Thursday of Fourth Week of Easter
Acts 13: 13-25; John 13: 16-20
By Deacon Larry Brockman
“If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it.” Such were Jesus’ words to the disciples just after he washed their feet.
What a contrast, because in the reading from Acts, we hear Paul summarize the case for the Messiah from Scriptures- how the nation of Israel was saved from Egyptian slavery, and brought into the promised land; how God the Father nurtured them, and led them by giving them Prophets, Judges, and Kings. And ultimately, he promised them a Messiah from the line of David- a Messiah, a Savior, who would save them all forever.
But then, what happens when the Messiah, the Savior, comes to his people? The savior of all mankind tells his disciples very clearly that, just as he was called to be a servant, he is calling all his disciples to be a servant as well, and that is what it takes to be blessed in God’s eyes.
Every Holy Thursday, we reenact the washing of the feet. It is a powerful image- that the clergy are here to serve just as Jesus served. This year, Father Giel extended that image so that those whose feet were washed by the clergy, were asked to wash the feet of other parishioners as well. And how fitting, because we are all the descendants of the disciples. And all of us are called to be blessed by serving others.
And yet, even though we hear the Gospel and it is preached to us often, do we follow Jesus example; do we embrace the concept of service to others as our primary mission?
I think that the mothers of the world are particularly blessed when you come right down to it. Mothers know instinctively about deferring self for the benefit of their infant children- getting up at night; constant demands and interruptions, teaching moments during development. These become a way of life for the first several years of life. And that nurturing instinct carries forward in life as children grow up, doesn’t it.
And then consider this. Decades ago, multigenerational households were the norm. Usually, an aged parent or relative was around, and just as these folks had cared for their parents or relatives in their day, now their children were called to that kind of service for them. Everybody in the household learned what it meant to be a servant by observing. And everybody got it- that some day, the roles would likely be reversed. But we seem to have lost that cultural call to service these days, and the lesson that goes with it, possibly because everybody strives now to be independent and not a burden.
Now there are many other ways that men, and indeed all of us, are presented with opportunities to serve others in our daily lives. We don’t have to go out of our way to find them, although some blessed people are called for that too. I’m thinking about times when neighbors need your help- getting their car started, cleaning up a mess after a storm; or when something happens like a sickness or death in the family. You all know what I mean because when these things happen, you see them; and you may even hear a little voice inside. But do you respond?
It’s time that all of us slowed down just a little from our fast pace in life and take a break from independence and self-absorption to sense and respond to the opportunities we have to serve others.
Blessed are you if you do it.
Tags: Serving Others