Homily for Holy Thursday
April 8, 2004
Dear Friends,
“So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also must wash one another’s feet.”
On a night so deeply remembered as that on which Jesus “took bread, broke it and gave it to his disciples,” the Gospel for Holy Thursday recounts the establishment of a different “sacrament.” Although not one of the Church’s official seven sacraments, Jesus’ command to his disciples that we are to be washers of one another’s feet should be at the very core of our life together in Christ.
What does foot washing teach us about our Eucharistic faith? Jesus says that he is “Teacher and Lord” (Jn 13:13), yet he is among us as one who serves. Dorothy Day and Mother Teresa learned this lesson by their sacrifice and dedication to serving the poor. Paul understood this when his privileged life was turned upside down. As disciples, or “learners,” we must first “unlearn” the lies of self-sufficiency and control. It’s not an easy lesson.
Like Peter, we are afraid of kneeling before our sisters and brothers in a such a humiliating fashion. Yet when we allow them to cleanse us, we experience communion with Jesus and one another. We are no longer slaves but friends, a community that welcomes and serves others. Jesus instructs us, “I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done.” What we do here tonight in ritual and at table must continue in a lifetime of faithful service.
As we begin this year’s celebration of the Sacred Triduum, may we offer ourselves ever more deeply to those with whom we share the journey of discipleship. In giving ourselves to one another in service and in love, may we know with greater and greater intimacy the Presence of the One who is love, right here in our midst.