The entire family was shoulder to shoulder in the dirt floored Honduran living room surrounding a missionary who was preaching the good news. The missionary asked “If you could ask the Lord for anything, what would it be?” We had just finished reading
Matthew 7:7-8.
Silence fell over the room quickly. One by one, we shared what we would ask the Lord for. Many of the little kids said material things, while mothers asked for good health and protection for their family. Each answer brought different depth into the conversation.
The grandmother of the family went last and looked with sorrow into our eyes as she said “If I could ask the Lord for anything it would be for healing for my feet so that I can continue to do my best job to spread Jesus to this village.” This grandmother was one of the lay people that a priest gave special training to bring the Eucharist to the rest of the village.
The missionary listened with such intense love and asked if we could all pray over her feet so that Christ may come down and heal whatever is enabling her from walking without pain. A few of the missionaries knelt and placed their hands close to her feet. I naturally felt a little uncomfortable and stood back with my hands and heart open asking for the Holy Spirit to work through us to bring healing to this beautiful soul. As we were praying my body began to feel warm and I felt an urge to speak.
“We should wash her feet like Jesus washed the disciples' feet.”
It came out of my mouth so fast I did not know what I had blurted. The Holy Spirit simply spoke through me. Before I knew it, I was kneeling before this woman as the room was filled with sobbing. No words were needed because the action was speaking.
When she looked into my eyes and I saw Jesus in her, weeping before me as I was washing her feet. I saw His love shining through in a striking way that filled me with an incredible amount of peace.
If you should know anything about this moment, it is that by the power of the Holy Spirit we were able to reach into the heart of this family to bring emotional and possibly physical healing. By no means did I do this out of my own generosity and thought. Quite honestly, I would never have thought to wash someone’s feet that I did not know. The Holy Spirit truly used our group as an instrument of peace and healing.
According to the Gospel of John, Peter denies that the Lord should wash his feet but the Lord says, “Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me." Jesus’ actions spoke a more profound truth than just washing their feet to clean them.
Like in the Gospel, Jesus is gazing through Peter to each one of us. He desires to cleanse us of our sins and all that we are holding onto. Christ wants us to be stripped from the addictions and things of this world and follow His holy will. This perfect example of humility that Jesus gives is a gift.
After washing the disciples’ feet Jesus explained what He did and why.
“You should wash one another’s feet, I have set an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you no servant is greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” (John 13:13-17)
Not only is Jesus calling us to great humility, but to accept that we are not greater than Him. Without Him we would be nothing and by saying a simple "yes" to the Lord's mercy, our hearts can be radically transformed by Him. With a great spirit of humility, we are called as the Body of Christ to accept His mercy and to serve others even if it is difficult.
My brothers and sisters, I share this story in hopes that you may see it does not take an extraordinary person to have an extraordinary encounter with the Lord. As the hands and feet of Christ, we have to ask for the Holy Spirit to be upon us. The Spirit is moving and the Lord desires to transform each of our hearts. Let's build the Kingdom of God by surrendering our hearts to our Creator with a simple "yes".
In the eternal love of our King,
Morgan Ayres