Maundy Thursday

  • Morning Prayer in the cathedral.
  • Finished playing phone tag with the bishop of the diocese with which we co-sponsor a summer camping program. We had a helpful conversation.
  • Processed several emails.
  • Worked on refining my homily for tonight's liturgy.
  • Met for 90 minutes with the Archdeacon and Deacon Dr Tom Langford, chair of the Commission on Ministry, to review where we are and where we need to be going with respect to that body's work. Productive conversation.
  • Finished refining tonight's sermon, then swang by home to check on Brenda, who, alas, has the illness that I'm now recovering from. Fast food drive-through for lunch.
  • Dashed off a few words "From the Bishop" for the May issue of the Springfield Current.
  • Put some meat on the bones of my homily for Easter (both Vigil and Day, same sermon).
  • Worked a little more on the details for the May 15th event, then took care of a couple of mundane administrative chores.
  • Evening Prayer in the cathedral.
  • Ran home again, stopping by the market to pick something up that Brenda had requested. Visited with her for a bit (too sick to come to church, the first Triduum liturgy she has missed in 33 years), then headed back downtown in time for a 6:30 pre-liturgical run-through.
  • This is now the seventh liturgical space in which I have participated in Triduum worship. Each place is idiosycratic in some ways, yet, despite the diversity, there is an essential unitive power that shines through. The Word got proclaimed, feet got washed, the Mass of the Lord's Supper was celebrated, Jesus got worshiped in his sacramental presence, and the altar got stripped. In other words, we did our job, our work for this night, and I was privileged to be part of it.

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