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Section III:
The Upper Room
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As we give ourselves to others, we discover ourselves
As we open ourselves in service to the mystery of the other, we also begin to see our true selves more clearly. The Second Vatican Council taught that we begin to discover ourselves in the sincere gift of self (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes 24). We find ourselves refreshed when we are striving to bring refreshment to another. We find mutual refreshment in genuine encounter with one another. A communion, a unity, is created afresh between us.
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I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you,
you should also do
Our credibility as witnesses to Jesus depends upon how we manifest our commitment to taking seriously the first of the charges that the Apostles received in the Upper Room on Holy Thursday:
“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.” (Jn 13:14-15).
Throughout the Synod process, we heard the pain expressed by so many over family members and neighbors who no longer join us at Mass. How often we heard about youth and young adults who no longer believe what our Church believes or who have drifted away from the practice of the faith. I wonder if they may have been impacted by our too often tepid responses to the Lord’s command to wash one another’s feet, to follow his example.
While so much foot-washing is hidden, I feel particularly blessed as Archbishop to see so much evidence of self-emptying service in this Archdiocese. I think, for example, of:
- the heroic response of Catholic medical personnel who have served selflessly throughout the COVID crisis;
- the welcome offered by so many of our parishes to refugees and migrants, Catholic and non-Catholic alike;
- the Catholic community’s attentiveness to the needs of children and families desirous of Catholic education but lacking sufficient resources, especially in our St. Katharine Drexel Mission Schools;
- the outreach of laity and clergy to our brothers and sisters who are in prison, offering them hope and opportunities for prayer, formation, and conversation;
- the phenomenal response to the Neighbors in Need Fund set up by the Catholic Community Foundation and the exceptional generosity offered through our region’s many pregnancy resource centers;
- the many who provide daily care for loved ones who are homebound or who regularly tend to their spiritual and sacramental needs;
- the unconditional love shown to the homeless and elderly by the many volunteers and staff at Catholic Charities, Sharing and Caring Hands, and our many Catholic residences for the elderly;
- the thousands of meals that were provided throughout the pandemic to families in need by parishes cooperating with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and by our many parish-supported food pantries; and
- the many parishes who support development projects in mission lands.
(Source: archspmmainsite/Synod_Pastoral+Letter)
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