KUCHING — Thirty-six Alpha graduates, who served as hosts and helpers for the Alpha courses in various parishes, came together for a time of reflection on Saturday 2 July at Holy Trinity Parish.
The reflection was conducted by Fr Patrick Heng, the rector of Holy Trinity Parish, who shared his reflection on the Washing of Feet at the Last Supper (Jn 13:1-15). He used the painting, “Washing of Feet” by Sieger Köder and the book “Jesus of Nazareth, Holy Week: from the entrance into Jerusalem to the resurrection” by Pope Benedict XVI to aid the reflection.
Apart from drawing the participants to a greater appreciation of the significance in the “Washing of Feet” as depicted in the painting by Sieger Köder, the participants came to a better understanding behind the act of washing of feet and a deeper meaning to their roles as hosts and helpers.
Fr Patrick reminded the participants that leaders are called not to self-gratification but to serve. “In humble service we are transformed by each other and each other’s experiences of God,” he said. “In this transformation, service demands that we must bend down and serve (wash each other’s feet). It demands that willingness to accept the person as who he/she is and letting that person reveal himself/herself to us,” added Fr Patrick.
“The full transformation takes place when we see that beyond the Alpha course, we are also called to be leaders and servants – both in the church and in the world,” said Fr Patrick. He continued to remind the Alpha course helpers that “what we celebrate (the Eucharist) is to be celebrated in life. The smile we give, the service we render, is not to be confined in the church or Alpha but to be rendered to society and to the world.”
The reflection ended with the participants washing each others’ feet. Many felt uncomfortable and unprepared to have their own feet washed by another participant than to wash a fellow participant’s feet. Whichever may have been the case, it was probably the most humbling yet fun experience for most of the participants.
Nancy Ong
Today’s Catholic Vol.28 No.5 August 2016
