Reflections on Holy Thursday (Br Peter Anthoney)

Every year when we celebrate ‘Holy Thursday” my vision is drawn towards the washing of the feet. I feel challenged, I know for me to go down on my knees and wash and kiss the feet of another is not at all difficult but to let go of myself, my ego, my pride and allow God into my life leading me embrace humility to love freely, unconditionally is not at all easy. I suppose that difficulty is the truth of what Jesus is inviting us to be by washing the feet of his disciples. Jesus desires us to live in peace, love and harmony.

However, the church today is filled with a worldly spirit of competition and criticism as believers we with one another to see who is the greatest. We are growing in knowledge, but not in grace (2 Peter 3:18).
'Humility is the only soil, in which the graces root,'

Jesus, going down on his knees to wash the feet of his disciples being fully aware of his authority, his divinity, origin, and destiny demonstrates his humility. This act demonstrated free, unconditional love and provided a model of Christian conduct His humility did not stop there but led him to the cross, where he voices out “forgive them Father for they know not what they are doing.”

The demeaning menial task of washing the feet belonged to the slave but that was not Jesus’ message. It was indeed a message of love, relationship, leadership, redemptive suffering and vicarious living. A message and action enticing the world to become a place when one will live for the other and one will sacrifice ones own desires for the other. This then is the true love which has been put in our heart as promised in Ezekiel 36:26, “I shall give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you”, but yet to be lived out by us.

Today, as we re-enact the “Last Supper” episode to celebrate that sacrifice of Jesus’ humility and him allowing his body to be broken and his blood to be shed for each one of us it would be a good idea for us to take stock of failures to model the example set by Jesus for each one of us.


Today as we accompany Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane let us pray our heart out for the grace of God to empower us with courage for us to get in touch with ourselves to get rid of all that vices in us that is preventing us from being that disciple of Jesus and to fill us again with the virtues of humility and Love.

Jesus as you sweated blood in the garden of Gethsemane
we pray that you will empower us by your grace
for us to purge away our sins
and fill us again with your abounding love and humility
so that we will be able to glorify you
in loving our brothers and sisters truly, freely and unconditionally.

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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Anthony Liew on 3rd Apr 2010.