The Holy Triduum. It is full of symbolism, traditions, and memories.
The first memory is compassion. Whatever our concepts of God, today we see the real thing. God in the form of Jesus kneels down before humanity and washes the feet of his own disciples. What could tell us more about Divinity than that? God kneeling, offering to wash that which suffers most from the journey, our feet. It's as if Divinity is saying, I know you will feel the weariness of your journey, but I am here to soothe that pain and and take away that tiredness. Is that not a God we can be close to?
For me, Holy Thursday has many personal memories, memories of my many years in the monastery. No day was like this day. It was as though we stepped out of time and into the very scripture we read. The Triduum started with the Mandatum, the ceremony of the washing of the feet. We would gather in the Chapter Hall, books in hand, and begin the solemn and haunting chant, "Dominus, Jesus." As we would commemorate in song the story of Jesus taking off his cloak, donning an apron, and washing the feet of his disciples, the superior would rise, take off her cope, don a white apron, pick up a bowl and a pitcher of warm water, and wash the feet of every sister in the community. The ceremony, done in silence except for the chanting of the Gospel story, never failed to move me to tears. Nothing can compare with it.
That is my wish for you as we begin the Holy Triduum. May the Gospels come alive for you. May you discover some fresh insight, some new inspiration, some solid hope this Holy Week. May it sustain you for the journey ahead, so that when you become weary, you will remember that Jesus is ever ready to kneel before you and wash that tiredness from your soul.
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