João 13

Bede

João 13:1

[(as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)] The Jews had many feasts, but the principal one was the passover; and therefore it is particularly said, Before the feast of the passover. — Catena Aurea by Aquinas

João 13:1

He loved them so much that by that very love he would end his bodily life for a time and soon pass from death to life, from this world to the Father. "Greater love has no one than this, that he should lay down his life for his friends." And so, each passing over—the one under the Law and the other under the gospel—was consecrated with blood, the former with the paschal lamb, the latter with "Christ, our Passover, who was sacrificed for us." The latter had his blood poured out on the cross, the former had its blood sprinkled in the manner of a cross in the middle of the lintel and the middle of the door posts. — Homilies on the Gospels 2.5

João 13:4

He rose from the table and put aside his [outer] garments when, ceasing the fuller sharing of his life in time with human beings, he put aside on the cross the bodily members that he had assumed. He took up a linen towel with which he girded himself, when, after having taken up for us the mandate of suffering that he had received from his Father, he covered his body with the torment of his passion. A linen towel, which is woven by the endless labor of twisting [flax], is usually taken to signify the pain of suffering. When our Lord had laid aside his [outer] garments, he girded himself with a linen towel to signify that he was putting aside the clothing of the body that he had put on, [and that he was doing this] not without the distress of sorrow but with the prolonged anguish of the cross. — Homilies on the Gospels 2.5

João 13:8

Here it is clearly pointed out that this washing of the feet implies the spiritual purification of body and soul without which we cannot arrive at fellowship with Christ. — Homilies on the Gospels 2.5

João 13:10

Jesus is giving clear notice that this washing of the feet indicates pardoning of sins, and not only that which is given once in baptism but in addition that by which the daily guilty actions of the faithful that everyone lives with in this life are cleansed by his daily grace. Our feet, by which we move about [and] touch the ground—and for this reason we cannot keep them free from contact with dirt, as we can the rest of our bodies—signify the necessity of our living on earth, by which we who are idle and negligent are daily affected to a great extent. Even outstanding people who live the highest kind of life are distracted from the heavenly contemplation that they love so much, so that "if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." …The person who has been cleansed in the baptismal font and has received pardon for all his sins has no need to be cleansed again. Moreover, he cannot be cleansed again in the same way. He finds it necessary only to have the daily defilements of his worldly life wiped away by the daily forgiveness of his Redeemer. His whole body, together with its actions, is clean, with the exception merely of those things that cling to the mind because of the necessities of temporal cares. For their daily polluting and cleansing we say daily in prayer, "And forgive us our debts as we also forgive our debtors." — Homilies on the Gospels 2.5

João 13:12

[(as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)] Our Lord first did a thing, then taught it: as it is said, Jesus began both to do and to teach. (Acts 1:1) — Catena Aurea by Aquinas

João 13:14

Our Lord first did something then taught it, because Jesus, establishing the pattern of a good teacher, taught nothing except those things that he did. — Commentary on Acts 1.1

João 13:17

[(as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)] To know what is good, and not to do it, tendeth not to happiness, but to condemnation; as James saith, To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin (James 4:17). Wherefore He adds, If ye know these things, happy are ye if yo do them. — Catena Aurea by Aquinas

João 13:23

[(as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)] That he lay in the bosom, and upon the breast, was not only an evidence of present love, but also a sign of the future, (non occ.). viz. of those new and mysterious doctrines which he was afterwards commissioned to reveal to the world. — Catena Aurea by Aquinas

João 13:38

[(as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)] Which sentence may be read in two ways: either as affirming, thou shalt lay down thy life for My sake, but now through fear of the death of the body, thou shalt incur spiritual death: or as mocking; as if He said, Nevertheless, should any one fall, let the example of Peter save him from despair, and teach him that he can without delay obtain pardon from God. — Catena Aurea by Aquinas