Sermon Cloud

Only a few short months after his election as pope in 1978, John Paul II made his first international pilgrimage to the Dominican Republic, Mexico and the Bahamas.  As he stepped off the plane in the Caribbean island nation, he knelt and kissed the ground.  This gesture was unexpected even by some of the members of the papal entourage; it might even have struck some of the onlookers as curious, but in the end it became one of John Paul's trademark gestures.

Actions which are unexpected have the effect of catching our attention.  The bystander is usually compelled at least to wonder why the unfamiliar posture or word is used.  In short, it catches the attention of all those who are in attendance, but gestures also have the potential to speak even louder than words.  They are often used to emphasize a message that needs to be communicated, or as ways of modeling the behavior that is expected.

Even little children know the power of gestures and actions.  Without words, parents and other adults can quite effectively model behavior that is then imitated by the most innocent onlooker.

Jesus knew the power of actions and gestures.  He knew what he was doing as he removed his outer garment that night and washed his disciples' feet (Jn 13:4-5).  He knew that they would be shocked, and very curious about why he was crossing the boundaries of cultural expectation and taking up a menial task which would normally be relegated to the youngest member of a household.

Up to this point, Jesus had been talking about the Kingdom and for many of the disciples, it had perhaps sounded like a wonderful idea, but this was the night when Jesus would show them where the rubber hits the road.  While fulfilling the religious requirement to celebrate the Passover Seder (Ex 12: 1-14) He wanted them to see that this was no ordinary meal, that those who partake in it need to put its truths into action.

The Last Supper was an intimate encounter between friends.  Jesus shared with the disciples the heart of his message, and we are the beneficiaries of this truth.  Paul speaks of the fact that he had experienced this intimacy (1 Cor 11:23-26) and that he in turn was called upon to invite others to partake of this meal.  We too are beneficiaries of this life-giving sacrifice, but this is no ordinary meal. Like the apostle Paul, we too must be willing to allow our lives to be changed by the truth of this meal and the service it calls us to.  In the actions of sharing his body and blood, and in washing the feet of the disciples, Jesus shows us the power of divine love, the hidden factor that motivated him to serve, and that allows us too to reach out to those in our midst who most need to know how much they are loved.

Jesus invites us all to perpetuate his gesture of service, to wash one another's feet (Jn 13:14-15), but this is not always easy.  Like Peter, we too might balk at the invitation to allow ourselves to be so vulnerable (Jn 13:6). There is always a part of us that shies away from allowing ourselves to be served.  Allowing another person to wash your feet is perhaps one of the most vulnerable things that we can do.  In a society that values privacy and individualism, what we are about to do speaks loudly of the importance of service to one another, but also of allowing ourselves to benefit from the service of others. 

Eleven members of the parish have agreed to partake in the washing of feet tonight.  As pastor of the parish, I will begin by washing the first person's feet.  Once this is complete, that person will wash the feet of the next person, and so on until the circle is complete and the last person has washed my feet.  Above all, this is a gesture of love.  As it is completed, I invite you to reflect on the ways that each of us is called to serve.  Are there invitations that we have refused? Are there opportunities that are being offered to us, ones we are still considering?  How do we reach out to others when we too are in need?