Commentary on the readings:
That day’s readings declaring a new covenant Passover as God revealing three divine secrets of our salvation mysteries:
- Secret of fulfillment of prophesies and abolishment of allusions by declaring the foreshadowed and advent of the Passover of humanity and the hope of Israel and all people.
- Secret of communion and ministry in the church and adapting the others’ salvation in washing the feet (love that lowered to our level)
- Secret of divine love and desire of God’s Son to unit with every soul (Your grace raise us to his height)
Revelation of the new covenant Passover founded in hours readings of Thursday,
Secret of church and ministry is in readings for blessing the water in Thursday,
And the secret of unity between God and man in readings for the liturgy of the Great Thursday.
So good to be brought by the day’s readings to reveal:
Our Passover (reading for Thursday)
Our position and mission (readings for blessing the water)
Our glory and treasure (reading for the liturgy)
Readings for that day explain allusions and shadows of Passover in the old covenant (prophecies)
How the kings and Jude didn’t realize the coming of their Passover, rather they opposed (psalms)
Arrangement and preparing for Passover (Gospels)
Prophecies
Prophecies about the link between the Passover and the cross in the old covenant (Morning Prayer)
Meaning of Passover and God’s Son intersession (Third Hour)
Advent of Passover with glory (Ninth Hour)
Contents
Morning Prayer of Great Thursday
Such hour about the link between the Passover and the cross (prophecies)
Judas the traitorous (psalm)
Sending Peter and John to prepare the Passover (Gospel)
Third Hour
Readings for such hour are about link between the Passover and intersession before the Father (prophecies)
The kings plot (psalm)
Sending two of disciples to prepare the Passover (Gospel)
Sixth Hour
Readings for such hour are about spiritual preparedness for Passover and how souls keep the true Passover as a feast far from Formalism of worship and life (prophecies), graveness of object and life deviation (psalm), and soul reward for its pure preparation (Gospel)
Ninth Hour
Readings for such hour are about:
+ The story of offering Isaac as a sacrifice by Abraham is one of Passover symbols (Genesis 22: 1- 19)
+ Prophecy about who anointed for savior (Isaiah 61: 1- 6)
+ Priesthood of the new covenant Passover which was a symbol by Melchizedek (Genesis 14: 17- 20)
+ The end of who refuses our Passover and the captain of our salvation (Job 28: 7- 10)
+ The reward, glory, and riches for who lives in the new covenant Passover (psalm & Gospels)
Blessing the Water
Readings here about purification and washing are essential for salvation and its sign.
As in these readings, we realize how our savior washing us with the spirit water seeing symbols of such washing in the prophecies and readings from the Old Testament. We see also the way that was performed and taught by God to teach us washing the others’ feet adapting their sins same as he washed our filth when he stepped down before the feet of His disciples showing modesty righteousness and glory of love.
This would mean that the essence of the day readings is what God do inside us and what we do towards our fellow to live a constant and renewing wash from God and serve in washing others’ weakness.
Readings for Blessing the Water are from eight prophecies could be divided into four:
+ The first couple of prophecies about manifestation of the Son of God in ministry and washing feet (the first prophecy) and in the church, the altar, and the table of life therein (the second prophecy).
+ The second couple of prophecies about the act of baptism as salvation and escape from the power of Satan (the third prophecy) and as a door leading to the new life (the fourth prophecy)
+ The third couple of prophecies about the work of God in washing and purification man when the fullness of the time was come (the fifth prophecy) and man acceptance for that divine work (the sixth prophecy)
+ The fourth couple of prophecies about purging water for purification (the seventh prophecy) and abundance of water for fullness (the eighth prophecy)
Liturgy of Great Thursday
Readings for liturgy tend to assert the truth of Eucharist mystery, establishing it by God, church life therewith, and moving the bible texts away from any symbolism or historical event for what God made with His disciples.
Readings illustrates that Eucharist mystery is an apostolic delivery (The Pauline Epistle)
The table of life (psalm)
Remission of sins and Kingdom manifestation (Gospel)
The eleventh hour of Great Thursday
Readings here about the Lamb of God and the Father dispensation for the redemptive passion (Isaiah 52)
The lord altar in the new covenant and salvation blessings (Isaiah 19)
The cross passion and wounds and starting a new covenant (Zechariah)
Achievement of prophecies concerning the disciple’s trespass (psalm & Gospel)
From the inspiration of readings
“This is My Body… this is my blood” liturgy of the Great Thursday
“God’s rubies”
+ When the priest shouting “The holies for the holy”, the holy here meant the small rubies of the Christ body founded in the bread’s tray which the believers partake while the saints are people who prayerfully proceed to the divine table.
+ At the first period of my priesthood, I was (and still) very careful about rubies of Body and Blood drops of the Christ, be glory, fearing from falling to earth.
+ But by the time and after years passed, God opened my eyes to see other rubies weren’t of the same importance and care for me. These are His sons and souls redeemed with His holy Blood.
+ while security of His Body and Blood and being tray and cup empty from any rubies fearing from falling down dominating and taking my entire attention in the mass, the human rubies that I meet after the mass weren’t at the same disquieting. Whether those who are inside or outside the church walls, or those who are in the far countries.
+ The grief for their loos and falling wasn’t equal to my grief for Body and Blood rubies in the mass!!
+ As I’m daily surrounded with lost and falling rubies, I became satisfied with a clear conscience of tray and cup that I reserved rubies therein.
+ When shall you, o the Holy Spirit of God, open my eye to see rubies I neglected, rebuke, and lowered for my alleged dignity?
+ O God’s ministers, God most high entrusted you of His human rubies. O parents, the Almighty gave you rubies at your houses.
+ Let his rubies take our attention and being in honor of His Holy Body and His Precious Blood, let our life to be a constant liturgy and the served people to be a holy sacrifice.
+ As we hold the Cup whosever we meet and the Tray in our love to every worried weak soul.
“Now you are the Body of Christ” 1 Corinthians 12: 27″
[You are above the table! You are inside the Cup!]
Saint Augustine (commentary to chapter 1 of Song of Songs, commentary to chapter 3 of Ezra- Father Tadros Yacoub Malaty)