From the Gospel of John, chapter 13
*12 When he had washed their feet, and taken his garments, and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. *
When this rite is done in monasteries…of men AND of women…and it is the Superior who undertakes to wash the feet of those s/he governs, it is assuredly not with reference to the priesthood. It is with reference to the example of Jesus who is Teacher and Lord washing the feet of His disciples and how each must do likewise relative to anyone they are placed over. They do it on Holy Thursday because that is when Jesus did it.
In the same way, when monarchs performed this rite, it was not about the priesthood. Rather, it was about “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them” – being called to serve and not simply to be served. Today, in the United Kingdom, the Queen does not wash feet but she does bestow special ceremonial gifts on those whom she has chosen to be with her for the celebration of the Maundy Thursday service, in her presence, at one of the Anglican Cathedrals where she serves those she has selected to receive this honour; her ancestors actually did literally wash feet. Now, the number of people for whom she does this gesture of service is equivalent to the number of her years.
In the context of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper in Rome as celebrated by the Pope, it was historically at the cathedral, Saint John Lateran. And it was 12 priests who had a foot washed. It was a fitting gesture relative to the bishop and his priests. That is a luxury Rome has that many dioceses do not because of the shortage of priests, however.
Pope Francis though chose to set aside that custom and take up a very different one from that of his predecessors…choosing to go to places for this Mass more in keeping with where a priest would be and what a priest would do for the Mass of the Lord’s Supper.
After celebrating the Chrism Mass in the morning, he goes to his much loved periphery for the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, to focus on a community that is marginalised and not thought of as much as it perhaps should be, in order for him to bring the love of Christ to them and, at the same time, to focus a light on places where we are all called to make a difference.
This is not simply a rite to be accomplished at Mass in a parish church, although that is where it will occur the most, numerically speaking. It is, however, the expression of what is supposed to be lived daily by those who have been placed in a position of authority – be it a prelate or a priest…be it an abbess…be it a monarch…OR be it with each other; we are to be servants to all as Jesus made Himself to be. The choice of Pope Francis to leave behind his cathedral to go and serve those on the periphery is itself a gesture of what Jesus mandated on Maundy Thursday every bit as much as when, in the sacred liturgy, he is washing the feet of the people that he finds there.
In parishes, it can be very easy, since Holy Thursday has many themes that are complementary but not coterminous, to associate the foot washing with the origin of the priesthood…but, as the above examples show, monastics and monarchs would not agree that is the only – or even the most appropriate – interpretation of the rite. And the Pope is also reminding us of that in his own way.
That’s crazy. Lol! Thanks for sharing that. Learn something new everyday. 