A symbolic act depicting Jesus’ washing of the feet of His disciples
By Agnes Chai
Apr 16 2022
AFTER Jesus has washed the feet of His disciples, He asked them: “Do you understand what I have done to you?”
KK prelate, Archbishop John Wong took pains to explain to those assembled at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, or the Liturgy of Holy Thursday, what Jesus meant, and in the same vein what Jesus has done to us.
Beginning with St John, he informed that the Gospel was taken from the Gospel of St John. Unlike the other Gospels, St John does not speak of the institution of the Eucharist, but speaks instead of Jesus’ washing of the feet of His disciples.
John’s reflection on the washing of the feet actually points to Jesus’ gesture telling us “that the whole life of Jesus, from beginning to end, was a washing of feet, which is, serving humanity.”
The Archbishop added, Jesus, the Son of God, got down to wash the feet of His disciples – an unpleasant task, but an essential service and usually assigned to the lowest of slaves.
Jesus also told His disciples that He has given them an example to follow. The Archbishop noted the command of Jesus and asked “What kind of example is He asking us to copy?”
He invited his audience “to look at those whose feet had been washed by the Master” in order to better understand what He has done to the disciples, and to us.
Among the disciples were: one who had betrayed (Judas), one who had denied Him three times (Peter), one who had doubted Him (Thomas), and all had abandoned Him.
However, even when all those who were His closest friends had abandoned or rejected Him, He did not condemn anyone. There were only forgiveness, acceptance, love and compassion.
This is what He has done to His disciples, and to us too. Though we have numerous times betrayed, denied, doubted, and abandoned Him – He never condemns, punishes, or gets angry with us. Instead He forgives, accepts, and patiently waits for our return to Him with Love and Compassion.
After the Gospel, Archbishop Wong, assisted by concelebrant Fr Joshua Liew, began to wash the feet of 12 to help us to understand how Jesus humbled Himself to come from heaven to serve, from the moment of the incarnation to the point of kneeling down to wash his disciples’ feet.
He further expounded that the Lord’s Supper presented by the other Gospels pointed to some of the most extraordinary words uttered by Jesus.
As He took the bread, and said the blessing, He broke the bread and gave it to His disciples and said: “Take it, this is my Body.” Not “This looks like my Body”, or “This is a symbol of my Body.”
Again, with the cup of wine, He said “This wine is my Blood”, and He gave His Body and Blood to His disciples.
So from the proclamation of the Word of God, we hear Jesus literally putting Himself at the feet of the disciples, even more extraordinarily, putting Himself into the hands of His disciples (hands of human beings) by whom His Body is broken, and His Blood is shed.
The gift of the Eucharist is therefore not merely a symbol. It is a reality in which Jesus gives His own Body and Blood to us as spiritual food for our spiritual journey in the world to the Father.
This very night, Jesus continues to ask us “Do you understand what I have done to you?” If our answer is “Yes”, listen to what He says to us “Do this as Memorial of Me!”
Therefore, let our “Yes” to Him mean “we will follow Him wherever He goes”, and “we will place ourselves at the feet of others, and at the feet of the world”.
