Maundy Thursday

Today is an under-appreciated festival in the life of the church--or at least it has become one. In the hurried world in which we live, there is an anxiety to get from Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem to his Resurrection one week later. Many churches will be sparsely populated despite the best efforts of clergy to remind their flocks of the importance of the Holy Triduum.

I think that it has to do with the fact that we are loathe to take responsibility. We wish to lock Jesus in some time continuum and do not see these days as anything more than a week in the life so long ago.  It happened then and there, once an for all, a long time ago. We fail to recognize our own participations in these events, we fail to see ourselves present in these events.

Holy Week, the Holy Triduum is here and now. Jesus continues to try and enter into the Jerusalem of our hearts. We are there, even if only onlookers, shouting our hosannas with the rest of the crowd and then very quickly going about our business. As though there is time, as though there are more important things left to do.

Yet, at one time or another, we are there. We are present. We play the roles of all of the characters in this Divine Drama. Today, Maundy Thursday, we need to recognize that we are, indeed, Judas, and that Jesus, failing to live up to our expectations, is being betrayed by those who claim to love him best.