Fighting with Towel.
Alam Niya ang Dapat, Dapat Alam Natin Ito.
April 5, 2021
Jesus, I Adore You.
April 5, 2021PITIK-BULAG: Fighting with Towel.
In boxing, when a trainer sees that his boxer is badly being beaten by his opponent, he will simply throw a towel to end the fight. Throwing a towel is to surrender. But in the arena of loving, it’s a different story. A towel in the waist conveys a different meaning – it is a sign of commitment to serve
In our gospel today, we saw Jesus preparing himself for the greatest fight of His life. It was one person against the world. He was about to face a shameful and painful death. Clearly, in the eyes of the world, it would be a lopsided victory in favor of his enemy: “Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass from this world to the Father. The devil had already induced Judas to hand him over.” (John 13:2).
At that moment, it was tempting for Jesus to throw the towel. In fact, when He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, he entertained the possibility of giving up, “My Father, if it is possible, take this cup of suffering from me. Yet now what I want, but what you want.”(Matthew 26:39).
In the boxing arena called life, for brave fighters like Jesus, throwing the towel was not an option. Jesus bravely faced His enemies up to the end: “He loved his own … and he loved them to the end.”(John 13:1). Jesus knew that nobody loses in loving, and there was no such thing as wasted love. And so, instead of throwing the towel, Jesus decided to tie the towel on his waist and started washing the disciples’ feet. The Son of God gladly takes the role of a slave, ever ready to wash dirty things including the disciples’ dirty feet. It is fighting back with a towel in the name of love.
One of the difficulties in washing things is the likelihood of getting dirty. We don’t want to clean things because we don’t want to make our clothes dirty. But when one loves, he is willing to get dirty. A mother finds joy in bathing her soiled child even if it means getting soiled. A boy bathing his dirty dog will eventually get wet. When one cleans things, he will likely get some dirt. The dirty towel becomes the symbol of service.
When Jesus had decided to wash the disciples’ feet, He knew that he would be tainted with their dirt – their sins. But out of His love for us, he joyfully willed it. He died for our sins. His blood on the cross cleansed and renewed our wretched spirits.
But our pericope today did not end in washing feet. After the washing, Jesus wore his clothes back and said to the disciples, “Do you understand what I have just done to you? You, then, should wash one another’s feet.” (John 13:12-14).
Jesus gave us an example to follow. He wants us to tie a towel in our waist – a symbol of our desire to love and be of service to others. Tying a towel in our waist may mean going out of our comfort zones and be involved in cleaning others’ mess.
In this world of consumerism where “service without a reward or compensation” is not a popular option, the only way to win is to “fight back with the towel” – to be a servant of all like Jesus. To serve and not to be served. To love and not to be loved … until death. It is the road less traveled and seldom appreciated. Ironically, it is the only way to victory in life’s arena.
There’s no other way to fight the Covid-19 virus now but by helping each other. Let us learn from our Lord who opted to wash the disciples’ feet in spite of his impending death. Love is not afraid of anything, including death … including the pandemic threat. Let’s look at the example of the hospital frontliners. They have this invisible towel wrapped in their hearts called love. It’s high time for us to take the path to service This is our common cross today, carry it with courage and joy, and we shall never be disappointed.
“Somebody did a golden deed; Somebody proved a friend in need; Somebody sang a beautiful song; Somebody smiled the whole day long; Somebody thought, ‘Tis sweet to live; Somebody said, I’m glad to give; Somebody fought a valiant fight; Somebody lived to shield the right; Was that somebody you?” – Anonymous
– Pitik-Bulag
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April 1, 2021 – Holy Thursday
Gospel Reading: John 13: 1-15
