Jesus washed the feet of his disciples

When I was a young priest many eons ago there was a parish down the street which washed hands, not feet, on Holy Thursday.  The congregants would come forward as at communion, and wash each others hands.  The liturgist in me was absolutely appalled that the pastor would take such liberties with the Mass, but somewhere deep inside I thought that was not such a bad idea.

Once in awhile I have even thought that instead of shaking hands at the sign of peace, maybe we should wash each other's feet.  There was a scene in a Neil Simon play a dozen or so years ago in which the mother of the family tells the history of the dining table. She emphasizes that this is more than a table, it is a place where there have been celebrations and gatherings, in times of great joy and in sorrow.  Because of the life that has taken place around the table, she insists that is be treated with care and even reverence.  The Eucharist we celebrate can never be reduced to a bread and wine party.

The Gospels could have put the foot-washing a chapter earlier, or as part of a post-resurrection story.  But washing feet has an intimate relationship with the Eucharist we celebrate.  Our Jewish brothers and sisters have a far greater appreciation of the theology of blood and covenant than we do, but this is what is happening here. Jesus is to suffer and die, and in doing so becomes the source of the new and eternal covenant,  More so, Jesus shows himself to be the suffering servant in the very self-less act of washing feet.  When Jesus suggests that what he is doing the disciples must do for one another, he is not only speaking to the twelve, but to us as well.

The paschal sacrifice washes away our hurts, animosities, sinfulness, pride, anger, and jealousies .  The Eucharist is about a communion with God and each other.  Discipleship invites us to follow Jesus and most importantly to have the humility and forbearance to wash feet of each other.  Just like we share in the Eucharist we also share in Jesus' ministry of serving others.  It is a way in which we profess and witness to the faith we have received.

At  the end of the Mass the people of God are challenged with, Go and Proclaim the Gospel.  Maybe because we live as catholics day in and day out, we forget the radical nature of our call, but we are to be evangelizers in the world today.  While we will not be washing hands anytime soon, but we will continue to participate in this beautiful and powerful action of God's selfless love for us.  Hopefully we can grow into our role as disciples who desire to wash other's feet.