GOD IN AN APRON

(Read as part of the homily at the Holy Thursday Mass)

Supper was special that night.  There was both a heaviness and a holiness hanging in the air.

We were dwelling in the heart of mystery.  Though dark the night, hope felt right as if something evil was about to be conquered.

And then suddenly, the One we loved startled us all.  He got up from the table and put on an apron.  Can you imagine how we felt?

God in an apron!  Kneeling, he touched our feet.  He held them in his strong, brown hands.  He washed them.  Imagine the feel of the water, the touch of his hands, the look in his eyes.

Then he handed us the towel and said, “As I have done so you must do.”  Learn to bow.  Learn to kneel.

Let your tenderness encircle everyone you meet.  Wash their feet, not because you have to, because you want to.

“There are so many feet to wash,” we said.  “No,” replied God.  “There are only my feet.  What you do for them, you do for me.”

(from “Seasons of the Heart:  Prayers and Reflections,” by Macrina Wiederkehn, O.S.B., published by Harper Collins)