Come, therefore, O Lord Jesus,
divest yourself of your garments
which you have put on for my sake.
Be naked, that you may clothe us with your mercy.
Gird yourself with a towel for our sakes,
that you may gird us with your gift of immortality.
Pour water into the basin; wash not only our feet but also the head,
and not only the footprints of the body, but also of the mind.
I wish to put off all the filth of our fraility,
so that I, too, may say:
“I have put off my garment, how shall I put it on?
I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them?”
Source: Ambrose, d. 397
Source of this version: https://magdelene.wordpress.com/category/martin-luther-king/
Also quoted in The One Year Book of Personal Prayer, © 1991 Tyndale House Publishers (January 21)
The last two lines quote the Song of Songs 5:3
