wine with his followers, explaining that they symbolise his body and blood which will soon be broken and shed. This is the origin of the Christian ritual of 'Holy Communion' where Christians eat bread and drink wine to remember and honour Jesus’ sacrifice.
It’s also at the Last Supper where Jesus washes his disciples’ feet – modelling true humility and servant leadership. Later on Maundy Thursday, Jesus is betrayed by one of his disciples and arrested by Roman soldiers. One of the disciples draws his sword and attacks the Romans. Jesus rebukes the disciple and heals the soldier – demonstrating to his followers that they should always choose non-violence over armed resistance.
This year, Maundy Thursday is also the last week of the school term, so there’s initially little opportunity for reflection in our house! We have an Easter Egg Hunt and Egg Rolling competition at school, and we just about find time to share Communion as a family in the evening. Every weekday during Holy Week our Church has a meditation service. These services are normally spent in reflective silence, and the Thursday meditation is especially poignant. I never normally get an opportunity to spend an hour in silence, but I spend it just staring at the cross and reflecting on the sacrifice that Jesus made.
