24 March 2016. The celebration of Maundy Thursday, the commemoration of the last days of Jesus’ earthly presence, was held at St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Antelias in the presence of the faithful, including a large number of youth. The Service of Repentance was followed by the Holy Liturgy, which recalls the Last Supper, the institution of the Holy Eucharist.

In the afternoon, during the “Washing of the Feet” service, His Holiness Aram I followed Jesus’ example by washing the feet of the priests and the seminarians. In his sermon, at the end of the ceremony, His Holiness Aram I said, “Three things, love, serving the other and humility, are at the core of the foot-washing ritual. Throughout his earthly life Jesus showed the interconnectedness of love, service and humility and set the example of how to live. Through his Crucifixion, Jesus showed humanity the way to salvation and eternal life.”

“To be Christian,” he concluded, “is to imitate Christ and to fulfil one’s God-given vocation by applying Christ’s teachings to our lives.”