***
Someone said to me recently, “This has been the Lentiest Lent I’ve ever had. I’ve been stripped of so much – social interaction, physical touch, even the Eucharist.”
All thanks to the Coronavirus.
While we’ve all found this to be a “Lenty Lent,” the inconvenience of social distancing is nothing compared to the pain some families are experiencing as their loved ones die in hospitals alone.
Families cannot even grieve in groups.
That pain is almost unfathomable.
Yet we can all empathize to some extent, because pain and the need for healing are part of being human.
***
In the Gospel, Jesus kneels down to wash his disciples’ feet. At that time, such a gesture was considered normal.
People didn’t drive on well-paved roads like we do today. They often walked along dry and dusty roads, so it was common to catch a pebble or two in your sandal as you went.
When guests arrived at person’s home, then, their feet were covered with dust. Some may have had cuts and bruises.
But is Jesus washing his disciples’ feet simply because they’re dirty? Or is there a deeper meaning?
It’s the last night of his life on earth. Surely Jesus isn’t wasting time on pleasantries. Everything he does is on purpose.
This gesture of bathing bruised feet was intended to be a moment of healing for them, as it should be for us tonight, even if social distancing keeps us apart.
***
Like the disciples, we’ve all walked along different paths in life, paths that are too often strewn with pebbles.
The Coronavirus is one example of a pebble caught in our sandal. It’s wounded us and scraped our feet.
But what are the other pebbles caught in my sandal tonight? How have I been wounded?
Maybe I need a relationship mended. My health or my faith to be restored. My job to return. Grief to be lifted. A second chance.
***
These are the cuts and bruises that Jesus wants to heal.
On this, his final night on earth, he kneels down to wash our feet. He acknowledges our wounds; he kisses and bathes them.
***
But remember his words that follow: “I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.”
We’ve all had a pebble or two caught in our sandal; we’re all wounded in different ways. Don’t pour salt into them; rather, cover them in mercy.
How might I follow in the footsteps of Jesus and be an agent of healing for others?
***
“This has been the Lentiest Lent I’ve ever had.”
So many of us are approaching Easter with pebbles in our sandal. Sit down. Remove your sandals. Let the Lord wash your feet.
But when they’ve dried, do the same for others.
