Author: admin

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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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Washing someone’s feet before sitting down for dinner seems strange doesn’t it? Certainly, but not in first century Palestine.

Back then people didn’t travel in cars on well-paved roads; you couldn’t Uber to see your relatives in a neighboring town. 

Many walked barefoot along dry and dusty roads. Even those with sandals would occasionally brush against a rock or catch a pebble, cutting and bruising their feet. After a long journey, it made sense to wash; who knew what was on their feet!

You can imagine the disciples arriving for dinner with dusty, calloused feet. Someone should’ve done the foot washing – just not Jesus.

It was odd, even scandalous, for the Master to kneel down and wash his disciples’ feet; servants did that.

But Peter senses that something significant is happening, which is why he says, “Master, wash not only my feet, but my hands and head as well!”

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So, why does Jesus wash his disciples’ feet? Was it simply to remove the dust? Or is there a deeper meaning here?

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It was an act of love; of service; and, above all, a symbol of Christ’s overflowing forgiveness. While, physically speaking, the disciples have dirty feet, it is their hearts that must be purified.

Consider who surrounded Jesus that night. 

At table, there was Judas, who, while he was having his feet washed, was plotting the final details of Christ’s betrayal. There’s James and John, who will fall asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane while Jesus is praying.

There’s Peter, who will deny ever knowing Jesus three times. And there’s the rest, who will abandon Jesus as he’s being crucified.

Each of the disciples will need to be bathed in forgiveness not once, not twice, but over and over again.

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Perhaps this image of washing dusty, calloused feet is an appropriate image for our own lives. We’re all journeying on different paths which are often strewn with pebbles, leaving their mark on us. 

What’s that pebble caught in my sandal tonight? What experience has left its mark on me? Or, like the disciples, where do I need the Lord’s forgiveness?

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Tomorrow, the Lord will stoop even lower than he does tonight; Jesus will do much more than wash our feet. He’ll offer his very own Body and Blood for us on the Cross.

As Saint Paul writes in his Letter to the Romans, “God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

To me, this is why the Church – why this church – is so beautiful.

Here Jesus welcomes us. Here he washes our feet. Here he speaks to us through the scriptures. Here he feeds us with a sacred meal – no, not with bread and wine, but with his very own Self.

Where else can we find such healing for our heart or nourishment for our souls? 

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While removing the dust from our feet is no longer necessary – we aren’t walking along unpaved, dusty roads strewn with pebbles in first-century Palestine – we still have our share of cuts and bruises from walking along the journey of life.

The Lord sees our pain and, tonight, he kneels down to wash our feet.

Tomorrow, he’ll give us even more – offering his very own Body and Blood – because there’s nothing God won’t do to save us.

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Image credits: (1) Jesus Washing Peter’s Feet, Ford Madox Brown (2) Sieger Coder (3) The Washing of the Feet, Christian Art Print, Etsy

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Gospel: Mark 3:13-19

Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted 
and they came to him.
He appointed Twelve, whom he also named Apostles,
that they might be with him
and he might send them forth to preach 
and to have authority to drive out demons:
He appointed the Twelve:
Simon, whom he named Peter; 
James, son of Zebedee, 
and John the brother of James, whom he named Boanerges, 
that is, sons of thunder;
Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew,
Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus; 
Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean,
and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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During Jesus’ final night on earth, he gathers his friends together for a meal, known as the Last Supper.

I often pray before an icon of that moment, reminding myself that human beings are capable of being like any one of the disciples gathered around Jesus that night. 

It’s a dynamic group. 

There is John, the ever-faithful disciple who leans tenderly on the heart of Christ. Perhaps that describes some of us – consistently devout; our lives dedicated entirely to God.

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Then there’s Peter. Peter sways in his devotion like a branch in the wind. One moment he’s ready to die for the Lord, but the next he denies ever knowing him. 

Peter wants to be faithful. But sometimes fear and temptation get the best of him.

Maybe that’s some of us. We want to be faithful to the Lord – and often are. But sometimes fear or temptation get in the way. 

We leave the Lord momentarily but soon return sorrowful.

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Then there’s Judas, who betrays Jesus, handing him over for 30 lousy pieces of silver. 

We can only speculate as to why Judas did this. Was he disappointed in Jesus? Greedy? Or angry that his own dreams of glory were smashed? 

We don’t know. But we do know that such feelings – greed, anger, and disappointment – can surface in any human heart, certainly when things don’t go our way.

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There they are: three men sitting at the same table with Jesus.

One was faithful. Another stumbled. The third just gave up. 

Still, the Lord loves them and will die for them all, just as he died for us.

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Image credits: (1) Last Supper, Giotto (2) Discalced Carmelite Friars, Holy Thursday (3) NIV Bible, The Lord’s Supper

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Gospel: John 12: 1-11

Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany,
where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served,
while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him. 
Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil
made from genuine aromatic nard
and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair;
the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. 
Then Judas the Iscariot, one of his disciples,
and the one who would betray him, said,
“Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages
and given to the poor?”
He said this not because he cared about the poor
but because he was a thief and held the money bag
and used to steal the contributions.
So Jesus said, “Leave her alone.
Let her keep this for the day of my burial.
You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

The large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came,
not only because of him, but also to see Lazarus,
whom he had raised from the dead.
And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too,
because many of the Jews were turning away
and believing in Jesus because of him.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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We’ve entered Monday of Holy Week. Jesus is days away from his death.

So, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus extended a timely dinner invitation, thanking him for all he’s done in their lives, most notably for raising Lazarus from the dead!

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Each person shows their gratitude for Jesus differently.

Lazarus opens his home. Martha prepares and serves the meal. Mary spends all she has on a costly bottle of perfume, pouring it over Jesus’ feet, wiping them with her hair.

Three different gestures with the same message: thank you for being in my life; thank you for what you’ve done.

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Why am I grateful for the Lord? What good has Jesus done for me?

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Holy Week teaches us many things about the Christian life. But the first lesson on Monday morning is this: Be grateful.

Think of the good people and the blessings Jesus has brought into your life, then like Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, give thanks.

Gratitude goes a long way with God.

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(1) Truthappliedjs.com (2) Adventist World (3) www.dabblism.com