Washing of feet, sign of extreme humility

Washing of feet, sign of extreme humility

Very soon we will be observing the Holy Week which will culminate in Easter commemorating the resurrection of Jesus. On Holy Thursday we will witness the priest washing the feet of his 12 “apostles”.

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, we are asked follow Christ, to humble ourselves, to wash the feet of others especially those under our care. In real life 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.

If only we had that humility a lot of troubles would never have occurred. If only George Bush ,Tony Blair and other prominent and respected leaders including our Pope, had that humility of Christ, to go down to meet with Saadam Hussein, the Iraq war might have been averted. Similarly lack of this humility was the cause of violence and war throughout the history of man.

On a smaller dimension if only each one of us had that humility, divorce and family break up with “orphaned” children will be minimal. Our families would be happy and intact.

Every year our priests make it a point to wash the feet of their twelve "apostles". To many it may be just a ritual and they do it as an obligation. In fact the act itself is reminder that they are the servants, not masters, of their parishioners.

The washing of the feet is a lesson not only for the priests but for of us as well. It is a lesson for us in our relationship with those we encounter daily - our spouse, our children, parents, priests, friends and 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 neighbor 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 of humility so that we can in our own small ways, bring about the peace and harmony in our own surroundings.

Dr.Chris Anthony