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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.
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This was not the first time feet were washed in the Gospels.
Luke tells us that a “sinful woman” washed Jesus’ feet with her tears and dried them with her hair because he forgave her many sins.
Later, while dining in Lazarus’ home just days before his death, Mary of Magdala pours costly perfume over the feet of Jesus to thank him for raising her brother from the dead.
Jesus wanted his disciples to experience that same type of love. So, he knelt down and washed their feet, giving all of us an example to follow.
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Feet are the movers of the body. They take us where we want to go – and prevent us from going where we don’t.
Tonight, I will wash the feet of several parishioners who, like the women in the Gospels, have been of loving service to the LORD and his Church.
They represent so many of us – those who work in our soup kitchen; those who deliver that food to the hungry in Newark.
Those who bring communion to the sick and the homebound; those who prepare and serve meals for our seniors in the narthex, or receptions after Mass.
Those whose feet will be washed represent all who stand in our choir, singing glory to God; our catechists who teach our young people our Catholic faith.
New and growing ministries like Welcome and Hospitality, ALPHA, SPX Playtime, as well as tried and true ministries like the Knights of Columbus.
They represent all of us who stand, sit, and kneel here week after week; and all who stand in solidarity with the poor, the hungry, the unwanted, and the oppressed.
They are us.
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As their feet are being washed, perhaps we should consider, what type of footprint have we left on others and on this parish?
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Think about the virtual print we leave through phone calls, text messages, prayers, and words of affirmation.
Or the many places our feet have taken us in person.
Tonight, the LORD kneels down to wash them – to thank us for our service and to renew us in his love.
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There’s also a second, more spiritual dimension to the washing of feet.
On the surface, washing a guest’s feet was a practical thing to do. Their feet would naturally collect mud or dust while journeying from one home to another.
But, on a deeper level, it is also a sign of welcome into a person’s home – and by extension, into a person’s heart.
By washing Peter’s feet, Jesus welcomes him into the Church, into the priesthood, and into the depths of his heart.
In baptism, we are all welcomed by the LORD into the Church. But Jesus washes our feet again this night to remind us that we are always welcome here in his home, the Church, and we are welcome, as ever, into his heart.
How do I feel desired – or welcomed – by Jesus? And how do I give or receive his love in this parish?
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Feet are the movers of the body. They take us where we want to go, which is why we’re here this night.
As the LORD kneels down and washes our feet, may we all experience the love, the welcome, and the purity of heart that only Jesus can give.
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Image credits: (1) Soul Spartan (2) Ford Madox Brown, Washing of the Feet (3) iStock