Come to the Table
I’d never been to a Passover Seder meal. The only real concept I had of it was it was a remembrance of the deliverance of the Jews from Egypt like in the “Prince of Egypt” and Jesus’ last meal was Passover. So - queue the soundtrack with Steve Martin singing about plagues and Whitney Houston’s anthem of hope in “When You Believe”.
Professor Andre, who was leading the Seder, said it best - “as Christians, we have forgotten how to keep liturgy fun”. Honestly, I had no clue what I was walking into because he was right.
The Passover Seder meal is a liturgy. It engages all the senses and the mind. While Mass and service should epitomize it - I think for the first time I was able to sit at the table of the last supper.
It was taking a seat at the table. Tasting the salty bitter herbs. Imagining the apostles egging each other on to see who could eat more horseradish without making faces. Seeing how the flavors marry to tell their history. There’s so much symbolism in the food and in our own history. So much joy and laughter that often has escaped me in my own experience of Catholic/Christian Liturgy.
With the Matzah in my hands and wine in my glass, I could only imagine what Jesus felt like as he shared his last meal with his friends. I couldn’t help but contemplate how He must’ve felt everything and how He was trying desperately to tell them everything they needed to know before the hour that was coming.
But He chose this moment to teach us to serve each other and to pray for us. It’s at the last supper where he washes his disciples’ feet and institutes the Eucharist. Giving himself completely to us and forever inviting us to the table of plenty.
Passover celebrates how the Jews were freed, and in some ways, we Christians can take a few lessons from their prayers and the sacred space made by this meal. Remembering at each Mass that we’re also freed when we join the table and that we have a rich inheritance in the Jewish culture to learn from.
Entering into Holy Week with gratitude and hoping to learn more about our inheritance. As Christians we aren’t waiting for the Savior anymore, but may we come to the table and learn from Him, with trust that our hope never fails.
#untilnextyearinjerusalem