It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life."
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Today is Maundy Thursday on the Christian calendar, a very solemn day of the Easter week, as it commemorates the day Jesus celebrated his final Passover. It is said that Jesus humbly washed the feet of his disciples after dinner that evening, and offered his greatest command
Love one another, as I have loved you
Our church has a beautiful Tenebrae service, a service of shadows. The church is lit with candles and there are a series of readings about Jesus’ suffering:
The Shadow of Betrayal | Matthew 26:20-25 The Shadow of Unfaithfulness | Mark 14:32-41 The Shadow of Desertion | Matthew 26:47-50, 55-56 The Shadow of Accusation | Matthew 26:59-67 The Shadow of Mockery | Mark 15:12-20 The Shadow of the Cross | Luke 23:33-46 Love is Stronger Than Death | John 13:34-35 The Word was God | John 1:14, 10, 12, 3:19
I am a participant in the readings, and after I read, I blow out a candle. A moment of silence follows. The church becomes progressively darker, with each reading.
This service of shadows fills me with deep reflection about pain and suffering in our world, what has always been, what is now, and must it always be? My mind sifts through the hurt, with a heightened awareness . . .
- The horrific pain and shock, just this week, of a local and essential bridge, the Key Bridge in Baltimore, which was destroyed in approximately 40 seconds by a container ship carrying hazardous materials
- The death of six construction workers in this tragedy; how immigrants do anonymous, difficult, and essential work, and endure such endless prejudice and hardship
- The continued horrors of war and rampage in Gaza, Ukraine, Haiti, Myanmar, Yemen, in so many places throughout the world, leading to the death, suffering, and starvation of so many innocents
- The endless hate and discrimination towards others, often in the name of religion, so antithetical to a loving God, I think
- The growing, horrific appeal of christian nationalism, white supremacy, far-right, autocratic beliefs
- The assault on truth and freedom throughout the world; the barrage of corrosive headlines that greet me each morning; the explosion of fake news
- The personal hurts and traumas within our communities, heavy and invisible loads which we bear alone
- How we fail at love
The final reading is offered by our minister, and when that candle is extinguished, there is total darkness in the church. We recess from the church and go our separate ways, in darkness and silence.
How can one not be moved?
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Although there’s so much going on and more that’s hidden from us, your post is a reminder that there are congregations of people hoping for change and peace. I’m not sure a world without strife exists, but we can certainly get better at how we think about how to grow together and love better.
There’s a “face punching” problem in NYC right now, and as scary as that is commuting to work and hearing about all the girls my age getting randomly punched (??), I’ve been asked by friends and neighbors if I want to commute together, if I want someone to walk me home, and I ask my friends and roommates to let me know when they’re where they were going and safe. Strife brings people together and reminds us to love, as unfortunate as the circumstances may be.
Oh, Clare – that ‘face punching’ sounds so horrific; there was a similar craze in the D.C. area in the recent past; I remember my fears on the metro system. We must build stronger communities, connect with each other, as you and your friends and neighbors are doing. Thanks for commenting!
How does one get by in this world without the hope of things to come? Your service sounds moving and a very significant means of introducing this special time of year. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Thank you, Kim. Yes, we must hope for more in this world – and offer love and peace.
I also partake in my church’s Tenebrae service. I always volunteer to do a reading or a prayer. This year like last year I’ll be reading Mark 14:32-41. While a solemn service it’s also a beautiful one. When all of us leave in silence at the end no one really speaks until we get outside of the church. We all say the same thing: there’s a heaviness on our hearts.
Yes, the departing in silence is so powerful. Thank you, Anna. Enjoy your service this evening.
The solemn celebrations of this week are important reminders to take the time to appreciate what we have and the good in our world while finding ways to support peace and the great needs of so many people in our world. Thank you for doing what you do to give people time to reflect and pray.
Thank you, Anita! Yes, these celebrations are important reminders to reflect and pray.
Maureen,
This service sounds so moving. I’m going to read the scripture you’ve shared. I know these passages, but it seems especially important to honor them this year in light of the suffering you e named, but also in the wake of TFG’s latest grift. I feel compelled to do all I can to push back on that one. I was just reading an article in The Atlantic about his impact on morality among certain factions of Christianity. I was shocked by what I learned.
His grift is unending, knows no bounds. Just sickening. Thanks, Glenda.
Maureen, wow, your description of the Tenebrae service is so good. I actually have experience with this service of darkening from our years in Iowa. It is a very moving service, and like Glenda said, especially at this time in our history. You have so eloquently laid out the shadows, the pains , the suffering in our world. Thank you for pointing out the “invisible” workers on the bridge during that night the bridge was struck. Hopefully, they will be honored in death with some changes in policies.
That bridge accident was so very frightening and tragic. Thanks, Denise!
Maureen, I love how you end with such a compelling question in your post today. Maundy Thursday is a serious day. Your service sounds incredibly powerful and I’d love to witness this kind of program. Your list is chilling and relatable. I feel for those who suffer and worry so much about how much hate is spewed in our world today. Thanks for sharing your powerful words today!
Thank you, Barb. Yes, I worry about all the hate in the world.
Maureen, I love how you end with such a compelling question in your post today. Maundy Thursday is a serious day. Your service sounds incredibly powerful and I’d love to witness this kind of program. Your list is chilling and relatable. I feel for those who suffer and worry so much about how much hate is spewed in our world today. Thanks for sharing your powerful words today!
Maureen, your reflection is quite thought provoking. The inner thoughts and selfless stance of putting others first and walking a mile in their shoes is strongly felt here. I think days like these are powerful reminders that love is deeper than we will ever know in this lifetime. The pain of earth will not be missed in Heaven – all of these tragedies and violence and deep, deep grief will vanish. It is blinding here.