Jesus Christ takes all elements of our human nature and raises them up to communicate His divine life to us. At the foot-washing, the apostles immediately see that Jesus is taking on the role of a servant. There is also something very intimate about washing the feet of someone else. But as well as that meaning, is there a deeper meaning that Peter doesn’t see? It seems so, as Jesus says, “At the moment you do not know what I am doing, but later you will understand.” Jesus as the great, eternal high priest, is about to enter into the liturgy of His own passion and death. This is the ultimate and eternal sacrifice. He wishes to initiate His apostles into this great high-priestly action.
Of course, all of us are washed by Christ in the sacrament of baptism. By that washing we receive the Holy Spirit and the gifts of faith, hope and charity. We also receive a share, a part, in the offices of Christ as priest, prophet and king. Other Gospels concentrate on the gift of the Eucharist at the Last Supper, and John’s Gospel complements their accounts with this emphasis on the ritual preparation of the apostles, by Jesus using a gesture from the religious ritual of the time. So these two great sacraments, the Eucharist and Holy Orders, are celebrated tonight. As we meditate upon these two great gifts to the Church on this holy night, we can be full of gratitude to God. We can see how close God is to us, and how, in the holy sacrifice of the Mass, Jesus again hands himself over to sinful humanity.