Questions of Faith

Father Glenn LeCompte

Last year when I went to Mass at my church parish on Holy Thursday some of the people whose feet were washed were women and children. I remember growing up that only men’s feet were washed. Has something changed? Holy Thursday washing of feet: Has something changed?

The ritual of the washing of feet on Holy Thursday is a powerful liturgical symbol. It was practiced at times during the Middle Ages outside of Mass by some of the popes. In 1955, Pope Pius XII restored to the liturgy the ancient Holy Week rituals for Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. Among the restorations was the ritual of washing feet in imitation of Jesus, who at the Last Supper in John 13:1- 15, washes his disciples’ feet. In their communication of the Holy Father’s decree to reinstate the foot-washing ritual, the Sacred Congregation for Rites instructed that when the ritual was done the faithful were to be instructed about Christ’s command of “brotherly love” and encouraged to be “generous in works of charity.”

In the account of the foot-washing in John’s Gospel Jesus teaches that true leadership is servant leadership. If he, whom they call “master” has humbled himself to serve his disciples, they in turn should humbly serve each other. Jesus’ greatest act of service would be to die on the cross for the salvation of souls the next day.

In 1988, the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments (CDWDS) reaffirmed the

March 2020 • Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux • Bayou Catholic • 13 Readers are encouraged to send their questions to our local Bayou Catholic columnists by email to bayoucatholic@htdiocese.org. earlier teaching about implementing the foot-washing in the Mass of the Lord’s Supper and stated that those who were to participate in the ritual were “chosen men.” The rubric in the third edition of the Roman Missal echoes the above instruction.

On Jan. 6, 2016, CDWDS issued the instruction “During the Mass of the Lord’s Supper” and communicated the decision of Pope Francis that the rubric which stated “The men who have been chosen are led by the ministers ... ” be changed to “Those who are chosen are led ... .” This change means that women could now be included among those chosen to have their feet washed. In addition, “During the Mass” explains that people young and old, healthy and sick, clerics, consecrated men and women and laity are appropriately chosen as participants in the foot-washing. The idea is that those chosen should be a cross-section of the various groups of people who comprise the parish. In addition, if a parish consists of people of various cultures, all cultures should be represented. The reason given for the change was “In order that the full meaning of this rite might be expressed to those who participate” (“During the Mass”).

Regarding the number of men who were to be chosen for the footwashing, parishes have often selected 12. This led many to think that the foot-washing was intended to be a historical reenactment of Jesus’ act of washing the feet of his 12 apostles. None of the instructions nor the rubrics in the Sacramentary or Roman Missal ever specified the number to be chosen. The practice of selecting 12 men has diverted attention from the true significance of the ritual. In a commentary on “During the Mass” the CDWDS explains, “The significance (of the foot-washing ritual) does not now relate so much to the exterior imitation of what Jesus has done, rather as to the meaning of what he has accomplished which has a universal importance, namely the giving of himself «to the end» for the salvation of the human race, his charity which embraces all people and which makes all people brothers and sisters by following his example.” Additionally, our imitation of Jesus’ action “... so that we might do as he has done goes beyond the physical washing of the feet of others to embrace everything that such a gesture expresses in service of the tangible love of our neighbour (“Explanatory Note on During the Mass,” CDWDS). BC