John 13: 16-20
When Jesus had washed the disciples feet, he said to them:
“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. I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But it is to fulfill the scripture, ‘The one who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ I tell you this now, before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am he. Very truly, I tell you, whoever receives one whom I send receives me; and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Who Am I Better Than?
Today’s Gospel begins with an iconic scene: Jesus washing his disciples’ feet. We are asked to reckon once again with a disconcerting Gospel truth. How do we feel when confronted with Jesus’ insistence that no one person is any better than another? How do we respond when we see once more that even Jesus the Christ bends low to serve those he loves? How are our own worldly plans thrown into disarray when we realize that the path Christ sets for us is one of humility and service?
God enters human history in the Incarnation, a moment of spiritual descent into the depths of human suffering and struggle. Can we see this same downward mobility in Jesus’ own falling to his knees to wash the disciples’ feet, his tender care for the lowest, dirtiest part of the human body?
It’s a hard road, to be sure. But, in his final days, our beloved Pope Francis reminded us how we might set our own feet upon. Arriving at the Roman prison on Holy Thursday where he so often washed the feet of prisoners, Francis, realizing that he could not participate in the same ritual this year, simply said to those in prison: “I want to be close to you.”
Who do we need to draw close to today? How might sharing company with others help us overcome our own temptation to pride and instead embark upon Christ’s downward path of humility?
—Eric Clayton is the author of Finding Peace Here and Now: How Ignatian Spirituality Leads Us to Healing and Wholeness, My Life with the Jedi: The Spirituality of Star Wars and more.
Prayer
Let me have too deep a sense of humor to be proud.
Let me know my absurdity before I act absurdly.
Let me realize that when I am humble I am most human,
most truthful,
and most worthy of your serious consideration.
—Daniel A. Lord, SJ
Pray with the Pope
Pray with the monthly prayer intentions of the pope.