The Body and Blood of Christ
(Corpus Christi)

 After [Jesus] had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? … For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.” (John 13:12,15) 

These verses from John’s Gospel are the words of Jesus at the Last Supper, which we hear proclaimed on Holy Thursday. Why do we read about washing feet on the day we celebrate the institution of the Eucharist? In this liturgical year we will hear these words proclaimed on the Feast of the Body and Blood of the Lord. Why? What does washing feet have to do with the Eucharist? 

At this point I could go into deep theology. I choose rather to focus on the fact that Franciscans (Friars, Poor Clares, Third Order Regular and Seculars) all point to the washing of the feet as a foundation for their devotion to the Eucharist.

Both Saint Francis and Saint Clare lived what they preached and often put into action what they wished to teach. Francis even told the brothers to wash one another’s feet. Clare regularly washed the feet of the sisters who served outside the monastery. 

The deep love and reverence the early Franciscans had for one another was a result of their love of and devotion to the Eucharist. Foot washing and the Eucharist are two aspects of following in the footsteps of Jesus. The foot washing ensures that our love for the Eucharist does not remain only in our mind and heart. It gets translated into our very body by our actions. 

Making the Gospel come alive in our own lives is the primary reason the Franciscan Order exists. Yet living the Gospel is the call of each and every Christian. In the institution of the Eucharist and in washing the feet of the disciples, Jesus says he has set us an example. In Palestine in the time of Jesus and in the time of Francis and Clare, washing feet was very necessary since the common mode of transportation was walking, and walking on dusty unpaved roads. This reality is not ours. So what does it mean to follow Jesus’ example and wash one another’s feet in 2004? 

I remember a time that I washed the feet of a friend after a long walk along the shore. I would liken my experience to bathing a newborn infant. I was awed, gently reverent, joyful and drawn into a total presence to the other. It was an experience that nurtured me and our friendship. We don’t need to wash feet to let the love, reverence, reconciliation and peace of the Eucharist show forth in our lives. 

How will you translate the Gospel call to, “Do this in remembrance of me,” into your life?

Sister Judith Ann Crosby, OSC