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None of us wishes to be judged by our worst moment, our worst decision, or our worst blog post. But, this blog post by Father Zuhlsdorf, with a link to a post by canonist Ed Peters, is a perfect example of what makes me crazy about the Catholic right. They are so obsessively focused on whether or not a bishop or priest can/should wash the feet of women during the Mandatum Rite in the Mass of the Lord's Supper, they put heavy emphasis on the fact that the rite is optional and Peters suggests it should only be used at the Chrism Mass.
I have brought many people, including many non-Catholics, to the Mass of the Lord's Supper and the thing that they always remark upon afterwards is the Mandatum Rote. It is the rite that most perfectly incarnates the Great Commandment. It captures the essence of Jesus' ministry and, just so, the essence of all Christian ministry. It is a rite that should bring tears to the eyes. But, heaven forfend if a bishop or a priest washes a woman's feet! Better to opt out and not do the rite at all. This is insane.
