I would like to share my experience as an apostle for Holy Thursday Mass with you when I was 9-10 years old. The practice in my hometown was that boys my age were the apostles for the washing of feet. My two brothers and I were apostles more than once. The sacristan picked the apostles, and we were always in church. My parents bought us new clothing for the washing of feet. The thing that I liked the most about my experience as an apostle, and today I find it incredible, is that we sat around a special table and, while Mass was being celebrated, we were served cookies and drinks!

The washing of feet was a custom in the ancient world that served as a sign of hospitality. It was performed often by servants. Saint John tells us that on the eve of his Passion, the Lord wanted to wash his disciple’s feet. What a powerful sign of humility! God-made-man becomes the servant! We can almost imagine the surprise on the disciples’ faces when the Lord washes their feet.

We can assume that all the disciples, except one, did not know what to do or say. Saint Peter believes he knows what to do and what to say to the Lord. He comes up with, “You will never wash my feet”. The Lord kindly tells him, “Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me”. With this explanation the Lord adds one more meaning to the washing of feet: the meaning of cleansing of our souls from sin that the Lord alone can perform. The salvific grace that springs up from the Passion and Death of the Lord, and that comes to us through the sacraments, is what forgives sin.  

After the Lord washes his disciples’ feet, he explains what he has just done. He is giving them an example to follow. The disciples are to wash one another’s feet. The example to follow is for all the Lord’s disciples of all times and places, us here included.

The Lord washes our feet continually through the sacraments. We are tempted as Saint Peter was that evening to not allow the Lord to wash our feet. Some Catholics do not bother coming to the sacraments, especially to the Holy Eucharist and Reconciliation, to receive the Lord’s action of purifying our souls. Today we are reminded of the importance of participating regularly in these two sacraments.

The example that the Lord gives us to follow is challenging. In our interactions with others, we are to take the place of the servant. We are tempted to think that others should serve us rather than us serving them.

Let us humbly ask the Lord to grant us his grace to love others as he does and teaches us to. Let us also ask the Lord to grant us the gift of humility to approach him in the sacraments, especially the holy Eucharist and Reconciliation.