Holy Thursday

Welcome, young history buffs and curious minds, to My Daily Saint, the podcast that digs deep into the incredible lives of the saints, those remarkable people who shaped history and continue to inspire us today. Forget dusty old portraits and boring stories. Today, imagine the lights going out, not just in your room, but in the whole world. Imagine a dinner with your best friends, where you know deep down that by tomorrow morning, everything will be different. One friend will betray you. Others will run away.

And you? You have a difficult road to walk alone. Today, we are stepping into the shadows of Holy Thursday. This day marks the beginning of the Easter Triduum, which is actually the shortest liturgical season of the entire church year. It's a season that is only three days long, but it packs more drama and mystery into those hours than the rest of the year combined. During the Last Supper, Jesus did two massive things. He instituted the Holy Eucharist, and he instituted the priesthood.

So, in a way, today is the patronal feast of every priest you have ever met. It is the birthday of their vocation. Now, let's get into the drama. The scene is set in the evening. Liturgically, we celebrate the Mass of the Lord's Supper at night, to mimic exactly what happened in the Gospel accounts.

Imagine it. You are at the table, and then the master of the universe stands up. He doesn't ask for a crown. He doesn't ask to be served. Instead, he does something shocking. At mass today, priests often wash the feet of the faithful. Why? Because they are copying Christ. That night, Jesus washed his apostles' feet.

In the ancient world, this was the job of the lowest servant. It was dirty, smelly work. And yet God himself knelt down to scrub the dust off the feet of the men who would soon abandon him. It's an intense image, isn't it? It flips the whole idea of power upside down.

Have you ever heard this day called Maundy Thursday? No, it doesn't mean Monday. This word comes from the Latin word mandatum. Mandatum translates to mandate or commandment. On this night, Christ gave the great mandate. He said, I give you a new commandment. Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. The command is to love as he loved. And remember, he loved them by washing their feet and then dying for them. That is a high bar.

As the night goes on, the story gets darker. After the mandate, after the washing of the feet, the mood shifts. In our churches today, after the Mass of the Lord's Supper concludes, something chilling happens. The altar is stripped bare, the decorations are removed, and the tabernacle is left completely empty.

Why? It is done in commemoration of our Lord's passion and death the following day, which is Good Friday. It's a visual sign that Jesus has been taken away. But the night isn't over yet. After the meal, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. He went there to prepare for his suffering.

To remember that, the faithful, that's us, are invited to join a procession where the blessed sacrament is placed in repose, away from the main altar. We are invited to remain there in adoration throughout the night. We are asked to do the one thing the apostles struggled to do, keeping vigil as Christ did during his agony in the garden. It's a hauntingly beautiful tradition. While the world sleeps, the church stays awake, just like Jesus asked his friends to do before the soldiers arrived.

You challenge today, love others as he loved us. Jesus showed his love by doing the job of a servant, washing feet. Find one servant job in your house that nobody wants to do. Maybe it's taking out the gross trash. Maybe it's scrubbing the dishes that have been sitting in the sink. Maybe it is cleaning up a mess your younger sibling made. Do it without being asked. Do it without complaining. And while you do it, say a quick prayer. Jesus, I'm doing this because you loved me first.

And if you can, try to stay awake a little later tonight. Spend five minutes in silence, just keeping watch, thinking about the Garden of Gethsemane. Thank you for joining us on My Daily Saint. We look forward to sharing another incredible story of faith and courage with you tomorrow.