There are many deficient interpretations of the significance of the Mandatum rite, that is, the ceremony on Holy Thursday wherein the priest washes the feet of twelve men recollecting what Christ did at the Last Supper. Often this ritual is explained as being a generic lesson in charity and is applied to all Christians–and it can be to some degree. The fuller meaning, however, has to do with the priesthood and doesn’t forget about the fact that it is at the Last Supper, when the priesthood was instituted, when the Eucharist was instituted, that Christ washed the apostles’ feet.

Perhaps the loss of this understanding is part of the reason that the rite is carried out in ways divergent from the rubrics in many parishes.

Anyway, for a good explanation of the significance of the Mandatum, see this post on Old Oligarch’s Painted Stoa.

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 8th, 2007 at 12:22 AM and is filed under links, liturgical calendar, liturgy, religious practice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.