We live in a Church that goes back to its roots. We are a faith community that lives from the richness of its Scriptures. We return to the Bible to grasp the origins of our faith and strong values for our lives.
When the Gospel of John was written (approximately seventy years after the Resurrection of Jesus) there was serious discussion about what the meaning of the Eucharist (i.e., the Last Supper) actually was. John, the gospel writer, shapes the story of the Last Supper to bring out the truth, the deeper meaning, of what Jesus was doing and saying.
In the Gospel of John there is no bread and wine at the Last Supper story. What we haev is the washing of the feet. John was trying to tell his faith community what it actually meant to share in the Lord’s Supper.
These were people who lived in a very dry climate. They walked everywhere. As a sign of courtesy, the host would call over the servant who would wash, refresh, the feet of the guests. This was first and foremost the work of the servants.
Now, Jesus upsets everything. Jesus takes the pitcher of water, the towel and he does the work of the servant. He washes the feet of his disciples. They are most embarrassed. Peter protests. Jesus makes it very clear: “Unless I wash you have no share with me.” (Jn. 13,8)
The Gospel writer’s church would have immediately grasped that unless you live and be a servant like Jesus, you are not celebrating the Eucharist honestly. The Eucharist is not a religious ritual to be followed exactly. It is a sharing in the outpouring giving of a servant God. Remember how much the washing of the feet has upset our notion of an all-powerful God, who demands subservience from humanity. No, God is a servant who comes among us to bring us life and goodness. This is a god who pours out God’s mercy, love and compassion; not a divinity caught up in his ego!
This means that when we gather each Sunday to share in the holy Eucharist we are entering into the outpouring love and mercy of Jesus Christ. This is about sharing in the self-giving of Jesus toward humanity. Now, we are the people who share our life, energy and time for others. The Eucharist is a sharing in the very heart of Jesus Christ. As he assumed the role of the servant in the washing of the feet, so we too are being empowered to share of our life in like-manner. We too are meant to wash the feet of our sisters and brothers.
The Eucharist leads us, challenges us, to break our life like good bread and share it with the poor of this world. Our lives are empowered by the mercy of Jesus Christ to bring healing to the broken, hope to the dispirited and forgiveness to the wayward, the sinner.
We may have the washing of the feet only once a year but this ritual action spells out very clearly what it means to celebrate and live the Eucharist.
In your prayer, see what the risen Lord is leading you to wash the feet of the poor and the forgotten of this world.
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