It's almost noon on Holy Thursday. As I write this, I'm just a couple of hours from our PVP Leadership Team meeting for the month, and about 6 hours from entering the Triduum by celebrating the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord's Supper. In my parish, we will all be invited to have our feet washed. No tableaus or clergy-centered expressions...just as many as wish to participate, coming forward to have their feet washed by our priest at one station, and the baptized at others. It's tender, funny, poignant, messy...accompanied by the haunting refrain...As I have done for you....At our Leadership Team meeting we will reflect on our service to Christ and the Church as an organization. What is the Spirit asking of us now? How are we to serve Christ and the Church?
There was a different blog scheduled for today. It will be available next week. It just didn't seem quite fitting to keep talking about foundations for synodality when we are about to enter into the holiest of our days as Catholics. THIS is the foundation for synodality...Jesus Christ...
Whose commands we seek to follow
Whose passion we know we will experience ourselves in large and small ways
Whose love story we will re-enter and remember
Whose Light will overtake the darkness
Whose water will wash away all sin
Whose oil will consecrate for service and around
Whose table we will gather as new creations. He is the primordial foundation for synodality. His Spirit is the gift and the guide for us as indiivduals and for our Church.
I can hear the Spirit's challenge...it's now or never. Surrender to my lead, now or never. And that refrain haunts me because I don't prefer a God with ultimatums. I prefer the God who gives endless chances, the Christ who never says never, the Spirit who is always waiting on me. But still I hear that echo...it's now or never. Now is the acceptable time. Now is the day of salvation. Now is the time. If we do not say "Yes!" now something will be gone that can never come again....
As the Pentecost Vigil Project Leadership Team enters the Triduum, we do so believing NOW is the acceptable time. We believe that there is work for us to do now and if we do not do it, its fruitful time passes. We believe the Spirit calls urgently to us and to all those who know that the transformation the Church needs must happen NOW. And we also believe that for the next three days, what is most urgent is that we join the Church in remembering, celebrating and believing. For now is the acceptable time for prayer.
Happy Triduum!
Photo Unsplash/Brett Jordan