April 18, 2021: 3rd Sunday Easter B
April 18, 2021: 3rd Sunday Easter B
It was 5 in the morning in the parking lot of the Ferguson Unit, a maximum security prison in East Texas. Thirty men gathered in the parking lot to help give a weekend retreat to the inmates. The men gathered in a huddle and prayed for God’s grace and protection. They also prayed that the men attending the retreat may come to know the amazing love of the Father by sending His Son to change their lives, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16) For Michael, one of the 30 men in the group, this was his first time to visit a prison. He was admittedly scared and told the lead volunteer that he did not want to participate from the moment he was invited. However, the lead volunteer had a message for Michael from the Catholic prison inmates of the Ferguson Unit, “Please tell Michael that we are a bunch of murderers, drug dealers, and gang members. And we need the love of Jesus Christ every bit as his parishioners do.” During the 3-day retreat, Michael witnessed amazing transformation in the inmates. One of the touching moments was when the retreat team members washed the feet of the retreatants. Afterwards, one retreatant shared his experience, “To all my brothers who didn’t get their feet washed, I wasn’t going to either. I didn’t know these outsiders, but I prayed to the Holy Spirit, and I sensed that I was to humble myself and let them wash my feet. As they washed my feet, I was outside of my comfort zone; I didn’t like it. But in that moment, I felt God loving me. I want to tell all my brothers here to get out of their comfort zone.”
The disciples of Jesus were also outside of their comfort zone when they heard the news of Jesus’ resurrection. They were all gathered in the Upper Room fearful of the persecution and with their hopes dashed. It was the very same room where Jesus washed their feet on the night when He broke bread with them at the Last Supper. After the crucifixion and death of Jesus, the Upper Room became a hiding place where disciples hoped no one could find. It was a place of confusion, hopelessness, and sadness. The two disciples who left this group to head toward Emmaus all of a sudden came back with astounding news, that they had met the Risen Jesus and recognized him when he broke bread with them. Then without a notice, Jesus appeared in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Jesus knew what was going on in their hearts, for he said, “Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts?”
The disciples were troubled in their hearts because they thought they lost the love of Jesus. To be loved is the most powerful force of hope in our lives. Once the disciples encountered the Risen Jesus, their hearts were again aflame with hope and courage. The dramatic change can be seen in Peter whose denial of Jesus kept him cowered under the veil of guilt. We see a very different Peter in our First Reading; this is Peter who has encountered the Risen Jesus and pledged his love for Jesus. Peter boldly told the people of Jerusalem, “You denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. The author of life you put to death, but God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses. Now I know, brothers, that you acted out of ignorance, just as your leaders did...Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away.” Peter shows us that when you know that you’re loved by Jesus, you desire to share this love. Let’s go back to the story of the retreat at the prison.
During a sharing session after the footwashing, another inmate stood up in response to an inmate who challenged them to get out of their comfort zone. “To the brother who called me out for not getting my feet washed. I’m going to tell y’all why I didn’t get my feet washed.” He began to cry as he continued. “My entire life, I’ve never met a man who cared about me or loved me. I saw my dad drive off when I was six years old and never came back. Men in my mom’s life hurt me and kicked me out of their lives. I joined a gang at age 12 to feel a sense of belonging, but once in jail, everyone abandoned me. But these men whom I don’t know gave up their weekend with their families to spend with a ‘nobody’ like me. Why? I’ve never been loved before, and it scared me. So I told them not to wash my feet.”
Many inmates of the maximum security prison had lived years of their lives without someone who genuinely loved them. These men came to realize that the love of Christ was always with them; the thirty modern day disciples of Jesus helped these inmates realize how much they were loved by Christ. We are called like these ordinary disciples to help awaken Christ’s love in our neighbor’s lives. We may call ourselves Christians, but we too need awakening to Christ’s living love. Our sins may be small and “not major” as those of the inmates; however, how lukewarm or cold is our love for God and our neighbor?
How do we awaken ourselves to Christ’s living love? At the night of the foot washing, Jesus told his disciples, “What I am doing, you do not understand now, but you will understand later… If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.” We make Christ and his love present by the way we serve another, by “washing” the feet of our family, friends, and co-workers. The amount of God's love is unlimited, but we only receive as much as we use.
