It's always nice to see the members of the NCW together with the parishioners participating in the foot washing rite in the Mass. The participants in the foot washing, however, were all men. In 2016, Pope Francis had reformed the ceremony of the washing of the feet during Mass on Holy Thursday by decreeing it to be open to women, too or, as he put it, "to all the members of the People of God."
In the NCW, we had always washed the feet of both men and women even before the decree was declared in 2016. According to an article:
Women and men were both participating in the ancient rite long before Pope Francis arrived on the scene.In the NCW, we would wash the person's foot and then kiss his/her foot. The NCW teaches that the foot washing rite is an expression of service and love. We serve others because we love them. After washing the feet of the Apostles, Christ gave a new commandment, "to love one another as I have loved you."
This foot washing rite is very beautiful especially when done with the brothers whom we often argue with. Yes, even in the NCW communities we have arguments and judgments against each other. After all, we are human, and we fall from time to time. Arguments and judgments are not the miracles because anyone can argue and make judgments. The miracle is the reconciliation and the forgiveness found in the community. God desires forgiveness and reconciliation. The journey to holiness and salvation is a process, and the foot washing rite is a great start in experiencing love for the other. So, brothers and sisters strengthen one another through prayer and humility.
I can see how the foot washing in the communities can be more meaningful. The brothers and sisters are not strangers to each other. After 2 or 3 years, everyone gets to know each other’s annoying characters. And trust me, there are people in my community who are annoying, always arguing over the littlest things. The icon should be on the right. No, on the left. There should be 5 chairs on each side. No, it should be 7. I know these things sound so petty, but these things actually happen. 🙄 But after awhile, each member later understands that things happen as a result of pride. Everybody wants attention. Everybody thinks they’re right even when it’s brought out that there are no rules to the number of chairs. The miracle is also found in the brothers who continue to walk in the community regardless of the many annoying characters or the heated judgments that we sometimes have.
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