Exodus 12.1-14 Exode 12.1-14 Psalm 116. 1,10-19 Psaume 116. 1,10-19
John 13. 1-17,31b-35 Jean 13. 1-17,31b-35
The First Eucharist, Vicente Juan Masip in Prado Museum
Memory. It’s one of the most powerful forces in the human mind, causing us to fear, hate, weep, laugh and love as our past comes back into our present. For a brief moment, time collapses, and we find ourselves taken into another time, sometimes decades after we had last thought about that past.
Memory. It’s also one of the most fragile forces in the human mind. We so easily forget things. Where we put our keys. The name of someone we just met. We can even forget the names and faces of people we’ve loved for years-as was the case with my grandad Cyril. Memories are powerful, but extremely precious.
Today’s four verses from 1 Corinthians present us with the central memory of the Christian life: the last meal Jesus shared with his disciples and how this related to his impending death. We hear the words of Jesus, breaking bread and offering wine. We hear how bread and wine are body and blood. We can see, with the eyes of our mind, the events that form the foundation of Christianity. We are reminded how this message for all humanity is deeply personal; the bread and wine are ‘for you’. We are invited into the story not only of Jesus’ death, but of the Christians in Corinth and all the generations of disciples who have gone before us. And we are invited to share this story, as Paul passed this message to the Corinthians; we are to pass it on to others.
This Maundy Thursday, take and eat. Take and drink. In remembrance of him.
Nathan Joss
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