Washing of feet

Washing of feet, sign of extreme humility

We just celebrated Holy Week which culminated in Easter commemorating the resurrection of Jesus. On Holy Thursday we witnessed the priest washing the feet of the 12 “apostles”.

Unfortunately nowadays this ritual seems to be over- publicized, carried with pictures by all our leading national dailies as though it is a political event.

This act of Jesus was a revolutionary one which would have been scorned by those in power. By Jesus washing the feet of his apostles He has demonstrated the most extreme form of humility and love for man and this love resulted in the ultimate sacrifice of His life for us on the cross.

As the followers of Jesus, are we willing to demonstrate that humility and love for those below us? Are we willing to sacrifice whatever we can for the betterment of others? These are the questions we must pose to ourselves and ponder over them. We must follow Christ, to humble ourselves, to wash the feet of others especially those under our care.

Every year the priest makes it a point to wash the feet his twelve apostles. To many it is just a ritual and they do it as a show. They fail to understand that the act itself is reminder that they are the servants, not masters, of their parishioners. Instead of being of service to the people, they engage in all sorts of political game with them.

The washing of the feet is a lesson not only for the priests but for of us as well. It a lesson for us in our relationship with those we encounter daily - our spouse, our children, parents, priests, friends particularly our subordinates. Do we treat them with respect and love?

The washing of the feet is a clear demonstration of Christ’s second great commandment to us – love your neighbour as yourself. Mother Teresa had this great virtue of humility in abundance as she fulfilled this commandment to the fullest. Let us ask God to also give us this great virtue so that we can emulate her on earth.


Dr.Chris Anthony