Jesus commissioned his disciples to be servants. We remember the foot washing ritual that takes place in our mass and commemoration of the Last Supper on Holy Thursday of Holy Week. When I go on the Camino in Spain, I often encounter a lot of mud on the trail, since Northern Spain has a very rainy climate and a lot of earthen trails and roads. 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. It is not a pretty sight. The streets of Ancient Israel often had mud, 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 than we imagine. As I did not go out to the prison for Mass on Holy Thursday, I later did the foot washing of the inmates a couple weeks after Easter. Washing the feet of our parishioners here at Holy Savior and of the inmates at the prison is a humbling experience for me, a very impactful and touching experience. I recalled how Pope Francis washed the feet of the inmates at a prison in Rome the first year of his papacy, which inspired me.
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. Often times we want to be served rather than to be the servant. So, how does that fit into the way Jesus calls us to service? Sometimes it is hard to hear this message of service in the midst of all that is going on in our lives. Pope Francis has stated that he wants his priests to be out with his people, to smell like the sheep. How can we incorporate that mandate into our daily lives? We are indeed called to follow Christ’s example.
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