UNFAILING LOVE
“If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.” - Jn 13:1-15
On this first day of the Triduum, we begin with the commemoration of the Last Supper, where God’s unfailing gift of undeserved, unconditional, and unifying love is at full display for each of us. Contemplating the foot washing scene is not complete without also considering its backdrop. Jesus knew Judas would betray him and how in the coming hours, each one of his closest friends would fail him. Yet, Jesus continues to choose love.
The disciples felt unworthy of Jesus’ unconditional love, but it was not theirs to deserve. Despite their shortfalls and inadequacies, Jesus freely gives them the gift of his love with humility, revealing how God embraces each of us despite our weaknesses and imperfections. God meets our frailty with love, without judgment or exclusion. God’s love is given to each of us without distinction.
When we witness this kind of dedication in others, it can change our hearts and influence our lives in unexpected ways if we allow it. This type of love radiates from the doors and windows of my soul. I have been and continue to be inspired and encouraged to live more generously when I observe those within my sphere revealing this wide-hearted form of love. It is not so much the act itself but how it is done that takes my breath away. This dedicated service emboldens my heart and calls me to do the same in whatever way God invites me. It reminds me of what a dear mentor and friend once shared, “You can serve without loving, but you cannot love without serving.”
Lord, whose feet am I invited to wash?
Tam Lontok