Holy Thursday

I wonder if you have ever had a Christmas dinner with a person or people with whom you feel so uncomfortable. The person or people might be your estranged siblings. They might be your in-laws with very different political views. Or they could be your children who are practicing some New Age spirituality you can never understand. But we can be diplomatic with these people. You may make even a smile at them.

But, to a little worse, or maybe quite worse, if these people we have to share the Christmas dinner with have hurt us or our children badly but never said sorry, it would be much more difficult to keep our composure during the whole meal.

Now, to the worst, you are dining with your family on Christmas, but you have already found out your spouse has been cheating on you, and your spouse is telling you he/she is going out shortly after dinner with some unexpected excuse. Now, how would you serve your spouse at the table? Wouldn’t it be a little too painful?

Probably this is close to what Jesus felt when he washed the feet of his apostles at the Last Supper. Jesus knew who had betrayed him. But he washed all of their feet. And he continued the supper. He stretched out his hand to give the life-giving bread to Judas Iscariot who would hand him over on the same night.

What is your image of the washing of the feet and the Last Supper? We may have a strong impression of brotherly love and sacrifice. And we may see Jesus girded with humility and gentleness. Indeed, Jesus served his disciples with humility and gentleness. And he truly gave himself as the bread of life. But let us not forget his strength of self-abandonment to face his traitor. Let us not forget the piercing inner pain of betrayal he had to endure in the presence of his traitor. And let us remember his impartial love for all his disciples.