Page:PracticalCommentaryOnHolyScripture.djvu/678

 Jesus answered  and  said:  “What  I do  thou  knowest  not  now,  but thou shalt  know  hereafter.”  Peter  continued  to  resist,  saying  that his Divine  Master  should  never  wash  his  feet. Then Jesus  said  to him:  “If  I wash  thee  not,  thou  shalt  have  no  part  with  Me.” Thereupon Peter  humbly  replied:  “Lord,  not  only  my  feet,  but also my  hands  and  my  head.”  Jesus  saith  to  him:  “He  that  is washed  needeth  not  but  to  wash  his  feet,  but  is  clean  wholly. And you  are  clean,  but  not  all.”

After He  had  washed  the  feet  of  the  twelve  apostles,  He  sat down again  at  the  table,  and  told  them  that  since  He,  their  Lord and Master,  had  given  them  such  an  example,  they  were  to  imitate Him in  practising  humility.

Omniscience of  our  Lord.  He  knew  beforehand  that  Peter  and  John would meet  a man  in  the  city,  carrying  a pitcher  of  water,  who  would go straight  into  the  house  where  Jesus  had  arranged  to  eat  the  pasch. He also  saw  into  the  heart  of  Judas,  and  knew  that  he  was  meditating His betrayal.

The last  Pasch.  Jesus  had  a great  desire  to  eat  “this”,  the  last typical Pasch,  with  His  disciples. When He  had  eaten  this  Paschal lamb with  them,  the  Old  Covenant  was  closed,  and  the  New  Covenant of grace  began;  for  immediately  after  the  Paschal  feast  our  Lord instituted the  Holy  Eucharist,  in  which  the  true  Lamb  of  God  is  offered up, and  given  to  the  faithful  to  be  the  Food  of  their  souls. The loving Heart of  Jesus  longed  to  institute  the  New  Covenant  of  grace,  to  offer Himself up  in  the  Sacrament  of  His  Body  and  Blood  for  our  salvation, and to  give  Himself  to  us  for  the  nourishment  of  our  souls. Therefore He said:  “With  desire  I have  desired  to  eat  this  Pasch  with  you.”

The Real  Presence.  Our  Lord  tells  His  disciples  beforehand  what is the  holy  Eucharist  which  He  will  presently  institute. It is  the  fulfilment of  the  Paschal  lamb. Therefore the  Eucharist  must  be  His  own Self, His  own  Body  and  Blood,  the  real  Lamb  of  God,  and  must  be  a sacrifice.

The object  of  the  washing  of  feet.  Firstly,  our  Lord  wished  to cleanse  His  disciples  perfectly  from  sin,  and  prepare  their  souls  for  the