As we gather this week around the Thanksgiving table, I doubt that anyone will offer to wash my feet.

A central practice of Ignatian spirituality is contemplation or meditation on a passage of scripture. One of the texts assigned to me at the retreat last weekend (see article to the left) was John 13: 1-17, the account of Jesus washing the disciples' feet at the Last Supper.

Jesus lays aside his outer garments before beginning the task. Peter protests, "Lord, you will never wash my feet!" As I meditated on that passage, it struck me: Jesus takes off his outer garments, in a gesture of humility and service. Peter, on the other hand, has to maintain his dignity: he won't even take off his sandals!

As I said earlier, I doubt anyone is going to offer to wash my feet. In fact, I'm confident no one will! Still, I wonder what would happen if someone did. Would we be vulnerable enough, open enough with one another, to peel off our shoes and socks and let our family members wash our feet? Or would that be too intimate, too vulnerable? Instead, I expect we'll talk about the weather and the Cowboys, compare notes on the children's growth and the elders' aches, and make other small talk.

Yes, it will truly be good to be together and reaffirm out ties as family. But most of us will probably be like Peter, keeping our emotional distance and avoiding vulnerability. We will, probably, all maintain our dignity, at the expense of really touching each other and talking deeply about those things that matter most.

So let us give thanks this week for all our families, but especially for those who love us well enough that we are free to take off our showy outer garments, take off the masks we put on for the public, and reveal who we really are.