Reflection – Maundy ThursdayToday is a great Feast Day and, appropriately, is celebrated in white or gold, complete with the Gloria and much joyous celebration, for on this day Our Lord instituted the Mass, which enables the salvation he wrought on the Cross to be communicated to all people at in all times and places, who freely unite themselves to him in the Church.Yet it is not that which I wish to reflect on today, but what happened afterwards. Christ withdrew with his disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane to spend time in prayer. The Gospels make it clear that this was a time of great anguish for Christ. Why should it not be? He knew that he was shortly to be beaten, tortured and have nails thrust through his feet and his wrists, leading to a terrible death, suffocating on his own blood. Although there are, undoubtedly, worse ways in which to die, it is yet not a way in anyone would wish to expire. No wonder he was terrified! Luke, a doctor himself, records that Christ’s sweat fell in great drops of blood. This is a phenomenon known as Hematidrosis, brought about by extreme stress. It was noted by Leonardo da Vinci and by WW1 doctors as being seen in soldiers before combat but is very rare. In Christ, it was worse as he could have just walked away from his coming ordeal, had he so chosen!Prayer is sometimes presented as being an answer to everything, but it is not that simple. In prayer here, we note, Jesus begs to be spared the ordeal – but submits himself to the will of God and all that this will entail. So, too, for us. We must be prepared to offer ourselves to God’s will, even if that leads to suffering and death. We are loved by God – but this does not act like a magic charm! Rather, unlike us, God sees the ‘big picture’ – our lives in the light of eternity. He also gives people free will, which means that it is possible to end another’s life. God, therefore, may allow us to suffer and die. However, if we trust in him, we can see that this will always tend to our ultimate good. Hard to see as it is, especially in times like these, our earthly lives are only a small part of the whole of them, for we are made to dwell forever with God in heaven. That, thanks be to God, is our true destiny.None of us wish to die, as Jesus did not. We fear and turn away from death. Yet Jesus, in submitting himself to it, reveals its true nature to us. Yes, by all means, pray to God for life, but do not see death as a failure on the part of prayer, or of God! Death is the end of earthly life – but, for the Christian, the doorway to eternal life!As Christ this night prepared for his own death, recall that he also knew of the glory to come through it. Let us, living in a time of great sickness and death, which has come upon 21st Century Western humanity in a most unexpected way, offer our prayers tonight for all who are sick and dying from this dreadful virus, in particular, asking that they are given strength, as Jesus was, to face death in the light of God, knowing that, in spite of all the sorrow and sickness, the hope of a share in the Resurrection life is held before them, the promise of Jesus – and that promise remains as sure and as certain as ever!Father David
Maundy ThursdayTonight in the Vicarage we shall celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 8pm, followed from 9pm – midnight by the Watch in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Although we cannot be in our usual place, the beautifully decked-out Lady Chapel, nevertheless we shall pray before Our Lord. Please join us for this act, so important this year, in which we pray especially for all who suffer in this dreadful pandemic and for Christ’s Church, as she suffers alongside the people of the world. Meditate on the words of John 17 as we offer prayer to God.
Although this will be an Easter like no other, the internet is constantly proving itself a source for much Christian prayer and reflection. The Archbishop of Turin has graciously announced a special exposition of the Holy Shroud for this Saturday, Holy Saturday.You may recall that, a few years ago, we hosted a week-long exhibition on the Shroud, which is believed by many on very good scientific and historical grounds to be the actual burial cloth of Jesus and hence the greatest relic in Christendom. I was able, along with Ann and Hannah, to travel to Italy in 2015 to view the Shroud in person, thereby fulfilling a life-long ambition. It was one of the most incredibly moving experiences of my life!I would most certainly encourage you all to take this opportunity to watch the Exposition and, although apart, join with the Church in reflecting on what Christ endured for us. An interesting article on the Exposition may be found here:https://catholicherald.co.uk/archdiocese-to-livestream-display-shroud-of-turin-on-holy-saturday/ You will find further information at:https://shroud.com/latebrak.htm In prayerFr David
Reflection – Tuesday in Holy WeekOne of the great joys of the traditional liturgies in Holy Week is the concentration on prophetic readings from the Old Testament. This is actually much more marked in the older rites than in the modern lectionary, as the older rites have only the one lesson, whereas the modern rites give equal prominence to a New Testament reading before the Gospel/Passion reading. Call me old fashioned (which is a compliment!), but I like the more traditional arrangement. It more clearly focusses our minds on the prophecies of Christ and his suffering for our sake, through which the prophets dimly glimpsed the coming nature of God’s redemptive action, not just for his people but for the whole world.Although this is most clearly seen in the ‘Suffering Servant’ passages from Isaiah, a similar theme of God’s acting in the future to bring salvation to the whole earth and its peoples can be found elsewhere in the Old Testament. Today, for instance, we read a passage from Jeremiah. Prophesies of Jesus and his action can be found, not just in the Prophets but throughout the entire Old Testament, which is the one of the primary reasons it is read in Christian churches. It is not just the record of God’s Chosen People (chosen, of course, for a reason), but rather the witness to the forthcoming culmination of God’s redemptive action in his entry into the world for our sake.Many Christians wrongly view the Old Testament as being irrelevant to their faith and lives, which is a great pity indeed. Not only do we find details concerning God’s relationship with an often contrary people in the ancient Middle East, but also much which is of direct concern to humanity’s encounter with the living God, not least is his concern for justice (especially on an economic and societal level) and mercy, as well as his great love for us.Holy Week’s focus on the prophetic dimension reminds us that we have good cause to glorify God for his plan for all of humanity. The salvation brought to us by Christ’s sacrificial love on the Cross is not merely an ‘emergency first aid’ work by God, but part of his plan from the very beginning. So great is God’s love for us that, even if we had never sinned and needed a salvation we could not provide ourselves, that love would have led him to still take on human flesh and live among us. So speculated many of the early Fathers of the Church, especially in the East.As we follow Christ on his journey to the Cross this week, we must remind ourselves that this was not so much something which happened to Christ, as something which he willed from the very beginning, as is so graphically portrayed in Rublev’s great icon of The Old Testament Trinity. Let us read the Old Testament prophecies of this week’s liturgies with renewed insight and understanding, marvelling at the great love they show for us.Father David
