The Washing of the Feet

To be honest, the reason   went to St Vincent Ferrer for Holy Thursday mass was because it’s across the street from our favorite local burger place and I have a long-standing tradition of going out for a burger and strawberry shake after Holy Thursday mass as a way of celebrating the end of Lent.

But a side-benefit of this was that the washing of the feet at the mass was done the way that I feel it should be done at mass: the presiding priest washes the feet of a group of laypeople (I think he did ten, although twelve would probably be a bit more biblical). My home parish does something that just seems bizarre to me: anyone who wants to get their feet washed is welcome to come forward and then in groups of three or four, they wash each other’s feet. Given that the symbolism is meant to show how those who are nominally in positions of authority should take on an attitude of servitude towards those “below” them, this seems to be entirely missing the point. I’ve seen similarly missing the point displays at other parishes as well, so it’s not just my parish.