Happy Mother’s Day to all of our mothers, grandmothers & mother figures! And certainly we extend our payers to all those mothers who have lost children, all those who have wanted to be mothers & who never got the chance, & all those who have lost their mothers.

  Growing up I remember many words of wisdom & life lessons that my mother would teach me. One of those important lessons that I carry with me is to always wash my hands. Remember during the days of the pandemic when there was such a huge emphasis on keeping your hands clean? Certainly it’s not only important to keep our hands clean during the days of global pandemics, but I remember going to the store & finding containers of hand sanitizer was like finding a pot of gold. Thank goodness those days have passed, but still how important it is to keep our hands clean. We wash our hands many times throughout the day...after we touch money, after we do some type of dirty work, before we eat, etc. I’m sure that you’ve also noticed that the Priest washes his hands during Mass as well. Like last week’s look at why we mix water & wine during the Preparation of the Gifts, the Priest’s washing of his hands is an action that developed from a practical purpose & that over time have taken on more of a spiritual purpose & meaning.

  In the early Church, the offerings included goats, sheep, mud-covered yams & other fruits & vegetables &, as you can imagine, when the Priest would accept all those various gifts, his hands would literally get very dirty. So, for the Priest to wash his hands was a very practical matter of practicing good hygiene. Now the action of the washing of the hands is much more of a symbolic action as no longer are goats & sheep part of the offering at Mass (please leave your goats at home). But, while my hands may not be quite as dirty as the hands of the early priests, I am very much an imperfect human being who finds myself giving into temptation & falling into sin at times. And as I, unworthy as I (& any of us) may be, prepare to ask the Holy Spirit to transform the bread & wine into the Body & Blood of Jesus, I wash my hands as a symbolic action, asking the Lord to help remove my imperfections. As I wash my hands, I quietly say, “Wash me, O Lord from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.” I go to Confession with my Spiritual Director on a very regular basis, but each time I celebrate the Eucharist, this symbolic washing of my hands reminds me of my imperfections & my need to strive to allow Christ to be seen more & more through me.

  This Sunday, I celebrate, along with my classmates, 17 years of Priestly ordination. I ask for your continued prayers as I strive to do my best to love you & grow more & more each & every day.