A model to follow

 

With Jesus, so often the most important part of His messages and of His actions are simple.  Simple in the best meaning of the word, a simplicity that resonates in my mind and in my heart and I hope in my actions. 

In Exodus, we read of the power of God and the call for sacrifice.  We have to prepare, and we must be ready with our sandals on our feet and our staffs in our hands [Exodus 12:1-14].  We must strive to be ready spiritually as well.  In John’s Gospel and in Saint Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, Jesus tries to help His apostles be ready for what is to come [John 13:1-15, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26].  In this most human of His moments, you can tell His love and concern for these men.  Like any teacher, He wants to make sure He's done enough, taught them enough.

When Jesus washes the feet of the apostles, it humbles me.  The act of kneeling in front of someone to wash that person’s feet is the very core of the idea of servant.  Peter at first resists, but when Jesus tells him he will understand later, Peter’s faith and trust are so great that he asks for Jesus to wash his hands and head as well.  We also need that faith and trust to be as a servant to others, to treat all others with respect and dignity.  The message is a simple one, beautiful in its simplicity.  I pray that I can strive to live that message in a world that often seems complicated and chaotic.  Let me do my part to be a servant to others.

A Holy Thursday prayer:

"If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet,

   you ought to wash one another's feet.

  I have given you a model to follow..."    [John 13:14-15]

 

Let me listen with my heart to these words of Jesus.

Let me learn this model in my blood, flesh, bones.

 

Help me, Lord, to shed all pretense in service and love.

 

When confronted with an opportunity to love, serve,

Forgive, soothe, share myself,

And I hesitate and think, "This is beneath me,"

Show me the loving face of Jesus and make me remember

 

This man will die for me.

 

Let me remember that the washing of feet, this

Intimate, gentle touch

That I resist

Might be the only way for me to embrace His dying.

 

Let me remember that when all is passed away

The only things left will be the marks, the models, of my service and love.

 

In the darkness and death, let me remember:

"You ought to wash one another's feet.

  I have given you a model to follow."