Jesus
commissioned his disciples to be servants. When
I go on the Camino in Spain, I often encounter a lot of mud on the trail. Northern Spain has a very rainy climate.
You can just imagine what it is like getting the gooey mud in the nooks
and crannies of your hiking shoes, of mud splattered all over your pants. The
streets of ancient Israel often had mud and garbage and debris all over the
place, so when someone entered a house of his host in sandals or bare feet, the
lowliest servant of the household would meet the guest at the door to clean his
feet before entering. When
taken in that context, Jesus’ act of washing his disciples’ feet at the last
supper is even more humble and more an act of lowly service. We
live in a modern American world where everyone strives to be the best, when we
want to be on top and better than everyone else. How
does that fit into the way Jesus calls us to service. While
Pope Francis has brought renewal and freshness and energy to our Church, while
he has inspired a lot of people, it has been hard to me to hear how harsh he is
on us priests. I often feel scolded and
chastised by him rather than lifted up and encouraged. But I think Pope Francis so strongly believes
that we priests need to be examples of service and living the Gospel values of
humility and simplicity that he holds us to a very high standard. Being a disciple of Christ is not supposed to
be easy, it is not supposed to be comfortable and comforting all the time. It is supposed to challenge us and may us
uneasy and call us to go beyond our comfort zone. May we have the courage to follow Christ’s
example.
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