In a world where status, power, and recognition often define our worth, the image of Jesus — the Teacher and Lord — kneeling to wash the feet of his disciples is deeply unsettling, yet profoundly beautiful. The Holy Thursday invites us to pause and enter this moment, not as distant observers, but as participants.
To wash someone’s feet is to draw close in humility. It means setting aside our pride, our desire to be seen as strong, important, or in control. It’s not glamorous or grand; it’s messy, vulnerable, and intimate. For Nouwen, this act becomes a doorway into true Christian love — a love that does not wait to be asked, a love that kneels before the needs of others without seeking reward.
But perhaps even harder than washing another’s feet is letting our own be washed. We are often more comfortable giving than receiving, more at ease in serving than in being served. Yet Nouwen reminds us: to be part of the community Jesus forms, we must allow ourselves to be vulnerable, to be touched, to admit that we too are in need.
In the end, foot washing is not about ritual — it is about relationship. It is Jesus saying: *“Let me love you in the places you are ashamed of, the parts you hide, the dust of your journey.”* And then: *“Go and do the same.”*
May we have the courage to kneel, and the humility to be knelt before. For in this gentle exchange, we find the heart of Christ.
With love and prayers,
Little-pencil
Little-pencil 