Welcome to the third station, Jesus washing the disciples' feet. This station invites you to touch the water in the baptismal font or to have your own bowl of water at home. You will also need a small stone.
Hear these words from the Gospel of John 13:1-20:
Before the Festival of Passover, Jesus knew that his time had come to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them fully.
Jesus and his disciples were sharing the evening meal. The devil had already provoked Judas, Simon Iscariot’s son, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew the Father had given everything into his hands and that he had come from God and was returning to God. So he got up from the table and took off his robes. Picking up a linen towel, he tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a washbasin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he was wearing. When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
Jesus replied, “You don’t understand what I’m doing now, but you will understand later.”
“No!” Peter said. “You will never wash my feet!”
Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t have a place with me.”
Simon Peter said, “Lord, not only my feet but also my hands and my head!”
Jesus responded, “Those who have bathed need only to have their feet washed, because they are completely clean. You disciples are clean, but not every one of you.”11 He knew who would betray him. That’s why he said, “Not every one of you is clean.”
After he washed the disciples’ feet, he put on his robes and returned to his place at the table. He said to them, “Do you know what I’ve done for you? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you speak correctly, because I am. If I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you too must wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example: Just as I have done, you also must do. I assure you, servants aren’t greater than their master, nor are those who are sent greater than the one who sent them. Since you know these things, you will be happy if you do them. I’m not speaking about all of you. I know those whom I’ve chosen. But this is to fulfill the scripture, The one who eats my bread has turned against me.
“I’m telling you this now, before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I Am. I assure you that whoever receives someone I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”
Prayer Station Instructions:
Take a deep breath in, and slowly exhale. Gaze upon the water in the baptismal font. When you are ready, dip your fingers in the water of the baptismal font and make the sign of a cross on your forehead.
Take one of the small stones next to the font.
Feel the weight of this stone in your hands.
When pilgrims make a sacred journey, they often carry with them a stone. The stone can be a reminder of a burden they wish to let go of, a prayer in their heart, an intention they have set, or a sin they are struggling with. A small stone is something physical they can hold to represent something spiritual or emotional they are bringing on their journey.
Continue to hold your stone.
Many pilgrims carry a stone to represent something they are carrying in their lives—like guilt, shame, grief, or a personal struggle. The act of carrying the stone becomes a physical reminder of that burden.
Some carry a stone as a physical token of a prayer or a person they are lifting up during the journey. Each step becomes a way of praying with the body.
The stone can symbolize something the pilgrim is asking God to change within them—perhaps a hardened heart, a wound, or a pattern of behavior.
Take a moment to reflect on what your stone represents today.
You’ve carried this stone with you—it is simple yet holds weight. Perhaps it represents a burden…a sin…a sorrow…a prayer…a name…or a hope.
Whatever it is—it matters.
In John 13, Jesus kneels in love. He takes the posture of a servant—washing the disciples’ feet, even the feet of the one who would betray Him. In this tender act, He offers more than cleansing. He offers an invitation— to be known and to be loved.
[pause]
Jesus once said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”This is that moment.
You are invited now to drop your stone into the water as an act of prayer. Lay it down as a sign of surrender, as a gesture of trust.
Reflection Questions:
What are you releasing as you lay down this stone?
What are you asking God to carry with you—or carry for you?
What do you need to leave behind in order to walk forward in freedom?
After you have spent some time reflecting on the questions, you are invited to dip your hands into the waters again and take with you one of the small cross stones at the bottom of the font.
Your spiritual journey doesn't end here. You are invited to take this stone cross with you as your pilgrimage continues with the reminder that you are not walking alone. You are loved.
Stay here as long as you need. And when you are ready, continue to the next station.
Song Used: Were You There feat. Andrea Thomas by The Vigil Project| Series 1
All songs and videos are covered under the following: CCLI (1706871 ) and CVLI (504362541) and CCS (14256)
