From notebook 02 of Father Eustáquio

“According to Jewish law, Jesus and his apostles had taken the Passover lamb. He stood up, girded himself with a towel, put water in a basin, and knelt at the feet of each of the apostles, beginning with the oldest. And, as soon as Saint Peter saw what Jesus intended, he stood up and said:
“"Never in my life will you wash my feet!" But Jesus replied:
“"Unless you wash, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven." And Saint Peter replied, startled:
“Not only my feet, but my whole body you must wash!” But Jesus answered, “If someone has bathed, he only needs to wash his feet.” And Jesus began to wash their feet, one by one. And when he had finished washing their feet, he sat down at the table, took the bread and said:
“Take and eat: this is my body.” Then, taking the cup, he said:
“Take and drink: this is my blood.” It was the holy moment of the institution of the Blessed Sacrament of the altar.

When Saint Paul recounts this passage, he says some words that will greatly move us, for everything in this Gospel moves us, but even more so these few words: “on the night Jesus was betrayed.” On the night Jesus was betrayed, He washed the feet of His disciples, gave them food and drink, for the first time, His Body and Blood. Jesus already knew who would betray Him and how. He knew the words He would say, the coins He would receive, the time and place where He would be betrayed. But, nevertheless, Jesus washed the feet of this apostle, gave him His Body and Blood to eat and drink.

Oh Judas! With the devil in his heart, he went to the temple to meet with the Pharisees and scribes, saying, “If you are willing to give me 30 pieces of silver, I will deliver to you the one you seek.” And they gave him the money. And Judas had the sad courage to lead the soldiers to the place where Jesus was praying. And Jesus knew all this, and did not reject him, but received him with the same affection as the others. Jesus knew that Saint Peter would deny him even three times before the people. And yet, he received him with such affection that night when everyone would flee from the Master, even the apostles themselves. But Jesus did not want to flee—he wanted to stay with us, day and night, in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar.

It was on that night that Jesus would be scourged, crowned with thorns, and condemned to death. But Jesus, ever kind at heart, did not wish to repay such torments with further torments. Despite so much suffering, He wished to remain with us in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar. It was on that night that Jesus foresaw all that would happen in the future: the lack of reverence in churches, the little respect for His divine presence, so many sacrileges, so many horrors against His holy presence. But Jesus wished to remain—to remain forever, until the end of the world, as long as there was a soul in need of His help in this world. Oh, night of valor! Precious night! The night that preceded the death of your Master. Oh, goodness, oh, divine goodness! You are too great to be comprehended by us, poor mortals! But also a sad night: a fire of love on such a cold, icy night. A God-Man who saw no tear without wiping away, nor pain without relieving—and now, without consolation, without support, on this sad night of betrayal and denial.

Oh, if only we could warm that night for You, O Jesus! If only we could take away that sad ingratitude for You! What we can do, we will do. We will remember Your words, especially Your last words. We will imitate Your holy example of love and humility. We will venerate Your divine presence. And often, in ourselves, poor, unworthy, sad, empty, helpless, straying, cold of heart, we will receive You. We will receive You with love, fervor, and humility. If Mary, the Mother of Jesus, were not in the room, she would certainly have been nearby. It is she who will console us at this moment, for she was the one who most consoled Jesus in this life, who did not lose a minute of the memory of her Son. Oh sweet memory: to think that at least Mary did not leave Jesus; that in her at least He found His consolation and comfort; and it was she who, in our absence, has consoled Jesus for us. Oh worthy, oh true Mother! Stay, stay always with Jesus! Tell them that we, poor sinners, want to be everything to Jesus. And, having comforted, received, and visited Jesus here on this earth, we will also be received into the comfort of Jesus in blessed eternity.
Amen."”