Washing Feet: Imitating the Example of Jesus in the Liturgy Today

More than half a century after its introduction into the Easter liturgy, the rite of the washing of feet on Holy Thursday goes to the heart of what it means to take part in Christian liturgy—as well as to live a Christian life. In Washing Feet: Imitating the Example of Jesus in the Liturgy Today, Thomas O’Loughlin explores the significance of mutual footwashing in early Christian communities and in the rituals of churches today.
Washing Feet is a sound and engaging combination of liturgical theology, historical exploration, and practical pastoral guidance. Clergy, liturgy committees, and RCIA leaders involved in Holy Week liturgies will find this a useful and accessible resource for understanding how this practice is a key to how ordinary Christians understand the nature of the church and their relationship to others within their particular communities.
Thomas O’Loughlin is the author of The Eucharist: Origins and Contemporary Understandings and many other books. He is professor of historical theology at the University of Nottingham, UK.