When they took off their socks, their feet became so real to me. It was first of all dirty and smelly because of the hard work outside. And it was red as well because of minor frostbite. But most of all the feet seemed to tell me who they were for they were not prepared for foot washing, so their feet were very shy and timid as well as innocent. Looking at their feet, I realized my anger was useless and rootless and I was so cruel. I just struggled with my own ambition and pushed the little ones to the end for my own satisfaction. Started weeping for my own sins, I kindly washed each beautiful foot and kissed it. So redemptive was kneeling down!
One of the other significant kneeling downs took place in Madagascar, Africa. When I traveled to one of the poorest countries in the world as a member of Catholic Relief Services, my gut reaction was stressful. So much poverty, injustice overwhelmed me until I heard the prayer during the Eucharist. Msgr. Joe audibly said when he poured water into the wine, “Through the mystery of the water and wine, may we come to share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity.” My tears burst out when I heard that because it was the answer that the terrible humanity was not abandoned but made whole because of the humble Jesus. The following day, we went to a homeless shelter where hundreds homeless gathered for a meal. We were invited to serve the meal for them. I knelt down before the homeless to scoop rice. After feeding them, we all danced together, holding hand in hand. There were neither givers nor receivers; all were brothers and sisters. It was a transformative moment for me to grow from an observer to a brother for the poor by kneeling down to serve them. So redemptive was kneeling down!
The last kneeling down occurred here in Cleveland. I was the one who had wanted to succeed in business and to be a great man for the world. With the grace of God, however, the road to success was diverted from myself to God and I found myself kneeling down before the bishop to be ordained as a useless servant. What a transformative moment! I surrendered myself, decided not to claim anything about myself, commending myself into the hands of God. Since then I kneel down everyday before the Lord through the Eucharist.
Kneeling down could be humiliation. But I would take it with joy and hope everyday that I would become more Christ-like someday. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. In giving himself up, humbling himself, he feeds us. He kneels down before us everyday to feed us. What a redemptive kneeling down that we celebrate today!