Holy Thursday: Washing of the feet

“Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.”




The act of Christ’s humility manifests his Kingly function “To serve and not to be served”. It is an act that Christ shares his love and service to his disciples by washing their feet.

“You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. “

-John 13:1-17-

 Why we commemorate this in our Liturgy of Holy Thursday? It began since then at the Last Supper by our Lord. Then our Apostle followed Christ example and instructions “To wash one another’s feet”. As our Apostles followed what Christ instructed them to do as the service with humility, it started in 4th century outside Rome as part of Liturgical Celebration of the Early Christians that been headed by the Apostles and so on by the Bishops and Priests as Apostle’s successor. The Council of Toledo in the year 694 included this rite as part in the Liturgy of Holy Thursday in the churches of Spain and France. Rome allowed this rite as part of Liturgy of Holy Thursday during 12th century. Men were chosen to stand as apostles because they wish to serve the Church. They take their place prepared for them and the priest or bishop goes to each of them to wash and wipe their feet.
 We have a beautiful tradition from Christ handed down to our apostles, in our century that after the priest washed the disciples’ feet he then kissed it as a sign if his love for a life service like Christ did.

                              Christ humbly washed the feet of his Apostles

                             

                             Pope Francis humbly followed what Christ did