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Gospel: John 13: 1-15
Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come
to pass from this world to the Father.
He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.
The devil had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand him over.
So, during supper,
fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power
and that he had come from God and was returning to God,
he rose from supper and took off his outer garments.
He took a towel and tied it around his waist.
Then he poured water into a basin
and began to wash the disciples’ feet
and dry them with the towel around his waist.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him,
“Master, are you going to wash my feet?”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“What I am doing, you do not understand now,
but you will understand later.”
Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered him,
“Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me.”
Simon Peter said to him,
“Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well.”
Jesus said to him,
“Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed,
for he is clean all over;
so you are clean, but not all.”
For he knew who would betray him;
for this reason, he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
So when he had washed their feet
and put his garments back on and reclined at table again,
he said to them, “Do you realize what I have done for you?
You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am.
If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet,
you ought to wash one another’s feet.
I have given you a model to follow,
so that as I have done for you, you should also do.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
***
***
While on a visit to the United States in September 2015, Pope Francis visited a group of prisoners in Philadelphia.
He spoke to them as a shepherd interested in their relationship with God.
Though well aware that these men had caused others harm, Francis also understood that they were wounded; they needed their feet washed, too.
***
At first glance, this gesture of washing someone’s feet seems normal, certainly in the days of Jesus.
Back then people didn’t travel in cars on well-paved roads. They walked on foot along dry and dusty paths. Often pebbles would get stuck in their sandals as they walked, cutting and bruising their feet.
We all know that feeling of having a pebble stuck in our sandal. It’s irritating and can hurt!
So, when guests arrived at someone’s home, it was customary to wash their feet. Nobody wanted to track dust and dirt – or bloodied feet – into another person’s home.
But Peter senses this gesture has a much deeper meaning.
***
Perhaps it’s an image for life. Doesn’t life have a way of scraping our feet?
We are all journeying on different roads, roads that often leave their mark on us. Sometimes pebbles get caught in our sandal, cutting and bruising our feet.
***
What are the pebbles caught in my sandal?
What has hurt or worn me down this year?
What has agitated or caused me pain?
***
Maybe we’re disappointed in ourselves, thinking our faith was stronger than it seems to be. Perhaps we’re overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, financial burdens, or grief.
And hasn’t this pandemic – the sickness, the social distance, and the isolation – scraped all of our feet?
Jesus is here to pour water over our wounds, to soothe them with the aloe of his grace.
As Pope Francis reminded those prisoners in Philadelphia, when we approach the Lord, he doesn’t ask us where we’ve been or what we’ve done. He doesn’t dwell on our cuts and bruises.
He simply kneels down and washes them, bathing us in his love.
The fact that we cannot demonstrate this gesture because of COVID this year only reflects how much we need it. We need a fresh start – a new beginning. We need clean feet.
***
Still, can we embrace the meaning of being washed, of not judging where others have been, but bathing them in forgiveness instead?
So, how might I be an instrument of healing or reconciliation to those around me? How might I wash someone else’s feet?
***
As we resume our journeys through life, other pebbles will get caught in our sandals.
And when they do, we can turn to the Lord for healing, remembering that he has also given us an example to follow.
***
