Today is observed as Maundy Thursday - the day before Good
Friday - which is observed by all
Christians worldwide. Jesus did
two acts on Maundy Thursday, one
of which is instituting the Holy Communion
which all Churches follow and for
the second act he used two humble
articles to demonstrate the power of humility. Using the basin and the towel, Jesus
washed the feet of his disciples.
As an idea, washing any
one's feet makes good reading, however to actually wash another person’s feet is another issue. At a church service the
pastor asked for volunteers to use the basin and the towel. I remember asking
my colleagues to do something new with this question, “When was the last time
you did something for the first time?” Perhaps this question prompted me as
well, and I resolved to go ahead. I removed my shoes and walked down the aisle
to be amongst a small group of faithfuls who volunteered.
I rolled up my sleeves, knelt down, took the person's foot
into my hand, poured water and washed one
foot at a time. My fingers washed the dust away from the heel, sole and
toes. Having done that, I took a towel and wiped the feet dry. As I poured the
water and used the towels, I whispered a silent prayer that this person be happy.
It took only a few minutes. I then washed my hands and sat down. Then another person
knelt down, washed my feet and dried them, during which time my eyes tried
their best to communicate my gratefulness to him.
It has been a year, and I do not recollect anyone telling me,
“oh you washed some one's feet” nor have I lost out due to that act. However let
me share what I gained in the process. The very act of kneeling down to wash another’s feet has made
me realise that there is no such thing as ‘ego’. I did not depersonalise myself
through this service. It did not take too long, nor was there anything
mysterious about this act of washing another’s feet.
We tend to attach too many emotions and sentiments to little
acts of service, when in reality what matters is that these acts are much more
than peoples' sentiments or social perception. Perhaps emotions and fear of
social perceptions inhibit us from being productive.
I also felt a deep sense of gratitude at being served, that
someone should deign to wash my feet. It also made me realise that there are
several who are doing more than wash my feet on a day to day basis whom I take for granted. The unnamed person who keeps
the washrooms clean, lifts the garbage and
those ‘who only stand and wait’ to make our daily lives easier and cleaner.
They do more than wash our feet. I am not sure we are able to show our
gratitude to them.
Today we find that it is not just the feet that need
cleaning, but also our hearts. When we start with the feet using the towel of
humility, in doing what is needed to be done, we would certainly touch the
hearts of others. My heart sure was touched while being served. Let's therefore
help each other fill our basins with gratitude when receiving acts of service
done in humility.
