On Holy and Great Thursday, the Divine Fathers, who ordered all things aright, in succession to the Divine Apostles and the Sacred Gospels, have handed down to us the tradition of celebrating four events: the sacred Foot-washing, the Secret Supper (that is, the bestowal of the dread Mysteries), the preternatural Prayer, and the Betrayal itself.
Verses to the Foot-washing
God, Whose feet trod in Eden long ago in the afternoon,
Washeth the feet of His Disciples in the evening.
Verses to the Secret Supper
Twofold is the Supper: for it is the Passover of the Law
And the New Pascha, the Blood and Body of the Master.
Verses to the Preternatural Prayer
In Thy Prayer, O Christ, Thou didst show fear,
And let great drops of blood fall from Thy face,
Ostensibly avoiding death, but thereby deceiving the Enemy.
Verses to the Betrayal
What need have ye of swords and staves, O deceivers of the people,
To put to death Him Who is zealous to redeem the world?
