It's A Service Thing

I give you a new commandment, says the Lord:

love one another as I have loved you.

I always have found it ironic that we commemorate the Mass of the Lord's Supper where the Eucharist is instituted for us and the Gospel that the Church has chosen for us on this holy day is the one where the central theme is the washing of the apostle's feet. 

In Palestine during the time of Jesus people either went barefoot or the wore sandals.  The roads of the day, while surprisingly good due to Roman engineering, were dusty affairs and one thing that you did when a friend arrived is that you provided water and basin and towel so that they could wash their feet and help keep your house clean.  In the richer families, the task of foot washing was delegated to the lowest servant.  It was not the job you aspired to.  You did not go to school to learn it and when a child and you were playing with your friends, no boy would say that he was going to be a foot washing servant when he grew up.

But it is to service that we are called and we have been given an example in Jesus what that service should entail.  True, He washed the disciple's feet, all of them, even the feet of Judas whom Jesus knew was going to betray him. Jesus washed the feet of Judas tenderly and with great love.  Simon Peter, you always know when Peter is going to get himself in trouble because they use both of his names in the narrative, is astonished that Jesus, whom they looked on as their Lord and Master was on his knees scrubbing the dirty feet of the Apostles.   When Jesus came to Peter, Peter protested at the thought of what the Lord was about to do to him.  Jesus simply said to Peter that if you don't let Him wash his feet, that Peter would find himself on the outside looking in.  Peter, being Peter went and did what Peter was apt to do, he went overboard and offered he feet, hands, and head to be washed.  Jesus just went about His task without making any further comment to Peter. Then He explained that they called Him. "Lord and Master."  This was well and good for that is what he is and He took on this lowly job, so it should be with them.  Finally, a lesson that even a dumb old apostle could understand! 

The rest of Jesus' life would be spent in giving us the example on how we are to serve.  The service of Jesus continued right up until the very end when He sacrificed His life to save us from our sins.  He gave His life and was the suffering servant for all of us. What He did, we also must do to one another.  We should stumble over each other in trying to be of help and service to one another.  This self-sacrifice is the mark of a follower of Jesus. 

On this holy day, please remember your relatives and friends who might be in purgatory. The Pascal time is a beautiful time to pray for them and to offer sacrifices of your time and treasure in their name. Sadly, we delude ourselves into thinking that everyone goes to heaven immediately after death. The purging of our connections to sin is something we will volunteer for because we know that everything in heaven is sinless and perfect.  So, pray for them and remember, where they are, someday you may be!