Leader:
┼ In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
All: Amen.
Leader:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father
and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be God forever.
The response is: Blessed be God forever.
All: Blessed be God forever.
Leader:
We gather together as a family to remember how Jesus taught us to serve others.
Let us now listen to God's Word
and join in prayer.
Leader: Let us pray.
Leader:
Lord God,
the night before your Son died
he showed us how to gather together for a special meal
and how to make sacrifices for others, big and small.
Help us to love others
as Jesus taught us to love.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
Reader 1:
We now do this action prayer together:
May the Lord be on my mind, ┼
on my lips, ┼
and in my heart ┼
as we hear the Gospel today.
A reading from the holy Gospel of John.
If you'd like to read the Gospel as a group, click on the "Parts" tab. Or read out of your own Bible (John 13:1-15).
Reader 1:
He had always loved his followers in this world, and he loved them to the very end.
It was before Passover, and Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and to return to the Father.
the son of Simon Iscariot, decide to betray Jesus.
Even before the evening meal started, the devil had made Judas,
He also knew that the Father had given him complete power.
So during the meal Jesus got up, removed his outer garment, and wrapped a towel around his waist.
He put some water into a large bowl.
Then he began washing his disciples' feet and drying them with the towel he was wearing.
Jesus knew that he had come from God and would go back to God.
“Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
But when he came to Simon Peter, that disciple asked,
Jesus answered, “You don’t really know what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
“You will never wash my feet!” Peter replied.
“If I don’t wash you,” Jesus told him, “you don’t really belong to me.”
Peter said, “Lord, don’t wash just my feet. Wash my hands and my head.”
And you, my disciples, are clean, except for one of you.”
Jesus knew who would betray him. That is why he said, “except for one of you.”
Jesus answered, “People who have bathed and are clean all over need to wash just their feet.
After Jesus had washed his disciples' feet and had put his outer garment back on, he sat down again. Then he said:
Do you understand what I have done?
You call me your teacher and Lord, and you should, because that is who I am.
And if your Lord and teacher has washed your feet, you should do the same for each other.
I have set the example, and you should do for each other exactly what I have done for you.
Reader 1:
Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come
to pass from this world to the Father.
He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.
The devil had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand him over.
So, during supper,
fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power
and that he had come from God and was returning to God,
he rose from supper and took off his outer garments.
He took a towel and tied it around his waist.
Then he poured water into a basin
and began to wash the disciples’ feet
and dry them with the towel around his waist.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him,
“Master, are you going to wash my feet?”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“What I am doing, you do not understand now,
but you will understand later.”
Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered him,
“Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me.”
Simon Peter said to him,
“Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well.”
Jesus said to him,
“Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed,
for he is clean all over;
so you are clean, but not all.”
For he knew who would betray him;
for this reason, he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
So when he had washed their feet
and put his garments back on and reclined at table again,
he said to them, “Do you realize what I have done for you?
You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am.
If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet,
you ought to wash one another’s feet.
I have given you a model to follow,
so that as I have done for you, you should also do.”
Reader 1: The Gospel of the Lord.
All: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Or access full slideshow online
Reader 2:
Pope Francis has changed the tradition of washing people's feet on Holy Thursday.
Previous popes have washed the feet of twelve priests every year.
But Pope Francis has washed the feet of:
• Inmates in a prison
• Muslim migrants
• Disabled people
• Women, men, and even children
Reader 2:
In Jesus’ time, people had to walk everywhere
unless they were one of the few people who had a horse or a donkey.
Most people wore sandals or went barefoot if they couldn’t afford sandals.
It was dry and dusty in Jesus’ part of the world,
and after walking many miles each day their feet would be dirty!
When someone entered a house, the host would provide for the guest
to have his or her feet washed, usually by a servant.
So when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples,
they were shocked because he was acting like a servant, not like a master or a teacher.
He was trying to teach them that we should all be servants to one another.
No one should be a master over someone else and we should all take turns serving and being served.
Now let’s do what Jesus told us to do—let’s wash one another’s feet.
Have everyone (kids and parents included) take off socks and shoes. One at a time, an adult should wash a child’s feet. After drying them off, you can give a brief massage, rubbing in some lotion or oil. Aim for gentle, not ticklish! After all the children’s feet are washed, let each child take a turn washing the adults’ feet.
(Although adults may be more self-conscious about having their feet washed, please allow the children this privilege! They will feel honored to do this for someone else who usually serves them.)
Leader: Now let’s pray together to God for what we need.
Reader 3:
For all those who are seriously ill at this time,
that they may feel God's love and receive healing,
let us pray to the Lord.
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
Reader 3:
For medical workers, police, government leaders,
and all those working hard to help others at this time,
may God give them strength and wisdom,
let us pray to the Lord.
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
Reader 3:
That those who are lonely, scared, and confused at this time,
that they can feel God’s love for them,
let us pray to the Lord.
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
Reader 3: For what else and for who else shall we pray?
Leader: Jesus taught us to call God our Father, and so we have the courage to say:
All:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Leader: Let us now offer each other a sign of peace.
Leader: The response is: Lord, bring us closer to you!
All: Lord, bring us closer to you!
Leader:
Lord our God,
we wish we could gather today with our parish community,
but we gather here out of love and concern for others.
You teach us that when two or three are gathered in your name,
you are there.
Together, we pray:
All: Lord, bring us closer to you!
Leader:
Christ Jesus, you are present in a special way
when bread and wine are turned into your Body and Blood.
Since we cannot receive you in this way today,
We ask that you enter our hearts
so that we may receive you spiritually.
Together, we pray:
All: Lord, bring us closer to you!
Leader:
Lord our God,
watch over your family
and keep us safe in your care,
for all our hope is in you.
All: Lord, bring us closer to you!
Leader:
May the Lord bless us
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
All: Amen.
Leader: Go in the peace of Christ.
All: Thanks be to God.
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Portions excerpted from or adapted from Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest: Leader's Guide © 1993 United States Catholic Conference (USCC), 3211 Fourth Street, NE, Washington, DC 20017-1194 USA. All rights reserved.
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