Many years ago, back in JC, I was invited to join a retreat organised by my college's Catholic prayer group that Dominic was part of. I wasn't Catholic, nor thoroughly Christian, but I did enjoy their fellowship, and I did learn more about God through them.

It was held over the weekend of Palm Sunday I recall. And the most memorable session of this retreat was the foot washing.

In Jesus' day, people wore sandals while traveling, and their feet would have gotten quite dusty. When you are welcomed into a house as a guest, it was customary for the host to offer you the opportunity to wash your feet. Rarely would a host offer to wash the feet for his guest. It is such a menial task that even most slaves wouldn't be asked to perform it! Washing feet was not noble, nor honorable.

To me, Easter is most significant event in Chrisitianity. And while many focused on the crucifixion and the resurrection, the mystery of God's love cannot be better demonstrated than this night.

Some people say that the bible can be summarised to just what was said on this night.

There are many lessons to be learnt. One is about God's love. The other is how we are to love. how we learn to be loved. about humility.

What we have proclaimed to us on this night is far from glamorous, far from sensational, far from the splendor of modern religion. It is easy to focus on the Crucifixion. We all understand martrydom. We all understand what it means when someone suffers and sacrfices his life for someone else. “There is no greater love than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

Christ did not need to wash his discliples feet. He did not have degrade himself. Some people have forgotten about this, while others don't see the significance. The cross is the symbol of our faith, not the towel nor someone's feet. Today, while many churches celebrate communion as a remembrance to this night, not many conduct foot washing. Why?

What we have proclaimed to us tonight is the menial, degrading task of washing feet. What Jesus shows us tonight is his love for his own and in that, the reflection of God's love for us. This simple act of foot washing anticipates and symbolizes the major, painful, demeaning act of his death. I am sure many of you have watched the Passion. Even though Jesus has been with them all this time, the disciples still need this example to fully know him. The act of foot washing isn't just a model for Christian behavior. It's a vivid portrayal of the nature of God in Christ. It is not about washing of feet or cleansing of one's sins. I think some people will see foot washing as a cleansing ritual. I don't think so. I am sure the discliples were able to wash their feet on their own.

It is about God's love. That no matter how dirty, how smelly our feet are, God still loves us, and loves us to the extent of taking off his robes, kneeling down in front of us and wash our feet. And we learn to accept that love.

We don't wash feet because it's fun, rewarding, or pleasant. We don't serve others because of the good feelings it gives us. We wash feet, we serve others, because that's what Jesus showed us to be the very nature of God, and thus, the nature of what the Church ought to be. We don't engage in loving service for the good feelings it gives us or for how wonderful it makes us look to others. Rather, we do it because we are in the practice of being the Church. And the Church must reflect the nature of God if it's indeed going to be the Church of Jesus Christ.

Take Project Muhibah. They didn't just repaint the flat, they scrubbed toilet bowls, clean up the old folk's excrement. I do not think the volunteers went there because it was enjoyable. Ask Jerry, ask Christine, ask Susan. It wasn't a feel good exercise. They went down because it was what we are called to do. To love one another as He love us.

I didn't start asking around for contributions for mattresses because it makes me feel good, or claim credit, or score points in God's eyes. I did it because it is what we are called to do. How can we not reach out to another human being in a plight and still call ourselves Christians? It is not easy, but have we cast aside our own prejudices, our own selfishess, and kneel down beside someone to wash his/her feet? And washing it with love? Have we forgotten how to love one another?

The Jason and deMarco concert is our way of outreaching to the rest of the community. This is just the beginning. We must start to realise that the Church is called to do a lot more things, to reach out and love. The concert may or may not go on. But it is a step forward.

When it comes to considering what kinds of service we might provide for others, literal footwashing is a start. But there are other kinds of service that we could be providing to our "neighbor" that would more closely parallel Jesus washing the disciples' feet.

Ministering to each other, to society at large, providing support, there are many things we could do. How do we serve each other, and those around us? I don't know what the parallel would be for most of us, but our service to one another should not end with tonight's footwashing. The discliples didn't have their foot washed in that room that night before Christ's crucifixion and left it at that. They didn't stay in that room, and likewise we must be a Church that moves beyond these 4 walls, we must reach out to the community beyond.

Having your feet washed can be an uncomfortable experience for those of us who like to keep ourselves insulated from other people. It means baring your feet in public, which I think reflects the baring of our souls to one another. It means allowing another person to serve you, which means accepting that we are all in need. It means letting someone else do something for you, which takes control out of our own hands.

I think very often we hide the darkness and the unclean side of us. We are afraid of being judged by others. We are afraid of being vulnerable. How many of us actually ask for help? How many admit our own shortcomings and weaknesses? Do we actually confess our sins? Do we accept the help that people offer? Are we too proud for that? Or like Like Peter, do we think that we are not good enough to have our feet washed?

John 13:7Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."
8"No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet."
Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."

To kneel before another to wash that person's feet is difficult. But letting another person wash our feet is even more difficult. The act of foot washing exposes our confusion as the Church. In the early Church, Christians stood as they worshiped God and they knelt before others in loving ministry as Christ's Body. Then a twisted deformation crept in. We began to kneel before God and to stand defiantly before others dispensing ministry. Tonight, we learn the proper positions. We wash one another's feet; and even harder, we allow other's to wash our feet. We are reconciled to Christ: standing before God as daughters and sons, and kneeling before others in loving service.

I am not a theologian, but I enjoyed being exposed to new ideas. The death on the cross isn't what changed us. It is a nice image, like a logo, a slogan. It is easy to succumb to this form of idolatry, to cling on to this image, and that this death saved us. But what really saved us was God made flesh, who walked amongst us, and showed us what is love, and how to love.

We must never, never forget what He did and taught us on this night, when he washed his discliples feet, and gave us a new commandment. And we must always remember, we are called to be his discliples in deed as well as in faith. Being a Christian is not a religion, it is a way of life.

We must understand who God is as we meet Him in Jesus. As his disciples, our call is, as Jesus tells us in tonight's Gospel, to "do as [he] has done to [us]."

Let us pray.

Mandatum

Jesus, I would like you to wash my feet
I've come a long distance to ask you this
Although I've frequently gone from my house to yours
With my boxes of fragrant ointments and my tears
Sincerely believing that this was the best I could offer you
That it was my love which mattered
I was eager, but I didn't know much about discipleship
Or the true nature of love, and you, always gentle
Never told me I was wrong, but patiently waited
For me to grow in understanding
It has taken a long time, Lord,
But now I fling open the door to my house
And invite you in to cleanse my feet
Of the dust of many wanderings
I will not feel shame to have you kneel before me,
But will gladly receive the mastery of your love
For in receiving I learn the truth of giving
And I become your servant in being served
Lord Jesus, please I would like you to wash my feet.