John 13:16-17
Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it.
All of us at some level have a sense of pride and want things our way. Some even want to be in charge. When those in charge become the center of their own world and everyone else's, then that can lead to haughtiness and a "better than everyone else" attitude. This happens in our work and in social circles. It can also happen in churches and faith communities. That's what Jesus is talking about today. In today's reading from John's gospel, we find Jesus just finishing washing the feet of the disciples. He tells his followers that even the Lord himself will wash the feet of the lowly. We remember that the King of Kings will be born in a lowly barn. He will dine with lowly sinners. He will be beaten to an inch of his life. He will be nailed, in all of his humanity and divinity, to the cross, so that all can see him struggle for a breath. Yet we, in our human nature, sometimes think that we are more important than others. Sometimes our government leaders believe they are more important that their constituents. Hollywood thinks they're more important. Even sometimes church leaders and those that have the ear of leadership think that they are "holier than thou." Jesus reminds us that we are messengers of his word, his teachings, his law. None of us are more important that our Lord. If the Son of God can roll up his sleeves and wash and kiss the feet of the poor, then are you better than that? Pope Francis washed the feet of prisoners on Holy Thursday, becoming a modern example of what Jesus did. As a messenger of God, what role will you take—the Lowly servant, or the Holier than Thou? It boils down to giving due respect to one another regardless of our job or role in society.
