Thursday, April 09, 2009

A Maundy Thursday Haiku

Dear fellow struggler,

Today is our day of failure, and yet, the day we begin our turn to redemption. Today is the day we remember how we fell away, made the wrong choice, let others down, let ourselves down. Today is the day that hope goes dark, that we are overwhelmed, alone, and sad. We are doing that thing we said we would never do, we are running to the familiar comforts we said we had given up, we are betraying those we love the best.

But even as we do, even as we turn, ignore, fall away, and betray, we are witnessing the act of redemption and forgiveness. Even as we are at our very foulest we are in the presence of utter purity reaching out to our sullied bodies to wrap us in His love and provide the way of our cleansing. It is our day of shame, yet His day of glory. The day we turn away is the day he says to us "I will NEVER turn away." Wow.

So here is my lousy attempt to express how I feel about this day,



"Maundy Thursday"


My will, His will
Mind Body Heart Soul; Battle
Everyday, This day, A day long ago; Maundy
"Not my Will"**


I found out that "Maundy" means command. I feel like Jesus was commanded by His Love, and then now we are commanded. And what is that command?

Not my will--Love the Lord Your God--Not my Will--Love your neighbor--not my will--Resist temptation--not my will--Clothe yourselves in righteousness--not my will--feed the hungry---not my will--clothe the naked--not my will--you cannot serve two masters--

NOT MY WILL



It is the same command Jesus faced that night in the Garden so long ago. And he chose to love us and echo those words as he turned to begin His journey on the Redemption Path for all the world.















That is my prayer today. Not my will, Lord, but yours. Let us remember that in three days the candles of hope will again be lit, and now with an eternal flame.

Thank you Jesus.

In sorrow today, but in expectation of Joy,

Cadh 8
**I know, this is not a real Hiaku. There are rules for REAL Haikus. But this is just really a short poem. But here at Letters and Surveys, we really aren't picky. :)

4 comments:

brd said...

I agree with your thoughts about this being a pivotal moment in the events of Easter. It is not as deep and dark yet as it will be in some ways, but it is the beginning of the revelation of the reality of things, both of who and what we really are, and of who Christ is and what He is to do for us.

Beautiful Haiku.

Out of the darkness,
At Easter, Spring of Passion,
Comes the Lion-Lamb.

brd said...

Found on Wikipedia:

According to a common theory, the English word Maundy in that name for the day is derived through Middle English, and Old French mandé, from the Latin mandatum, the first word of the phrase "Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos" ("A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you"), the statement by Jesus in the Gospel of John (13:34) by which Jesus explained to the Apostles the significance of his action of washing their feet. The phrase is used as the antiphon sung during the "Mandatum" ceremony of the washing of the feet, which may be held during Mass or at another time as a separate event, during which a priest or bishop (representing Christ) ceremonially washes the feet of others, typically 12 persons chosen as a cross-section of the community.

According to other authorities, the English name Maundy Thursday arose from "maundsor" baskets, in which on that day the king of England distributed alms to certain poor at Whitehall: "maund" is connected with the Latin mendicare, and French mendier, to beg. A Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod source likewise states that, if the name were derived from the Latin mandatum, we would call the day Mandy Thursday, or Mandate Thursday, or even Mandatum Thursday; and that the term "Maundy" comes in fact from the Latin mendicare, Old French mendier, and English maund, which as a verb means to beg and as a noun refers to a small basket held out by maunders as they maunded. The name Maundy Thursday thus arose from a medieval custom whereby the English royalty handed out "maundy purses" of alms to the poor before attending Mass on this day.

cadh 8 said...

Interesting history of the word. That was great.

Love you Haiku. I think you followed the haiku rules, didn't you. You are too good.

brd said...

I read somewhere that one of the rules in Haiku is to mention a time of the year. Is that true?