Loving One Another

Today is Thursday of Holy Week, often called "Maundy Thursday." Maundy comes from the Latin word Mandatum meaning commandment and Christians remember Jesus' famous commandment to his disciples to "Love one another as I have loved you." John 15:12

This morning in my email box was a meditation by Richard Rohr who was reflecting on the gospel of John and how there is no Last Supper scene in John's gospel. Instead we have the story of Jesus washing the disciples' feet.

Rohr writes, "Perhaps John realized that after seventy years the other Gospels had been read. He wanted to give a theology of the Eucharist that revealed the meaning behind the breaking of the bread. He made it into an active ritual of servanthood and solidarity... Peter symbolizes all of us as he protests, "You will never wash my feet!" (John 13:8). But Jesus answers, "If I do not wash you, you can have nothing in common with me." That is strong! We all find it hard to receive undeserved love from another. For some reason it is very humiliating to the ego. We all want to think we have earned any love that we get by our worthiness or attractiveness. So Jesus has to insist on being the servant lover. Thank God, Peter surrenders, but it probably takes the rest of his life to understand."
(Drawn from Radical Grace: Daily Meditations by Richard Rohr, p. 143, day 154 Source: The Great Themes of Scripture).

We often get the "love others" part of this commandment, but it is often difficult to recognize that "loving one another" is a two-way street involving both giving and receiving. As I am thinking about this, the refrain to one of my favorite hymns comes to mind:

Won't you let me be your servant

Let me be as Christ to you

Pray that I may have the grace

To let you be my servant, too

Not a bad prayer for this Holy Week.