De Missa Solemni Vespertina in Cena Domini - He Began to Wash their Feet

LESSON: An act about more than service

The Gospel for this Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper is perhaps one of the most misunderstood passages in the Church’s annual liturgical cycle. In most Catholic churches tonight, if the priest chooses to preach on this passage, Our Lord’s highly meaningful and symbolic act will be reduced to one of mere social service. In other Catholic churches, priests will not be preaching on this passage because they do not want to reduce the importance of this night to mere social service.

The same understanding has taken hold in many protestant denominations as well. Some of you may recall the controversy surrounding a commercial that aired during this year’s Super Bowl with computer-generated images of individuals washing the feet of others, with depictions including an abortion worker washing the feet of a woman while Christians protested in the background, and a Catholic priest washing the feet of what most assumed to be a homosexual.

Apart from the attempt to shame pro-life workers and Catholics, again, the commercial missed the whole point of Our Lord’s actions at the Last Supper, removing the spiritual significance of His washing of the Apostles’ feet.

To put it quite simply, this was not an act focused on service, but one focused on sin.

EXPLANATION: The spiritual meaning of washing feet

St. Thomas Aquinas is often thought of as the Church’s philosopher, who provides answers to all of the Church’s philosophical and theological questions with supreme clarity, but that would sell St. Thomas short. Yes, he was all of that, but he was also a deeply spiritual individual with profound insights into the meaning of Holy Scripture and the mystical life.

We notice that the first thing Our Lord does is to remove his outer garments and gird Himself with a towel. This action carries with it a beautiful two-fold symbolism. As St. Paul reminds us in his Epistle to Philippians, “though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”

It is an action that points back to His Incarnation, showing us that what He is about to do is intimately connected with the central reason for His coming to Earth; to redeem us and free us from sin. It is also an action that points forward to the fact that the following day, He would once again be stripped of His garments by the soldiers and be girded with a towel when placed in the tomb, fulfilling His redemptive mission.

Having removed His garments and girded Himself with a towel, Our Lord proceeds to pour water into a basin. We might be tempted to simply skip over this minute reference, but again, there is deep spiritual meaning to be found in this simple act.

First, the pouring of the water symbolizes the pouring out of Christ’s blood that would take place on the Cross the next day. As St. John reminds us in the Apocalypse, Christ washes us clean with His blood, so in this case, water is a fitting image of the Blood of Christ. It, too, is an action that points forward to the blood and water that would flow from His pierced side on the Cross, giving birth to the Church. Water in the Scriptures is also a sign of tribulation, reminding us that through His trials and tribulations, Christ would save us from ours.

Then He began to wash the feet of the Apostles. But why just their feet? Indeed, it seems St. Peter wondered the same thing and demanded that Our Lord wash his hands and his head as well, but Christ is insistent on washing just the feet.

St. Thomas gives us the answer. The head symbolizes the intellect, and through their time with Our Lord, hearing His teaching, their intellects had been purified. The hands symbolize good works, which had also been purified by the many missionary assignments that Christ had given to them during their time together. The feet; for the man who stands upright with his eyes turned to heavenly things, his only point of contact with the Earth is the feet, so they symbolize concupiscence. Even the holiest of saints, while still in this life, must contend with concupiscence, the inclination to sin, which must be continually combated and purified.

Finally, at the end of this sacred drama, Our Lord tells the Apostles, “you also ought to wash one another’s feet.”

This is indeed a command that applies to all of us, but if Our Lord’s actions were intended in a symbolic and spiritual way, how can we best imitate Him?

IMPLICATION: Spiritually washing other’s feet

As we saw, Our Lord’s action of foot washing began with the removal of His garments and the putting on of a towel, symbolizing both His Incarnation and Death offered for our redemption. If we want to imitate Christ, then the first way we can spiritually wash the feet of others is to forgive the offences they have committed against us.

How many times did Our Lord not just command us to forgive others, “Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven,” but set an example Himself, most especially when He forgave His tormentors from the Cross, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”

A second way we can spiritually wash the feet of others is to pray for the conversion of sinners. Every Wednesday, as we gather for the homeschoolers’ Holy Hour, we offer the prayer of the Angel of Fatima, “O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg the conversion of poor sinners.” We should pray and sacrifice frequently for the conversion of sinners, especially those close to us.

Third, St. Thomas reminds us that the Works of Mercy are ways to spiritually wash the feet of others. So often today, the focus stays on the Corporal Works of Mercy, but the Spiritual Works are just as vital, perhaps even more so in our day: instructing the ignorant; counselling the doubtful; admonishing sinners; bearing wrongs patiently; forgiving offences willingly; comforting the afflicted; and praying for the living and the dead.

In a short time, Christ, crucified and risen, will become present on the Altar. As we receive Him in Holy Communion, let us ask for the grace to wash the feet of others by forgiving offences, praying for sinners, and practicing the works of mercy.