Naturally, we want Jesus to make our lives easier. Isn't that the purpose behind many of our prayers? It should come as no surprise that we do get what we ask for, but not the way we had imagined. When we imitate Jesus, it's the way we cope with the difficulties of life that becomes easier.
During the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, at one of our local parishes (St. Bernadette’s) in Stockton, California, at the point in the Mass where the priest usually washes the feet of others in ‘non-Covid19’ times, he is going to allow time for anyone who wants to imitate Christ’s last action before His Crucifixion to wash the feet of others in the household who may be watching on-line. You can learn more about the #washtheirfeetchallenge here. You may even want to join in on the Mass with Father John Peter. Just google St. Bernadette's church in Stockton and "like" the Facebook page. It will notify you when Mass starts at 7PM (Pacific Time).
Have you washed anyone's feet lately? Maybe you haven't literally soaped up a friend's smelly feet as a sign of your unconditional love, but you probably have given of yourself in a foot-washing way.
To wash the feet of others is to love them even when they don't deserve your love.
To wash the feet of others is to do good to them even if they don't return the favor.
To wash the feet of others is to consider their needs as important as your own.
To wash the feet of others is to forgive them even if they don't say, "I'm sorry."
To wash the feet of others is to serve them even when the task is unpleasant.
To wash the feet of others is to let them know you care when they feel downtrodden or burdened.
To wash the feet of others is to be generous with what you have.
To wash the feet of others is to turn the other cheek instead of retaliating when you're treated unfairly.
To wash the feet of others is to make adjustments in your plans so you can serve their needs.
To wash the feet of others is to serve them with humility and not with any hope of reward.
Notice the posture of Jesus. He knelt. Imagine Jesus kneeling in front of you now, lowering Himself to the level of your feet and tenderly ministering to your needs. He is in fact doing this, right now, today. And He will do it again and again, as often as you need Him to care about you!
He’s asking you to go and do likewise: Be the hands of Jesus that wash the feet of the people around you. You’re the answer to their prayers!
By serving others, we gain understanding of what Jesus did for us that holiest of Thursday nights 2000 years ago, and we become more observant of how He's ministering to us. We meet Jesus in the dirty feet that we lower ourselves to clean.
No comments:
Post a Comment