Holy Thursday

In Britain it is also called Maundy Thursday, from the Latin mandatum: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another.” The evening Mass begins with bells ringing out at the Gloria, and then they fall silent until the Easter Vigil; French children are told the bells have flown off to Rome. There is no Holy Thursday emoji to mark the evening, and 🍞🍷 mostly looks like an invitation to happy hour.

The Mass of the Lord’s Supper gathers three gestures into one night. Jesus takes the bread and the cup and says “Do this in memory of me”: the Church sees here the institution of the Eucharist and of the priesthood. Then he takes a towel and a basin to wash his disciples’ feet, and Peter objects. After Mass, the altar is stripped, the Blessed Sacrament is carried to the altar of repose, and the faithful keep watch, as Jesus asked the apostles to watch one hour with him in Gethsemane.

A table set for thirteen, a basin and a towel, a bell flying off toward Rome, a lamp keeping vigil in the dark: there is plenty to work with. Send your proposal before the bells come back.