Messy Business

Holy Thursday Homily

Ex 12:1-8,11-14

Ps 116:12-13,15-16,17-18

1 Cor 11:23-26

Jn 13:1-15

Washing someone’s feet was not a pretty job. Remember that in Jesus’ time there were no paved roads and no dedicated sewage systems. The dirt roads served as sewers. And if you were wearing open-toed sandals it was inevitable that you¹d get gunk on your feet. Nobody wanted to track that stuff inside. As we travel along the road of life we pick up a lot of gunk, too. We encounter discrimination, prejudice, hatred, misunderstanding, and outright hostility when we journey as Christians. No matter what we wear on our feet we get dirty. It’s hard to wash off, especially by yourself.

Luckily, we don’t journey along the road alone. We meet others along the way who are going the same way. Some are going elsewhere. But we all get our feet dirty, and we all need our feet washed. It’s hard to wash your own feet. It’s easier if someone else does it for you. Even in the shower it takes a bit of balancing to get between your toes. But having your feet washed is really a rather intimate experience. Our feet are sensitive and ticklish. They bear the weight of our bodies day after day, often becoming scarred and blemished over time. Our feet are often ugly. We tend to cover them up.

Foot washing is a sign of humility. The foot washer was the lowliest servant in the household. That’s why Jesus’ use of this symbolic action was so powerful. He really illustrated just how much we need to humble ourselves and serve others. But having your feet washed is also a humbling experience. It requires that we drop our defenses and put ourselves into the hands of another. Someone who will see just how scarred we are.

The Hebrews in the first reading today were going on a journey to God-knows-where. All they knew was that they were leaving. Anywhere would have been better than where they were, but they left the journey up to God. Their journey was one of complete faith; yet mixed with their joy was a level of fear of the unknown. Jesus knew that his journey would soon be over. He knew where he was going and that foreknowledge was agonizing. He left the upper room and went out into the darkness. Into the fear and anxiety and pain of the garden. Into total abandonment by his friends and perhaps even by his Father. His journey had nothing left to sustain it but faith.

That night Jesus chose to leave his friends two things for their journey: the nourishment they needed to travel it, and the support they needed to complete it. The bread he broke was just a hint of the body that would be broken on the cross. The wine he poured was just a shadow of the blood he would shed on Calvary. He himself was the lamb that was slaughtered, and his suffering the bitter herbs.

We too are called to break ourselves for others. That same Eucharist sustains us. Jesus showed his friends how to be foot washers. Just before he made this gesture, John says that the apostles were arguing over who was the most important person in the group. Even at this late stage in the journey, they still didn’t get it. They were still judging by the world¹s standards. Jesus’ actions must have been like a slap in the face. But with compassion he then left them each other to be a community of servants. That same community guides us and supports us on our journey. Our road can be filled with danger, fear, and anxiety. Like Jesus, after we leave this supper we will go out into the night, into the darkness. Tonight there will be no words of dismissal. We will not be called to go forth in the peace of Christ to love and serve one another. We will just leave. Into the quiet of the night.