Season of Joy

When Jesus had washed the disciples’ feet, he said to them:

“Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master

nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him.

If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it.

To read the full scripture passage, please visit: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/051222.cfm

A part of this passage reminds me of the story of the two bricklayers.

When asked what he was doing, the first bricklayer said, "I'm putting bricks in mortar to build a wall.”

When asked the same question, the second bricklayer said, "I am building the greatest cathedral the world has ever seen.”

A line that jumps out to me in John's Gospel today is, "If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it."

The action is washing each other's feet. That seems clear. But what Jesus appears to be saying is more than "Just do it!"

He invites us to understand what we are doing. We have to receive that message.

There is a shift that takes place inside me when I receive and understand this. It adds purpose and honor to the ways that I try to serve others.

It's about partnering with the divine. Perhaps it has been your experience as well.

It can literally be about washing feet. Notice the difference between thinking, "I am washing some dirty, disgusting feet," vs. "I am doing the sacred work of God.”

The blessing Jesus mentions—“…blessed are you if you do it"— is perhaps less of a reward in heaven and more of an immediate satisfaction in helping those in need.

What greater honor is there than believing that I am doing the official work of God? This seems to hold true even when the work is unpleasant.

Jesus has at the table with him someone who will betray him. Perhaps you are surrounded by people who don't appreciate you.

Maybe you do work and no one seems to notice; and yet, the belief that you are doing the will of God may still be enough for you.

I am pretty sure it is not just about giving, though. John quotes Jesus as saying, "...whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me."

There is a mutuality of giving and receiving. I think we are all involved in both parts.

This was reinforced for me by an elderly neighbor who was a hoarder. His wife had died 20 years earlier. His house was in disrepair and packed to the ceiling.

He left garbage on his porch, not to mention all over his house.

I began to cut his lawn for him and clean up the trash.

He seemed to appreciate this. He had diabetes and trouble walking. I regularly cleaned his porch and thought I was doing God's work.

This neighbor sat with me while I worked. He never lifted a finger to help but was always interested in talking.

One day, while I was sweeping his porch, he dropped a candy bar wrapper, rather than put it in the nearby garbage can. That irritated me, and I asked him if he liked having the place cleaned up.

He was quiet for a moment, looked down at the floor, and then said, "Truthfully, it doesn't make any difference to me.”

I asked, "Why do you have me clean up if you don't care about it?”

"Because the only time you come around is when you're helping me. And I like to talk to you. I get lonely.”

What an insight that was that I received. It was my friendship, not my cleaning that he desired.

Truth be told, I was the one who liked the porch cleaned, not him. I began to bring him coffee a couple of times a week.

He had said that he loved a good cup of coffee. But mostly we talked together. I found then that I valued our friendship more than ever.

In his remaining years, I learned a variety of things from him about gardening, about dogs and fish, bee keeping, and even his perspective on heating his house.

Even though his house was a mess, he seemed to know about everything. I took in his knowledge. I received him.

And I found it far more rewarding than just cleaning up his porch and yard, even if I did think that was God's work.

As we try to do the everyday holy work of washing feet, we are invited to understand that we can't just do it.

We also must receive it. And somewhere in that divine mix is the blessing of God's love.