Tractatus Prior, Pars Prior, Cap. 23. De lotione pedum et sacro sermone in cena lesu.

Tractatus Prior, Pars Prior, Cap. 23. De lotione pedum et sacro sermone in cena lesu.

I bless you and give thanks to you, Lord Jesus Christ, most holy of the holy, for that profound example of your humility and servile obedience which you have shown and left for us to imitate, when you, most holy God, deigned to wash the feet of your humble servants, namely the poor fishermen, with your blessed hands and bent knees, and to cleanse, dry, and kiss them; but you did not neglect to wash the feet of your most treacherous traitor with similar love, even though he remained ungrateful for such great benefits, obstinate in his wickedness, entirely filthy and unclean within. The kindness of the master toward such a hard-hearted disciple, O most amiable obedience of the most pious Lord toward the most wicked servant, who was so hard-hearted that he could not be turned away from his conceived malice by the familiarity of the meal, by human kindness, or by the sweetness of conversation. I praise and honor you for the humble posture at this most sacred final supper, where you performed so many wonderful acts of love, that no amount of time or moment is sufficient to commemorate them properly. I praise and glorify you, Jesus, best comforter, sweetest teacher, and strongest supporter, for that remarkable and lengthy divine discourse, filled with the fire of love and the sweetness of grace, which you proclaimed to your disciples after washing their feet and the departure of Judas the traitor, with a voice so clear that you sought to comfort and console their troubled hearts against the impending tribulations, promising them certain hope in your resurrection and confirming them through the coming of the Paraclete, and for weaving together many beautiful words about their being taken from this exile to the heavenly mansion of your Father. And finally, at the end of this sacred discourse, you commended all of them to God the Father in a true union of heart, saying: "I want, Father, that they all may be one, as we are one."^✦ Then you entered the garden, separated from the tumult of the people, to find a quiet place for prayer with your disciples, and there you prepared yourself for the beginning of your sufferings and sacred passion, saying: "Sit here and watch with me, until I go there and pray." I beseech you now, most loving Jesus, my Master and Lord, to grant me, a most worthless sinner and unworthy servant of yours, the ability to meditate on such a heavenly discourse and such vivid examples of your actions with an attentive mind. Grant me, above all, to bend my stubborn and proud neck to perform all humble and servile tasks, and to conquer my shameful arrogance completely, so that I may learn to offer my services not only to devoted brothers and friends, but also to those who oppose me, regardless of their character or distorted ways. It's not too much for me to ask for forgiveness for my neglect when you, my God, were not ashamed to kneel before your disciples to wash your most sacred feet. So help me to fulfill what I hear and read about you, as you have instructed me by your example. Truly, because I am very defective and tainted by many evil affections, I need a great cleansing to wash away my sins. So I stretch out my hands to you and humbly bend my knees in prayer, asking that you would deign to wash not only my feet, but also my hands and head, diligently and cleanly; for I have sinned greatly against you in thought, word, deed, and omission. So wash me, Jesus, from all the filth of my sins; cleanse me from all the pollution of body and spirit, so that, fully purified, I may deserve to share in the eternal happiness you promised to all your beloved ones, even in the trials that separate us from you. Open my understanding, Lord, so I can clearly grasp the sweetest words you spoke at the Last Supper. For those are the words of the most ardent love, the sweetest consolation, and the highest understanding. Write a new commandment in my heart, so that my soul may burn with a double love; strengthen me in every pressure and pour into me the sweetest consolation of the Holy Spirit instead of worldly joy. Grant me true peace of heart, which the world cannot give; grant me the Spirit of Comfort, whom the world does not see or know. Come, Lord Jesus, and deign to make your dwelling with me, so that you may be in me and I in you, together as one. On the Passion of Christ according to the Four Evangelists.