A Servant's Love

Attention: We have a blog special this week. :) Every day during the Triduum we will be posting reflections on the celebrations of Holy Week. (Well by we, I mean definitely me, and maybe my partner as well.) Today is Holy Thursday so I want to reflect on the main theme from the Gospel reading, the washing of feet.

The washing of feet in the ancient world would have been a disgusting task, something fit only for the slaves in a household. The ancient world did not have closed toe shoes, so walking around in desert sands would have made everyone's feet messy. The foot washing ritual in the Passion is very clean for the reality which would have probably occurred, washing sandy, dirty, icky feet. The washing of feet made have had the neurotic fear issues we often associate with a ritual like this today, but I would expect that to be a more modern phenomenon. Regardless, the image of the washing of feet is that it's an icky, disgusting ritual which doesn't make sense, and why would someone do that for anyone, ever.

The power of the gospel passage is that Jesus takes on this servant role. Jesus willingly washes the feet of his disciples, and even says this washing is necessary for being in the community (Jn 13:8). Jesus washes the feet of His disciples and then implores the disciples to do the same (Jn 13:12-15). The invitation to service creates a challenge. 1) If taken literally, I don't want to wash another icky person's feet, feet are gross. :P Also, most people probably don't know what to do when people offer to wash their feet. Some circles see this as part of a romantic gesture, which it can be, but it's not necessarily so. The real challenge with living out this commitment to wash other's feet literally is the comfort factor. It is a really odd gesture, even with a historical scope. However, I would theorize that given the proper understanding, it helps people recognize the specialness in each other, as one is offering to do a task which is humiliating for the sake of the other.

2) If taken as a call to service, this also creates difficulty, as the washing of feet is a very careful service. Feet are intricate, so many toes, and curves, and nerve endings (yeah I've thought too much on days where I walk a lot). Therefore, if feet are intricate, and washing feet is a careful service, then this means we need to give detailed attention to people with whom we interact. People have a lot of needs, and need a lot of care. As individuals, each of us has a lot of needs and desires which require care. The balance is service in any community is meeting the needs of all of the people involved. The biggest challenge this poses is that it requires real attention and real listening to others. Drama, trauma, joys, excitement, these are all things which reflect God's life through the experience of the Incarnation, and also are something we all experience. Interactions can create lasting effects of trust or disorder, depending on how open we are to the other. The strength in thinking about the washing of feet is that it promotes openness to the other, using an apparently awkward symbol to reflect God's love and life.

The washing of feet is an open call for us as members of the community to show a different kind of love to people. The question is, are we ready to answer that invitation?