Word Magazine April 1958 Page 7-8

THE WASHING OF THE FEET

Arranged by

Rev. Father Kurban

Set up a platform

12 chairs

I Big chair for the Priest

2 Basins and towels

Reader: Psalm 50

Priest: Wisdom! Attend! Let us hear the Holy Gospel. Peace be to all.

Deacon: The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew.

Priest: Wisdom!

Deacon: When Jesus had finished all these sayings, He said to His disciples:

Priest: “You know that after two days the Passover is coming and the Son of man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

Deacon: Now on the first day of unleaven­ed bread, Jesus sent Peter and John saying:

Priest: Go and prepare for us to eat the Passover.

Deacon: They said to Him:

Peter and John: Where will you have us prepare it?

Deacon: He said unto them:

Priest: “Go into the city, and a man carry­ing a jar of water will meet you: follow him into the house which he enters and tell the householder, the teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room where I am to eat the Passover with my dis­ciples?” And he will show you a large upper room furnished. There make ready.”

Peter and John move toward the man carrying a jar of water and they say to him:

The teacher says where am I to eat the Passover with my disciples?

The man answered:

Here it is. He points to the platform. Peter and John come to the priest and they say to him:

O, Lord, everything is prepared.

At this moment, the whole crowd of the apostles with Jesus proceed toward the platform with the cross and the fan, the altar boys and censer.

Deacon: And when the hour came, He sat at the table with the twelve disciples. Jesus said to them:

Priest: “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer for I tell you, I shall not eat it until it is ful­filled the kingdom of God.”

Deacon: Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper, laid aside His garments, and girded Himself with a towel. Then He poured water into a basin and began to wash the dis­ciples feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. He came to Simon Peter and Peter said to Him:

Peter: Lord, do you wash my feet?

Deacon: Jesus answered him:

Priest: What I am doing you do not know now, but afterward, you will under­stand.

Deacon: Peter said to Him:

Peter: You shall never wash my feet.

Deacon: Jesus answered him:

Priest: If I do not wash you, you have no part in me.

Deacon: Simon Peter said to Him:

Peter: Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!

Deacon: Jesus said to him:

Priest: He who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but he is clean all over and you are clean but not all of you.

Deacon: For He knew who was to betray Him: that was why He said “You are not all clean.” When He has washed their feet and taken His garments and resumed His place, He said to them:

Priest: Do you know what I have done to you? You call me teacher and Lord, and you are right for so I am. If I then, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, for I have given you an example that you also should do as I have done to you. Truly, truly I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. I am not speaking of you all; I know whom I have chosen: it is that the scripture may be fulfilled. He who ate my bread has lifted his head against me.

Deacon: When Jesus had thus spoken, He was troubled in spirit and testified:

Priest: Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.

Deacon: The disciples looked at one an­other, uncertain of whom He spoke. One of His disciples of whom Jesus loved, was lying close to the breast of Jesus, so Simon Peter beckoned to him and said. ‘‘Tell us who it is of whom He speaks.” So lying thus close to the breast of Jesus, he said to Him:

John: Lord, who is it?

Deacon: Jesus answered:

Priest: It is one of the twelve; one who is dipping bread in the same dish with me, for the son of man goes as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the son of man is betrayed. It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.

Deacon: Jesus said to His disciples:

Priest: Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me and as I said to the Jews, so now I say to you, where I am going you cannot come. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another even as I have loved you, that you love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.

Deacon: Simon Peter said to Him:

Peter: Lord, where are you going?

Deacon: Jesus answered:

Priest: Where I am going you cannot fol­low me now: but you shall follow after­wards.

Deacon: Peter said:

Peter: Lord, why cannot I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.

Deacon: Jesus answered:

Priest: Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the cock will not crow till you have denied me three times.

Deacon: Jesus said to them:

Priest: Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way where I am going.

Deacon: Thomas said to Him:

Thomas: Lord, we do riot know where you are going; how can we know the way?

Deacon: Jesus said to him:

Priest: I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through me. If you had known me, you would have known my father also; henceforth you know Him and have seen Him.

Deacon: Philip said to Him:

Philip: Lord, show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied.

Deacon: Jesus said to him:

Priest: Have I been with you so long and yet you do not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; how can you say show us the Father?

Deacon: Jesus said to them:

Priest: If you love me, you will keep my commandments. I will not leave you desolate; I will come to you, yet, a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me, because I live, you will live also. In that day, you know that I am in my father, and you in me, and I in you. He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.

Deacon: Judas, not Iscariot, said to Him:

Judas: Lord, how is it that you will man­ifest yourself to us, and not to the world?

Deacon: Jesus answered him:

Priest: If a man loves me, he will keep my word and my father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

Deacon: Jesus said to His disciples:

Priest: You will all fall away because of me this night, for it is written. I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered, but a little while and you will see me no more; again a little while, and you will see me and because I go to the Father.

Deacon: Matthew answered and said to the disciples:

Matthew: What is this that He said, a lit­tle while and you will see me no more and a little while and you will see me?

Deacon: At that moment. Partholomy said:

Partholomy: What does He means after a while? We do not understand.

Simon: We do not know what He means.

Deacon: Jesus knew that they wanted to ask Him, so He said to them:

Priest: “Is this what you are asking your­selves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’? Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. When a wom­an is in travail she has sorrow, because her hour has come; but when she is de­livered of the child, she no longer re­members the anguish, for joy that a child is born into the world. So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. In that day you will ask me no questions. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father, he will give it to you in my name. Hitherto you have asked nothing in my name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. “I have said this to you in figures; the hour is coming when I shall no longer speak to you in figures but tell you plain­ly of the Father. In that day you will ask in my name: and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you. . .”

Deacon: Jacob, the son of Halfa said:

Jacob: Ah, now you are speaking plainly not in any figure!

Deacon: Jacob, the son of Zelbady, said:

Jacob: Now, we know that you know all things and need none to question you.

Deacon: Andrew said to Jesus:

Andrew: By this we believe that you come from God.

Deacon: Jesus said to them:

Priest: Do you now believe? The hour is coming. Indeed, it has come, when you will be scattered, every man to his home, and will leave me alone; yet, I am not alone for the Father is with me. I have said this to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.

Deacon: When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up His eyes to heaven and said:

Priest: Father, the hour has come to glori­fy Thy Son that the Son may glorify Thee; I glorified Thee on earth, having accomplished the work which Thou gavest me to do; and now, Father, glor­ify Thou me Thy own presence with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was made. I have manifested Thy name to the men whom Thou gavest me out of the world; Thine they were, and Thou gavest them to me, and they have kept Thy word.

Holy Father, keep them in Thy name which Thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in Thy name which Thou has given me. I guarded them, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition, that the scrip­ture might be fulfilled. I do not pray for these only, but also for those who are to believe in me through their word. Father, I desire that they also, whom Thou hast given me, may be with me where I am, to behold my glory which Thou hast given me in Thy love for me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world has not known Thee, but I have known Thee; and these know that Thou hast sent me. I make known to them Thy name and I will make it known that the love with which Thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them.

Deacon: Then, Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane and He said to His disciples:

Priest: Sit here while I go yonder multi pray.

Deacon: And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, He began to be sorrowful and troubled. He said to them:

Priest: Call the first three disciples and say to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death! Remain here, and watch with me.”

Deacons: And going a little farther, He fell on His face and prayed.

Priest: My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me, nevertheless, not as I will but as Thou wilt.

Deacon: And there appeared to Him an angel from heaven strengthening Him, and being in agony, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down upon the ground, and when He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping and He said to Peter:

Priest: So you could not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation, the spirit us willing, but the flesh is weak.

The Priest goes and prays for the second time:

My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, Thy will be done.

Deacon: And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So, leaving them again, He went away and prayed for the third time saying the same words. Then He came to the dis­ciples and said to them:

Priest: Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand.