Maundy Thursday

Fr. Daniel keeps on throwing me curves, I'm beginning to feel a bit like fellow Anglican blogger Wannabe Newbie Anglican in his first year as an Anglican. (Truth in advertising says he ought to rename it to "Pundit Anglican" or some such now, but in any case I'll soon be able to revisit his and other blogs when my self-imposed disconnect from the wider world of Anglicanism ends.)

In any case, after a long hard day at the office where I didn't exactly go backwards but I didn't really advance either; more work just piled itself up in front me with an unyielding deadline, so I had to miss the noon service. I arrived for Evensong and Holy Communion with my brain aching, exhausted and almost nervously twitching as it prepared to, um, yield up the ghost.

I knew I was on deck for one of the services this evening but to do what at which, for the life of me I couldn't remember. And of course my notes were at home. It was probably best that I wasn't serving at Evensong; I was sufficiently recovered to be Epistler for Holy Communion.

In any event, I remember Maundy Thursday Holy Communion services and so I fully expected the Mass of the Pre-sanctified Elements (or something like that -- my brain is still a bit fuzzy). And so I wasn't surprised when Fr. Daniel brought out the Elements from Aumbry. But I was quite surprised when he launched into the Consecration. Definitely different: was he re-consecrating consecrated elements? were there unconsecrated elements in the Aumbry? All of a sudden I was lost.

I asked him about this right afterwards. It turned out he had unconsecrated elements present so that the words of the Prayer of Consecration could be said. An excellent point: when, pray tell, in the year would they be more poignant than on Maundy Thursday?

Live and learn. This old grasshopper thanks you, Fr. Daniel.