A Maundy Thursday Meditation from the Rev. Dr. George C. Vais
This was the evening, when Jesus made arrangements to have dinner with his disciples, and while they were eating, he said to them: “This do in remembrance of me.”
Luke tells us that Jesus was anxious to have one more meal with them. As it turned out this was the last supper he had with them. When I come to think of it, there is something special about having a meal together. I recall many a time enjoying lively conversations around the dinner table with family and friends, long after the food was consumed. We are, after all, social beings, and we love to get together, to enjoy each other’s company, to share stories and to learn from one another.
I know what you are thinking – what do we do now when we are instructed to practise social distancing? Be that as it may, there is nothing stopping us from recalling conversations, thinking of significant people in our life – both past and present, or being mindful of those life changing experiences in years gone by. We do have the luxury of time to do this, until this current virus dies down, when we can get together again.
Jesus knew that the time was coming when he was not going to be with them physically. That’s why He said to them, “Do this, and it will make you remember me.” That’s why Holy Communion is called a “sacrament”. “A sacrament is something usually a very ordinary thing, which has acquired a meaning far beyond itself” {William Barclay}
Let me share with you a personal illustration of a sacrament. In recent years, I have had to get rid of the majority of my books. Most of the books that I kept were the ones that were given to me by family members and friends. I could not part with them, simply because they were tangible reminders of those who gave them to me. They bring me precious memories.
When you break bread at your home today, whether you are by yourself, like I am, or with your family, take time to re-member the one who loved you, died for you and called you his friend.
A Blessing
May eating together always make more sense than fighting
May sharing what we have always make more sense than shouting our certainties
And may breaking bread together always make more sense than division.
