April 3, 2026
Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion
Lectionary:
40
Reading
I
See,
my servant shall prosper,
he shall be
raised high and greatly exalted.
Even as many were amazed at him--
so marred
was his look beyond human semblance
and his
appearance beyond that of the sons of man--
so shall he startle many nations,
because of
him kings shall stand speechless;
for those who have not been told shall see,
those who
have not heard shall ponder it.
Who would believe what we have heard?
To whom has
the arm of the LORD been revealed?
He grew up like a sapling before him,
like a shoot
from the parched earth;
there was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him,
nor
appearance that would attract us to him.
He was spurned and avoided by people,
a man of
suffering, accustomed to infirmity,
one of those from whom people hide their faces,
spurned, and
we held him in no esteem.
Yet it was our infirmities that he bore,
our
sufferings that he endured,
while we thought of him as stricken,
as one
smitten by God and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our offenses,
crushed for
our sins;
upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole,
by his
stripes we were healed.
We had all gone astray like sheep,
each
following his own way;
but the LORD laid upon him
the guilt of
us all.
Though he was harshly treated, he submitted
and opened
not his mouth;
like a lamb led to the slaughter
or a sheep
before the shearers,
he was
silent and opened not his mouth.
Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away,
and who
would have thought any more of his destiny?
When he was cut off from the land of the living,
and smitten
for the sin of his people,
a grave was assigned him among the wicked
and a burial
place with evildoers,
though he had done no wrong
nor spoken
any falsehood.
But the LORD was pleased
to crush him
in infirmity.
If he gives his life as an offering for sin,
he shall see
his descendants in a long life,
and the will
of the LORD shall be accomplished through him.
Because of his affliction
he shall see
the light in fullness of days;
through his suffering, my servant shall justify many,
and their
guilt he shall bear.
Therefore I will give him his portion among the great,
and he shall
divide the spoils with the mighty,
because he surrendered himself to death
and was
counted among the wicked;
and he shall take away the sins of many,
and win
pardon for their offenses.
Responsorial
Psalm
Psalm 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-16,
17, 25
R
(Lk 23:46) Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
In you, O LORD, I take refuge;
let me never
be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me.
Into your
hands I commend my spirit;
you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.
R Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
For all my foes I am an object of reproach,
a
laughingstock to my neighbors, and a dread to my friends;
they who see me abroad flee from me.
I am
forgotten like the unremembered dead;
I am like a dish that is broken.
R Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
But my trust is in you, O LORD;
I say, “You
are my God.
In your hands is my destiny; rescue me
from the
clutches of my enemies and my persecutors.”
R Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in
your kindness.
Take courage and be stouthearted,
all you who
hope in the LORD.
R Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
Reading
II
Brothers
and sisters:
Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens,
Jesus, the Son of God,
let us hold fast to our confession.
For we do not have a high priest
who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,
but one who has similarly been tested in every way,
yet without sin.
So let us confidently approach the throne of grace
to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.
In the days when Christ was in the flesh,
he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears
to the one who was able to save him from death,
and he was heard because of his reverence.
Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered;
and when he was made perfect,
he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.
Verse
Before the Gospel
Christ
became obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name which is above every other name.
The passion narratives are proclaimed in full so that all see vividly the love of Christ for each person. In light of this, the crimes during the Passion of Christ cannot be attributed, in either preaching or catechesis, indiscriminately to all Jews of that time, nor to Jews today. The Jewish people should not be referred to as though rejected or cursed, as if this view followed from Scripture. The Church ever keeps in mind that Jesus, his mother Mary, and the apostles all were Jewish. As the Church has always held, Christ freely suffered his passion and death because of the sins of all, that all might be saved.
Gospel
Jesus
went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley
to where there was a garden,
into which he and his disciples entered.
Judas his betrayer also knew the place,
because Jesus had often met there with his disciples.
So Judas got a band of soldiers and guards
from the chief priests and the Pharisees
and went there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.
Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen to him,
went out and said to them, “Whom are you looking for?”
They answered him, “Jesus the Nazorean.”
He said to them, “I AM.”
Judas his betrayer was also with them.
When he said to them, “I AM, “
they turned away and fell to the ground.
So he again asked them,
“Whom are you looking for?”
They said, “Jesus the Nazorean.”
Jesus answered,
“I told you that I AM.
So if you are looking for me, let these men go.”
This was to fulfill what he had said,
“I have not lost any of those you gave me.”
Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it,
struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear.
The slave’s name was Malchus.
Jesus said to Peter,
“Put your sword into its scabbard.
Shall I not drink the cup that the Father gave me?”
So the band of soldiers, the tribune, and the Jewish guards seized Jesus,
bound him, and brought him to Annas first.
He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas,
who was high priest that year.
It was Caiaphas who had counseled the Jews
that it was better that one man should die rather than the people.
Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus.
Now the other disciple was known to the high priest,
and he entered the courtyard of the high priest with Jesus.
But Peter stood at the gate outside.
So the other disciple, the acquaintance of the high priest,
went out and spoke to the gatekeeper and brought Peter in.
Then the maid who was the gatekeeper said to Peter,
“You are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?”
He said, “I am not.”
Now the slaves and the guards were standing around a charcoal fire
that they had made, because it was cold,
and were warming themselves.
Peter was also standing there keeping warm.
The high priest questioned Jesus
about his disciples and about his doctrine.
Jesus answered him,
“I have spoken publicly to the world.
I have always taught in a synagogue
or in the temple area where all the Jews gather,
and in secret I have said nothing. Why ask me?
Ask those who heard me what I said to them.
They know what I said.”
When he had said this,
one of the temple guards standing there struck Jesus and said,
“Is this the way you answer the high priest?”
Jesus answered him,
“If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong;
but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?”
Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.
Now Simon Peter was standing there keeping warm.
And they said to him,
“You are not one of his disciples, are you?”
He denied it and said,
“I am not.”
One of the slaves of the high priest,
a relative of the one whose ear Peter had cut off, said,
“Didn’t I see you in the garden with him?”
Again Peter denied it.
And immediately the cock crowed.
Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorium.
It was morning.
And they themselves did not enter the praetorium,
in order not to be defiled so that they could eat the Passover.
So Pilate came out to them and said,
“What charge do you bring against this man?”
They answered and said to him,
“If he were not a criminal,
we would not have handed him over to you.”
At this, Pilate said to them,
“Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law.”
The Jews answered him,
“We do not have the right to execute anyone, “
in order that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled
that he said indicating the kind of death he would die.
So Pilate went back into the praetorium
and summoned Jesus and said to him,
“Are you the King of the Jews?”
Jesus answered,
“Do you say this on your own
or have others told you about me?”
Pilate answered,
“I am not a Jew, am I?
Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me.
What have you done?”
Jesus answered,
“My kingdom does not belong to this world.
If my kingdom did belong to this world,
my attendants would be fighting
to keep me from being handed over to the Jews.
But as it is, my kingdom is not here.”
So Pilate said to him,
“Then you are a king?”
Jesus answered,
“You say I am a king.
For this I was born and for this I came into the world,
to testify to the truth.
Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”
Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”
When he had said this,
he again went out to the Jews and said to them,
“I find no guilt in him.
But you have a custom that I release one prisoner to you at Passover.
Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”
They cried out again,
“Not this one but Barabbas!”
Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged.
And the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on his head,
and clothed him in a purple cloak,
and they came to him and said,
“Hail, King of the Jews!”
And they struck him repeatedly.
Once more Pilate went out and said to them,
“Look, I am bringing him out to you,
so that you may know that I find no guilt in him.”
So Jesus came out,
wearing the crown of thorns and the purple cloak.
And he said to them, “Behold, the man!”
When the chief priests and the guards saw him they cried out,
“Crucify him, crucify him!”
Pilate said to them,
“Take him yourselves and crucify him.
I find no guilt in him.”
The Jews answered,
“We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die,
because he made himself the Son of God.”
Now when Pilate heard this statement,
he became even more afraid,
and went back into the praetorium and said to Jesus,
“Where are you from?”
Jesus did not answer him.
So Pilate said to him,
“Do you not speak to me?
Do you not know that I have power to release you
and I have power to crucify you?”
Jesus answered him,
“You would have no power over me
if it had not been given to you from above.
For this reason the one who handed me over to you
has the greater sin.”
Consequently, Pilate tried to release him; but the Jews cried out,
“If you release him, you are not a Friend of Caesar.
Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.”
When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus out
and seated him on the judge’s bench
in the place called Stone Pavement, in Hebrew, Gabbatha.
It was preparation day for Passover, and it was about noon.
And he said to the Jews,
“Behold, your king!”
They cried out,
“Take him away, take him away! Crucify him!”
Pilate said to them,
“Shall I crucify your king?”
The chief priests answered,
“We have no king but Caesar.”
Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.
So they took Jesus, and, carrying the cross himself,
he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull,
in Hebrew, Golgotha.
There they crucified him, and with him two others,
one on either side, with Jesus in the middle.
Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross.
It read,
“Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews.”
Now many of the Jews read this inscription,
because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city;
and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.
So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate,
“Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’
but that he said, ‘I am the King of the Jews’.”
Pilate answered,
“What I have written, I have written.”
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus,
they took his clothes and divided them into four shares,
a share for each soldier.
They also took his tunic, but the tunic was seamless,
woven in one piece from the top down.
So they said to one another,
“Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be, “
in order that the passage of Scripture might be fulfilled that says:
They
divided my garments among them,
and
for my vesture they cast lots.
This is what the soldiers did.
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother
and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
and Mary of Magdala.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved
he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”
Then he said to the disciple,
“Behold, your mother.”
And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
After this, aware that everything was now finished,
in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
Jesus said, “I thirst.”
There was a vessel filled with common wine.
So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop
and put it up to his mouth.
When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,
“It is finished.”
And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.
Here all
kneel and pause for a short time.
Now since it was preparation day,
in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath,
for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one,
the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken
and that they be taken down.
So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first
and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead,
they did not break his legs,
but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,
and immediately blood and water flowed out.
An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true;
he knows that he is speaking the truth,
so that you also may come to believe.
For this happened so that the Scripture passage might be fulfilled:
Not a bone of it will be broken.
And again another passage says:
They will look upon him whom they have pierced.
After this, Joseph of Arimathea,
secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews,
asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus.
And Pilate permitted it.
So he came and took his body.
Nicodemus, the one who had first come to him at night,
also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes
weighing about one hundred pounds.
They took the body of Jesus
and bound it with burial cloths along with the spices,
according to the Jewish burial custom.
Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden,
and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried.
So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day;
for the tomb was close by.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/040326.cfm
Commentary on Isaiah 52:13–53:12; Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9; John
18:1—19:42
On
Good Friday, let us contemplate these two scenes:
- God in Jesus,
battered and naked on the Cross, is made accessible to all. We
still need discerning eyes to see this, but even a pagan soldier could see
it (see Mark 15:39).
- The veil of the
Temple is torn in two. The Holy of Holies is thrown open (Matt 27:51) and
God is no longer hidden behind a veil, inaccessible except to the High
Priest, and then only once a year. He is available to all of
us—at any time and in any place.
All
early cultures sacrificed blood to their gods. Blood was associated with the
life principle—we can bleed to death. The most precious offering to God was
blood, and the most precious blood of all was human blood.
Historians
tell us that many ancient cultures engaged in human sacrifice (Abraham’s
willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac is seen by some as related to this
practice—see Gen 22:1-18). Later, human sacrifice was eliminated and only
animals were used. By the time of Jesus, the Temple had become a giant
butchery, with priests killing animals non-stop. When Jesus drove out the
money-changers, it was estimated that 90 percent of commerce was linked to animal
sacrifices.
Why,
then, so much blood at Jesus’ death? For so many centuries people had been
spilling blood to reach out to God. But in the Crucifixion, it is reversed—God
spills his own blood to reach out to us. This is to take away our old fear, that
we need to spill blood to try to appease an angry God. There is no such thing
as an ‘angry’ God. There is only an unconditionally loving God.
Paul
tells us that Jesus “emptied himself” (Phil 2:6-7). He emptied himself of all
egoism, of all anger, fear and anxiety, of all human dignity in the sight of
others. He let go of everything and because he did so, he was fully taken up in
union with his Father.
For
us it has to be the same. Our lives are so tied up with all kinds of concerns,
desires, ambitions, fears and anxieties. We need to remove these blocks and
just let go. We need to break down the barriers separating us from total union
with the Source and Goal of all being.
The
Way is shown clearly in the Gospel, and most of all in the Way of the Cross—leading
to resurrection, new life and ascension, and to union with God in Christ.
Paul
was very close to it when he said:
…it
is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.
(Gal 2:20)
Comments
Off
https://livingspace.sacredspace.ie/l1066r/
Friday,
April 3, 2026
Good Friday: The Passion of the Lord
Recollection in Prayer – Statio
Come,
You who refresh us, the soul’s delightful guest, come take away all that is
mine,
and pour into me all that is yours.
Come,
You who are the nourishment of every chaste thought, source of all mercies, sum
of all purity.
Come
and burn away all that in me is cause of my not being able to be consumed by You.
Come, Spirit, who are ever with the Father and the Bridegroom, and rest over
the brides of the Bridegroom.
(St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi,
O. Carm., in La Probatione ii, 193-194.)
A Prayerful Reading of the Word – Lectio
Gospel
Reading - John 18: 1 – 19: 42
Jesus
went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to where there was a
garden, into which he and his disciples entered. Judas his betrayer also knew
the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. So Judas got a
band of soldiers and guards from the chief priests and the Pharisees and went
there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. Jesus, knowing everything that was
going to happen to him, went out and said to them, “Whom are you looking for?” They
answered him, “Jesus the Nazorean.” He said to them, “I AM.” Judas his betrayer
was also with them. When he said to them, “I AM, “they turned away and fell to the
ground. So he again asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” They said, “Jesus the
Nazorean.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I AM. So if you are looking for me,
let these men go.” This was to fulfill what he had said, “I have not lost any of
those you gave me.”
Then
Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off
his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter, “Put your
sword into its scabbard. Shall I not drink the cup that the Father gave me?”
So the
band of soldiers, the tribune, and the Jewish guards seized Jesus, bound him, and
brought him to Annas first. He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest
that year. It was Caiaphas who had counseled the Jews that it was better that
one man should die rather than the people.
Simon
Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Now the other disciple was known to the
high priest, and he entered the courtyard of the high priest with Jesus. But Peter
stood at the gate outside. So, the other disciple, the acquaintance of the high
priest, went out and spoke to the gatekeeper and brought Peter in. Then the maid
who was the gatekeeper said to Peter, “You are not one of this man’s disciples,
are you?” He said, “I am not.” Now the slaves and the guards were standing around
a charcoal fire that they had made, because it was cold, and were warming themselves.
Peter was also standing there keeping warm.
The high
priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his doctrine. Jesus answered
him, “I have spoken publicly to the world. I have always taught in a synagogue or
in the temple area where all the Jews gather, and in secret I have said nothing.
Why ask me? Ask those who heard me what I said to them. They know what I said.”
When he had said this, one of the temple guards standing there struck Jesus and
said, “Is this the way you answer the high priest?” Jesus answered him, “If I have
spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong; but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike
me?” Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.
Now Simon
Peter was standing there keeping warm. And they said to him, “You are not one of
his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” One of the slaves of
the high priest, a relative of the one whose ear Peter had cut off, said, “Didn’t
I see you in the garden with him?” Again, Peter denied it. And immediately the
cock crowed.
Then
they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorium. It was morning. And they
themselves did not enter the praetorium, in order not to be defiled so that
they could eat the Passover. So, Pilate came out to them and said, “What charge
do you bring against this man?” They answered and said to him, “If he were not
a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” At this, Pilate said to
them, “Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law.” The Jews
answered him, “We do not have the right to execute anyone,” in order that the
word of Jesus might be fulfilled that he said indicating the kind of death he
would die.
So, Pilate
went back into the praetorium and summoned Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King
of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you say this on your own or have others told you
about me?” Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief
priests handed you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom
does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants
would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my
kingdom is not here.” So Pilate said to him, “Then you are a king?” Jesus answered,
“You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to
testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the
truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” When he had said
this, he again went out to the Jews and said to them, “I find no guilt in him. But
you have a custom that I release one prisoner to you at Passover. Do you want me
to release to you the King of the Jews?” They cried out again, “Not this one
but Barabbas!”
Now
Barabbas was a revolutionary. Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged. And
the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on his head, and clothed him
in a purple cloak, and they came to him and said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And
they struck him repeatedly.
Once
more Pilate went out and said to them, “Look, I am bringing him out to you, so that
you may know that I find no guilt in him.” So, Jesus came out, wearing the crown
of thorns and the purple cloak. And he said to them, “Behold, the man!” When the
chief priests and the guards saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!”
Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him. I find no guilt in him.”
The Jews answered, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die, because
he made himself the Son of God.” Now when Pilate heard this statement, he
became even more afraid, and went back into the praetorium and said to Jesus,
“Where are you from?” Jesus did not answer him. So, Pilate said to him, “Do you
not speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you and I have power
to crucify you?” Jesus answered him, “You would have no power over me if it had
not been given to you from above. For this reason, the one who handed me over to
you has the greater sin.” Consequently, Pilate tried to release him; but the Jews
cried out, “If you release him, you are not a Friend of Caesar. Everyone who makes
himself a king opposes Caesar.”
When
Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and seated him on the judge’s bench
in the place called Stone Pavement, in Hebrew, Gabbatha. It was preparation day for Passover, and it was about noon.
And he said to the Jews, “Behold, your king!” They cried out, “Take him away, take
him away! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your king?” The chief
priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” Then he handed him over to them
to be crucified.
So, they
took Jesus, and, carrying the cross himself, he went out to what is called the Place
of the Skull, in Hebrew, Golgotha. There
they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus in the
middle. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus
the Nazorean, the King of the Jews.” Now many of the Jews read this inscription,
because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written
in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do
not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that he said, ‘I am the King of the Jews’.”
Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”
When
the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four
shares, a share for each soldier. They also took his tunic, but the tunic was seamless,
woven in one piece from the top down. So, they said to one another, “Let’s not tear
it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be,” in order that the passage of
Scripture might be fulfilled that says: They divided my garments among them, and
for my vesture they cast lots. This is what the soldiers did.
Standing
by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of
Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved he said to his mother, “Woman,
behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from
that hour the disciple took her into his home.
After
this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the Scripture might
be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I thirst.” There was a vessel filled with common
wine. So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to
his mouth. When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, “It is finished.” And bowing
his head, he handed over the spirit. (Here
pause for a short time.)
Now since
it was preparation day, in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on
the sabbath, for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one, the Jews asked Pilate
that their legs be broken and that they be taken down. So, the soldiers came and
broke the legs of the first and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break
his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood
and water flowed out. An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true; he
knows that he is speaking the truth, so that you also may come to believe. For this
happened so that the Scripture passage might be fulfilled: Not a bone of it will
be broken. And again another passage says: They will look upon him whom they
have pierced.
After
this, Joseph of Arimathea, secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews,
asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. And Pilate permitted it. So,
he came and took his body. Nicodemus, the one who had first come to him at
night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about one
hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and bound it with burial cloths
along with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom.
Now in
the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new
tomb, in which no one had yet been buried. So they laid Jesus there because of the
Jewish preparation day; for the tomb was close by.
Reflecting on the Word – Meditatio
A
Key to the Reading:
•
Jesus Master of His Fate
I would
like to suggest that we meditate in the spirit of Mary, at the foot of the
cross of Jesus. She, the strong woman who understood the full meaning of this
event of the passion and death of the Lord, will help us cast a contemplative glance
at the crucified (Jn 1: 5–27). We are looking at chapter 19 of John’s Gospel,
which begins with the scene of the scourging and the crowning with thorns.
Pilate presents “Jesus the Nazarene, the king of the Jews” to the chief priests
and to the guards who call for His death on the cross (Jn 1:). Thus, Jesus begins
the way of the cross towards Golgotha, where He will be crucified. In the story
of the Passion according to John, Jesus reveals himself as master of himself
and in control of all that is happening to Him. John’s text is full of phrases that
point to this theological fact, that Jesus offers His life. He actively, not passively,
endures the events of the passion. Here are just some examples putting the
stress on some phrases and words. The reader may find other examples: Knowing everything
that was to happen to Him, Jesus came forward and said:
"Who are you looking for?" They answered, "Jesus the Nazarene."
He said, "I am He!" Now Judas the traitor was standing among them. When
Jesus said to them "I am He," they moved back and fell on the ground.
He asked them a second time, "Who are you looking for?" They said, "Jesus
the Nazarene." Jesus replied, "I have told you that I am He. If I am the
one you are looking for, let these others go." This was to fulfill the words
He had spoken, "Not one of those You gave me have I lost." (Jn 1: 9)
“Jesus
then came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe” (Jn 1:), Jesus replied,
“You would have no power over me at all, if it had not been given you from above.”
(Jn 1: 1).
On
the cross too, Jesus takes an active part in His death, He does not allow
himself to be killed like the thieves whose legs were broken (Jn 1: 1-33) but
commits His spirit (Jn 1:0). The details recalled by the Evangelist are very
important: Seeing His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing near her, Jesus
said to His mother, “Woman, this is your son.” Then to the disciple He said, “This
is your mother.” (Jn 1: 6-27).
These
simple words of Jesus bear the weight of revelation, words that reveal to us
His will: “this is your son” (v. 26); “this is your mother” (v. 27). These
words also recall those pronounced by Pilate on the Lithostrotos: “This is the man”
(Jn 1:). With these words, Jesus on the cross, His throne, reveals His will and
His love for us. He is the lamb of God, the shepherd who gives His life for His
sheep. At that moment, by the cross, He gives birth to the Church, represented by
Mary, her sister (or sister-in-law) Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene, together
with the beloved disciple (Jn 1: 5).
•
Beloved and faithful disciples
The fourth
Gospel specifies that these disciples “stood by the cross” (Jn 1:5-26). This detail
has a deep meaning. Only the fourth Gospel tells us that these five persons
stood by the cross. The other Evangelists do not say so. Luke, for instance,
says that all those who knew Him followed the events from a distance (Lk 2:9). Matthew
also says that many women followed these events from afar. These women had followed
Jesus from Galilee and served Him. But now they followed Him from afar (Mt 2:5–56).
Like
Matthew, Mark gives us the names of those who followed the death of Jesus from afar
(Mk 1:0-41). Thus only the fourth Gospel says that the mother of Jesus and the other
women and the beloved disciple “stood by the cross.” They stood there like
servants before their king. They are present courageously at a time when Jesus has
already declared that “it is fulfilled” (Jn 1:0). The mother of Jesus is present
at the hour that finally “has come.” That hour foretold at the wedding feast of
Cana (Jn 2:1 ff). The fourth Gospel had remarked then that “the mother of Jesus
was there” (Jn 2:1). Thus the person that remains faithful to the Lord in his
destiny, he/she is a beloved disciple. The Evangelist keeps this disciple anonymous
so that each one of us may see him/herself mirrored in the one who knew the mysteries
of the Lord, who laid his head on Jesus’ chest at the last supper (Jn 13:25).
Questions
and Suggestions to Direct our Meditation and Practice
•
Read once more the passage of the Gospel and look in the Bible for
the texts mentioned in the key to the reading. Look for other parallel texts
that may help us penetrate deeper into the text presented for our meditation.
•
In spirit, and with the help of the prayerful reading of John’s
text, visit the places of the Passion, stop on Calvary to witness with Mary and
the beloved disciple the events of the Passion.
•
What struck you most?
•
What feelings does this story of the Passion arouse in you?
•
What does the fact that Jesus actively bears His passion mean for
you?
Oratio
O Eternal
Wisdom, Infinite Goodness, Ineffable Truth, You who probe hearts, Eternal God,
help us to understand that You can, know and want to! O Loving and Bleeding
Lamb, crucified Christ, fulfill in us that which You said: “Anyone who follows me
will not be walking in the dark, but will have the light of life” (Jn 8: 12). O
perfect light, from whom all lights proceed! O light for whom light was
created, without whom all is darkness and with whom all is light. Light up, light
up, do light up! Let Your whole will penetrate all the authors and
collaborators You have chosen in this work of renewal. Jesus, Jesus love, Jesus,
transform us and make us conform to You. Uncreated Wisdom, Eternal Word, sweet
Truth, silent Love, Jesus, Jesus Love!
(St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi,
O. Carm., in The Renewal of the Church, 90-91.)
Contemplatio
Repeat frequently and calmly these
words of Jesus when He offered himself:
“Father
into Your hands I commend my spirit”
