Selfless Devotion

 

I have many childhood memories of Holy Week, the special week that ends with the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  At first, it was a childish joy, because in the old days Holy Week meant an abbreviated school week.  When I got to my teen years, I looked forward to the different liturgies of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and of course midnight Masses.  As each year has passed though, I gained a deeper understanding of the Scripture readings of this sacred week.  This year is not an exception.

The reading from Isaiah is the beginning of the four Servant Songs: “Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my Spirit; . . .” (Isaiah 42:1-7).  This is a description of the one who was going to bring justice and freedom to all nations.  Isaiah called Him a “servant” not a king.  Not a ruler.  Not a master.  A servant.  One who looks to the needs of others before their own. This leader is also one who is focused on justice and peace.  Not your normal everyday leader.

The servant theme continues in the reading from the Gospel of John (John 12:1-11).  Jesus had just raised Lazarus from the dead and Martha was again serving, and Mary was at the feet of Jesus.  They were hosting a dinner for Jesus and this time Martha was serving the meal without complaining about what Mary was doing.  She might have been pondering the raising of her brother from the dead.  This time the focus is on Mary.  She was at Jesus’ feet again only she wasn’t listening to what Jesus was saying.  Rather, she was anointing His feet.  Didn’t she realize who He was?  It was Judas who was complaining this time about the waste of the costly nard.  He really wanted to sell it for his own pocket. Jesus spoke prophetically about the anointing of His own body on the day of His burial as a rebuke to Judas’ chastisement.

In a few days we’ll read the Gospel of John again (and I’ll reflect on it, as well) and at the Last Supper it will be Jesus who is washing the feet of Peter.  In Jesus’ time, the washing of feet was left to the lowest ranking servant in the house.  I think it’s interesting that Mary, a woman is chastised for doing this for Jesus and then Jesus hears Peter’s refusal of the washing of his own feet.  Mary, a woman, who in Jesus’ time had no rights or privileges sitting at a place of a lowly servant.  No one complained that she was sitting at Jesus’ feet.  It was an act of love and Jesus knew her intention.  Did Jesus ponder this action and then take it upon Himself to do as she did?  To wash Peter’s feet in a loving manner but elevating it, changing it, as He had to many of the other traditions of the time.  Raising this simple disgusting action of a servant to mean something deeper for the Apostles.  A simple action in the scriptures that has certainly struck me enough to spend some time reflecting on it today.

One of the questions that these readings led me to ponder is “What simple action in my everyday life has changed over the past year to an action of love?”  I think it’s worth pondering some more.