Prayer: Ronald Rolheiser

When John is describing Jesus "taking off his outer garment" he means more than just the stripping off of some physical clothing, some outer sash that might have gotten in the way of his stooping down to wash the feet of someone different from oneself, Jesus had to strip off a lot of outer things (pride, moral judgments, superiority, ideology, and personal dignity) so as to wear only his inner garment (his knowledge that he had come from God, and was going back to God) and therefore all things were possible for him, including his washing the feet of someone whom he knew had betrayed him.

Chapter 11: The Eucharist as the Ultimate Invitation to Mature Discipleship Our One Great Act of Fidelity