Lent Day 38 Maundy Thursday Reflection on Communion

Reading

For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (NRSV)

Reflection

These words of St Paul are the first record we have of what Jesus said and did at the Passover Supper table with his friends. It is a familiar and simple act of taking, thanking, breaking and remembering. Taking bread, thanking God, breaking the bread and remembering Jesus. He does the same with a cup of wine. Jesus then gives his second command of the night. The first command was, “To love one another “, the second comes now “Do this in remembrance of me.” It is from these two “mandates” that we get the “Maundy” of Maundy Thursday. This simple act of taking bread and wine and remembering Jesus has been interpreted and re-enacted in millions of different ways down the centuries since that first night. This more than any other command Jesus gave us has been kept with regularity and determination in every circumstance of life. Today we rejoice that in Holy Communion we are deeply connected to our Christian sisters and brothers around the world, and even more importantly that is some inexplicable way Jesus is with us still as we take, thank, break and remember.

Spiritual Exercise

Your to-do for today: Think about the part that food and drink play in your daily life. Remember too the taste of freshly baked bread, not much beats the taste and texture of freshly cut bread. As you go through the day pause each time you eat to remember that Jesus gave us a meal as our main way to remember him. A meal to be enjoyed by a worshipping community together. Look hopefully ahead to the time we may gather again for our Communion meal.”