Scripture
“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, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.”
John 13: 14-15
Reflection
Holy Thursday is a day when Christians traditionally gather together to recall Jesus washing the feet of his disciples and the institution of the Eucharist. This remembrance is a call to come together, be nourished and go forth to serve one another.
Yet, this year as we live through social distancing and worship together by way of live streaming, we cannot gather in large community groups, we cannot be nourished by the Eucharist and there are limits on the ways we can serve one another. The message of Holy Thursday seems lost.
Yet, if we take a deeper look perhaps the message of Holy Thursday is more alive than ever. Today we witness tremendous outpourings of prayer and the hospitality of that last meal of Jesus with his disciples in the generous care of our families, our neighbors and strangers. We also observe the sacrifice of health care workers, first responders, leaders, families, friends, and strangers, giving of themselves, even when it may endanger their own lives.
This is living Holy Thursday. This is the spiritual nourishment Jesus gave us at the Last Supper, and the example he sets in washing the feet (clean or dirty) of his disciples, not as a ritual, but as a lived experience. Jesus did this to remind each of us…” so as I have done for you, you should also do.”
Perhaps the words of this familiar hymn best sum up the message of Holy Thursday…
“Where charity and love prevail.
there God is ever found.
Brought here together by Christ’s love,
By love are we thus bound.”
Practice
Whose “feet” will you wash today? How will you offer hospitality today? Who will you pray for today? And in the days ahead who will you serve?
Sr. Anne Kilbride, O.P., Assistant to the President for Dominican Mission