Catechism Links
CCC 557-560: Christ’s entry into Jerusalem
CCC 602-618: the Passion of Christ
CCC 2816: Christ’s kingship gained through his death and Resurrection
CCC 654, 1067-1068, 1085, 1362: the Paschal Mystery and the liturgy
CCC Cross Reference:
Lk 19:38 559 (Procession with Palms)
Is 50:4-10 713; Is 50:4 141
Ps 22 304
Phil 2:9 484, 515, 722, 2502; Phil 2:11-13 527
Lk 22:15-16 1130; Lk 22:15 607; Lk 22:18 1403; Lk 22:19-20 1365; Lk 22:19 610, 611, 621, 1328, 1381; Lk 22:20 612; Lk 22:26-27 894; Lk 22:27 1570; Lk 22:28-30 787; Lk 22:29-30 551; Lk 22:30 765; Lk 22:31-32 641, 643; Lk 22:32 162, 552, 2600; Lk 22:40 2612; Lk 22:41-44 2600; Lk 22:42 532, 2605, 2824; Lk 22:43 333; Lk 22:44 2806; Lk 22:46 2612; Lk 22:61 1429; Lk 22:70 443; Lk 23:2 596; Lk 23:19 596; Lk 23:28 2635; Lk 23:34 591, 597, 2605, 2635; Lk 23:39-43 440, 2616; Lk 23:40-43 2266; Lk 23:43 1021; Lk 23:46 730, 1011, 2045; Lk 23:47 441
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37C At the Procession with Palms
Gospel
Lk 19:28-40
Jesus proceeded on his journey up to Jerusalem.
As he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany
at the place called the Mount of Olives,
he sent two of his disciples.
He said, “Go into the village opposite you,
and as you enter it you will find a colt tethered
on which no one has ever sat.
Untie it and bring it here.
And if anyone should ask you,
‘Why are you untying it?’
you will answer,
‘The Master has need of it.’”
So those who had been sent went off
and found everything just as he had told them.
And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them,
“Why are you untying this colt?”
They answered,
“The Master has need of it.”
So they brought it to Jesus,
threw their cloaks over the colt,
and helped Jesus to mount.
As he rode along,
the people were spreading their cloaks on the road;
and now as he was approaching the slope of the Mount of Olives,
the whole multitude of his disciples
began to praise God aloud with joy
for all the mighty deeds they had seen.
They proclaimed:
“Blessed is the king who comes
in the name of the Lord.
Peace in heaven
and glory in the highest.”
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him,
“Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”
He said in reply,
“I tell you, if they keep silent,
the stones will cry out!”
38C At the Mass
Is 50:4-7
The Lord GOD has given me
a well-trained tongue,
that I might know how to speak to the weary
a word that will rouse them.
Morning after morning
he opens my ear that I may hear;
and I have not rebelled,
have not turned back.
I gave my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who plucked my beard;
my face I did not shield
from buffets and spitting.
The Lord GOD is my help,
therefore I am not disgraced;
I have set my face like flint,
knowing that I shall not be put to shame.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24.
R. (2a) My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
All who see me scoff at me;
they mock me with parted lips, they wag their heads:
“He relied on the LORD; let him deliver him,
let him rescue him, if he loves him.”
R. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Indeed, many dogs surround me,
a pack of evildoers closes in upon me;
They have pierced my hands and my feet;
I can count all my bones.
R. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
They divide my garments among them,
and for my vesture they cast lots.
But you, O LORD, be not far from me;
O my help, hasten to aid me.
R. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
I will proclaim your name to my brethren;
in the midst of the assembly I will praise you:
“You who fear the LORD, praise him;
all you descendants of Jacob, give glory to him;
revere him, all you descendants of Israel!”
R. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Reading II
Phil 2:6-11
Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming 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 name,
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Gospel
Lk 22:14—23:56 or 23:1-49
When the hour came,
Jesus took his place at table with the apostles.
He said to them,
“I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer,
for, I tell you, I shall not eat it again
until there is fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”
Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and said,
“Take this and share it among yourselves;
for I tell you that from this time on
I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine
until the kingdom of God comes.”
Then he took the bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them, saying,
“This is my body, which will be given for you;
do this in memory of me.”
And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying,
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood,
which will be shed for you.
“And yet behold, the hand of the one who is to betray me
is with me on the table;
for the Son of Man indeed goes as it has been determined;
but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed.”
And they began to debate among themselves
who among them would do such a deed.
Then an argument broke out among them
about which of them should be regarded as the greatest.
He said to them,
“The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them
and those in authority over them are addressed as ‘Benefactors’;
but among you it shall not be so.
Rather, let the greatest among you be as the youngest,
and the leader as the servant.
For who is greater:
the one seated at table or the one who serves?
Is it not the one seated at table?
I am among you as the one who serves.
It is you who have stood by me in my trials;
and I confer a kingdom on you,
just as my Father has conferred one on me,
that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom;
and you will sit on thrones
judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
“Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded
to sift all of you like wheat,
but I have prayed that your own faith may not fail;
and once you have turned back,
you must strengthen your brothers.”
He said to him,
“Lord, I am prepared to go to prison and to die with you.”
But he replied,
“I tell you, Peter, before the cock crows this day,
you will deny three times that you know me.”
He said to them,
“When I sent you forth without a money bag or a sack or sandals,
were you in need of anything?”
“No, nothing, “ they replied.
He said to them,
“But now one who has a money bag should take it,
and likewise a sack,
and one who does not have a sword
should sell his cloak and buy one.
For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me,
namely, He was counted among the wicked;
and indeed what is written about me is coming to fulfillment.”
Then they said,
“Lord, look, there are two swords here.”
But he replied, “It is enough!”
Then going out, he went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives,
and the disciples followed him.
When he arrived at the place he said to them,
“Pray that you may not undergo the test.”
After withdrawing about a stone’s throw from them and kneeling,
he prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing,
take this cup away from me;
still, not my will but yours be done.”
And to strengthen him an angel from heaven appeared to him.
He was in such agony and he prayed so fervently
that his sweat became like drops of blood
falling on the ground.
When he rose from prayer and returned to his disciples,
he found them sleeping from grief.
He said to them, “Why are you sleeping?
Get up and pray that you may not undergo the test.”
While he was still speaking, a crowd approached
and in front was one of the Twelve, a man named Judas.
He went up to Jesus to kiss him.
Jesus said to him,
“Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”
His disciples realized what was about to happen, and they asked,
“Lord, shall we strike with a sword?”
And one of them struck the high priest’s servant
and cut off his right ear.
But Jesus said in reply,
“Stop, no more of this!”
Then he touched the servant’s ear and healed him.
And Jesus said to the chief priests and temple guards
and elders who had come for him,
“Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs?
Day after day I was with you in the temple area,
and you did not seize me;
but this is your hour, the time for the power of darkness.”
After arresting him they led him away
and took him into the house of the high priest;
Peter was following at a distance.
They lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat around it,
and Peter sat down with them.
When a maid saw him seated in the light,
she looked intently at him and said,
“This man too was with him.”
But he denied it saying,
“Woman, I do not know him.”
A short while later someone else saw him and said,
“You too are one of them”;
but Peter answered, “My friend, I am not.”
About an hour later, still another insisted,
“Assuredly, this man too was with him,
for he also is a Galilean.”
But Peter said,
“My friend, I do not know what you are talking about.”
Just as he was saying this, the cock crowed,
and the Lord turned and looked at Peter;
and Peter remembered the word of the Lord,
how he had said to him,
“Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.”
He went out and began to weep bitterly.
The men who held Jesus in custody were ridiculing and beating him.
They blindfolded him and questioned him, saying,
“Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?”
And they reviled him in saying many other things against him.
When day came the council of elders of the people met,
both chief priests and scribes,
and they brought him before their Sanhedrin.
They said, “If you are the Christ, tell us, “
but he replied to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe,
and if I question, you will not respond.
But from this time on the Son of Man will be seated
at the right hand of the power of God.”
They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?”
He replied to them, “You say that I am.”
Then they said, “What further need have we for testimony?
We have heard it from his own mouth.”
Then the whole assembly of them arose and brought him before Pilate.
They brought charges against him, saying,
“We found this man misleading our people;
he opposes the payment of taxes to Caesar
and maintains that he is the Christ, a king.”
Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
He said to him in reply, “You say so.”
Pilate then addressed the chief priests and the crowds,
“I find this man not guilty.”
But they were adamant and said,
“He is inciting the people with his teaching throughout all Judea,
from Galilee where he began even to here.”
On hearing this Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean;
and upon learning that he was under Herod’s jurisdiction,
he sent him to Herod who was in Jerusalem at that time.
Herod was very glad to see Jesus;
he had been wanting to see him for a long time,
for he had heard about him
and had been hoping to see him perform some sign.
He questioned him at length,
but he gave him no answer.
The chief priests and scribes, meanwhile,
stood by accusing him harshly.
Herod and his soldiers treated him contemptuously and mocked him,
and after clothing him in resplendent garb,
he sent him back to Pilate.
Herod and Pilate became friends that very day,
even though they had been enemies formerly.
Pilate then summoned the chief priests, the rulers, and the people
and said to them, “You brought this man to me
and accused him of inciting the people to revolt.
I have conducted my investigation in your presence
and have not found this man guilty
of the charges you have brought against him,
nor did Herod, for he sent him back to us.
So no capital crime has been committed by him.
Therefore I shall have him flogged and then release him.”
But all together they shouted out,
“Away with this man!
Release Barabbas to us.”
— Now Barabbas had been imprisoned for a rebellion
that had taken place in the city and for murder. —
Again Pilate addressed them, still wishing to release Jesus,
but they continued their shouting,
“Crucify him! Crucify him!”
Pilate addressed them a third time,
“What evil has this man done?
I found him guilty of no capital crime.
Therefore I shall have him flogged and then release him.”
With loud shouts, however,
they persisted in calling for his crucifixion,
and their voices prevailed.
The verdict of Pilate was that their demand should be granted.
So he released the man who had been imprisoned
for rebellion and murder, for whom they asked,
and he handed Jesus over to them to deal with as they wished.
As they led him away
they took hold of a certain Simon, a Cyrenian,
who was coming in from the country;
and after laying the cross on him,
they made him carry it behind Jesus.
A large crowd of people followed Jesus,
including many women who mourned and lamented him.
Jesus turned to them and said,
“Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me;
weep instead for yourselves and for your children
for indeed, the days are coming when people will say,
‘Blessed are the barren,
the wombs that never bore
and the breasts that never nursed.’
At that time people will say to the mountains,
‘Fall upon us!’
and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’
for if these things are done when the wood is green
what will happen when it is dry?”
Now two others, both criminals,
were led away with him to be executed.
When they came to the place called the Skull,
they crucified him and the criminals there,
one on his right, the other on his left.
Then Jesus said,
“Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”
They divided his garments by casting lots.
The people stood by and watched;
the rulers, meanwhile, sneered at him and said,
“He saved others, let him save himself
if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God.”
Even the soldiers jeered at him.
As they approached to offer him wine they called out,
“If you are King of the Jews, save yourself.”
Above him there was an inscription that read,
“This is the King of the Jews.”
Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying,
“Are you not the Christ?
Save yourself and us.”
The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply,
“Have you no fear of God,
for you are subject to the same condemnation?
And indeed, we have been condemned justly,
for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes,
but this man has done nothing criminal.”
Then he said,
“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
He replied to him,
“Amen, I say to you,
today you will be with me in Paradise.”
It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land
until three in the afternoon
because of an eclipse of the sun.
Then the veil of the temple was torn down the middle.
Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
“Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”;
and when he had said this he breathed his last.
Here all kneel and pause for a short time.
The centurion who witnessed what had happened glorified God and said,
“This man was innocent beyond doubt.”
When all the people who had gathered for this spectacle saw what had happened,
they returned home beating their breasts;
but all his acquaintances stood at a distance,
including the women who had followed him from Galilee
and saw these events.
Now there was a virtuous and righteous man named Joseph who,
though he was a member of the council,
had not consented to their plan of action.
He came from the Jewish town of Arimathea
and was awaiting the kingdom of God.
He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
After he had taken the body down,
he wrapped it in a linen cloth
and laid him in a rock-hewn tomb
in which no one had yet been buried.
It was the day of preparation,
and the sabbath was about to begin.
The women who had come from Galilee with him followed behind,
and when they had seen the tomb
and the way in which his body was laid in it,
they returned and prepared spices and perfumed oils.
Then they rested on the sabbath according to the commandment.
or
The elders of the people, chief priests and scribes,
arose and brought Jesus before Pilate.
They brought charges against him, saying,
“We found this man misleading our people;
he opposes the payment of taxes to Caesar
and maintains that he is the Christ, a king.”
Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
He said to him in reply, “You say so.”
Pilate then addressed the chief priests and the crowds,
“I find this man not guilty.”
But they were adamant and said,
“He is inciting the people with his teaching throughout all Judea,
from Galilee where he began even to here.”
On hearing this Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean;
and upon learning that he was under Herod’s jurisdiction,
he sent him to Herod who was in Jerusalem at that time.
Herod was very glad to see Jesus;
he had been wanting to see him for a long time,
for he had heard about him
and had been hoping to see him perform some sign.
He questioned him at length,
but he gave him no answer.
The chief priests and scribes, meanwhile,
stood by accusing him harshly.
Herod and his soldiers treated him contemptuously and mocked him,
and after clothing him in resplendent garb,
he sent him back to Pilate.
Herod and Pilate became friends that very day,
even though they had been enemies formerly.
Pilate then summoned the chief priests, the rulers, and the people
and said to them, “You brought this man to me
and accused him of inciting the people to revolt.
I have conducted my investigation in your presence
and have not found this man guilty
of the charges you have brought against him,
nor did Herod, for he sent him back to us.
So no capital crime has been committed by him.
Therefore I shall have him flogged and then release him.”
But all together they shouted out,
“Away with this man!
Release Barabbas to us.”
— Now Barabbas had been imprisoned for a rebellion
that had taken place in the city and for murder. —
Again Pilate addressed them, still wishing to release Jesus,
but they continued their shouting,
“Crucify him! Crucify him!”
Pilate addressed them a third time,
“What evil has this man done?
I found him guilty of no capital crime.
Therefore I shall have him flogged and then release him.”
With loud shouts, however,
they persisted in calling for his crucifixion,
and their voices prevailed.
The verdict of Pilate was that their demand should be granted.
So he released the man who had been imprisoned
for rebellion and murder, for whom they asked,
and he handed Jesus over to them to deal with as they wished.
As they led him away
they took hold of a certain Simon, a Cyrenian,
who was coming in from the country;
and after laying the cross on him,
they made him carry it behind Jesus.
A large crowd of people followed Jesus,
including many women who mourned and lamented him.
Jesus turned to them and said,
“Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me;
weep instead for yourselves and for your children
for indeed, the days are coming when people will say,
‘Blessed are the barren,
the wombs that never bore
and the breasts that never nursed.’
At that time people will say to the mountains,
‘Fall upon us!’
and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’
for if these things are done when the wood is green
what will happen when it is dry?”
Now two others, both criminals,
were led away with him to be executed.
When they came to the place called the Skull,
they crucified him and the criminals there,
one on his right, the other on his left.
Then Jesus said,
“Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”
They divided his garments by casting lots.
The people stood by and watched;
the rulers, meanwhile, sneered at him and said,
“He saved others, let him save himself
if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God.”
Even the soldiers jeered at him.
As they approached to offer him wine they called out,
“If you are King of the Jews, save yourself.”
Above him there was an inscription that read,
“This is the King of the Jews.”
Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying,
“Are you not the Christ?
Save yourself and us.”
The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply,
“Have you no fear of God,
for you are subject to the same condemnation?
And indeed, we have been condemned justly,
for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes,
but this man has done nothing criminal.”
Then he said,
“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
He replied to him,
“Amen, I say to you,
today you will be with me in Paradise.”
It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land
until three in the afternoon
because of an eclipse of the sun.
Then the veil of the temple was torn down the middle.
Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
“Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”;
and when he had said this he breathed his last.
The centurion who witnessed what had happened glorified God and said,
“This man was innocent beyond doubt.”
When all the people who had gathered for this spectacle
saw what had happened,
they returned home beating their breasts;
but all his acquaintances stood at a distance,
including the women who had followed him from Galilee
and saw these events.
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Gospel Luke 19:28-40
Jesus went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. Now when he was near Bethphage and Bethany, close by the Mount of Olives as it is called, he sent two of the disciples, telling them, ‘Go off to the village opposite, and as you enter it you will find a tethered colt that no one has yet ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, “Why are you untying it?” you are to say this, “The Master needs it”.’ The messengers went off and found everything just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owner said, ‘Why are you untying that colt?’ and they answered, ‘The Master needs it.’
So they took the colt to Jesus, and throwing their garments over its back they helped Jesus on to it. As he moved off, people spread their cloaks in the road, and now, as he was approaching the downward slope of the Mount of Olives, the whole group of disciples joyfully began to praise God at the top of their voices for all the miracles they had seen. They cried out:
‘Blessings on the King who comes,
in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven
and glory in the highest heavens!’
Some Pharisees in the crowd said to him, ‘Master, check your disciples,’ but he answered, ‘I tell you, if these keep silence the stones will cry out.’
The following are the readings at the Mass itself:
First reading Isaiah 50:4-7
The Lord has given me
a disciple’s tongue.
So that I may know how to reply to the wearied
he provides me with speech.
Each morning he wakes me to hear,
to listen like a disciple.
The Lord has opened my ear.
For my part, I made no resistance,
neither did I turn away.
I offered my back to those who struck me,
my cheeks to those who tore at my beard;
I did not cover my face
against insult and spittle.
The Lord comes to my help,
so that I am untouched by the insults.
So, too, I set my face like flint;
I know I shall not be shamed.
Psalm: Psalm 21(22):8-9,17-20,23-24
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
All who see me deride me.
They curl their lips, they toss their heads.
‘He trusted in the Lord, let him save him;
let him release him if this is his friend.’
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Many dogs have surrounded me,
a band of the wicked beset me.
They tear holes in my hands and my feet
I can count every one of my bones.
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
They divide my clothing among them.
They cast lots for my robe.
O Lord, do not leave me alone,
my strength, make haste to help me!
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
I will tell of your name to my brethren
and praise you where they are assembled.
‘You who fear the Lord give him praise;
all sons of Jacob, give him glory.
Revere him, Israel’s sons.
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Second reading Philippians 2:6-11
Jesus Christ’s state was divine,
yet he did not cling
to his equality with God
but emptied himself
to assume the condition of a slave
and became as men are;
and being as all men are,
he was humbler yet,
even to accepting death,
death on a cross.
But God raised him high
and gave him the name
which is above all other names
so that all beings
in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld,
should bend the knee at the name of Jesus
and that every tongue should acclaim
Jesus Christ as Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Gospel Luke 22:14-23:56
When the hour came, Jesus took his place at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, ‘I have longed to eat this passover with you before I suffer; because, I tell you, I shall not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.’
Then, taking a cup, he gave thanks and said, ‘Take this and share it among you, because from now on, I tell you, I shall not drink wine until the kingdom of God comes.’
Then he took some bread, and when he had given thanks, broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body which will be given for you; do this as a memorial of me.’ He did the same with the cup after supper, and said, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood which will be poured out for you.
‘And yet, here with me on the table is the hand of the man who betrays me. The Son of Man does indeed go to his fate even as it has been decreed, but alas for that man by whom he is betrayed!’ And they began to ask one another which of them it could be who was to do this thing.
A dispute arose also between them about which should be reckoned the greatest, but he said to them, ‘Among pagans it is the kings who lord it over them, and those who have authority over them are given the title Benefactor. This must not happen with you. No; the greatest among you must behave as if he were the youngest, the leader as if he were the one who serves. For who is the greater: the one at table or the one who serves? The one at table, surely? Yet here am I among you as one who serves!
‘You are the men who have stood by me faithfully in my trials; and now I confer a kingdom on you, just as my Father conferred one on me: you will eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel.
‘Simon, Simon! Satan, you must know, has got his wish to sift you all like wheat; but I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail, and once you have recovered, you in your turn must strengthen your brothers.’ ‘Lord,’ he answered ‘I would be ready to go to prison with you, and to death.’ Jesus replied, ‘I tell you, Peter, by the time the cock crows today you will have denied three times that you know me.’
He said to them, ‘When I sent you out without purse or haversack or sandals, were you short of anything?’ ‘No’ they said. He said to them, ‘But now if you have a purse, take it; if you have a haversack, do the same; if you have no sword, sell your cloak and buy one, because I tell you these words of scripture have to be fulfilled in me: He let himself be taken for a criminal Yes, what scripture says about me is even now reaching its fulfillment.’ ‘Lord,’ they said ‘there are two swords here now.’ He said to them, ‘That is enough!’
He then left to make his way as usual to the Mount of Olives, with the disciples following. When they reached the place he said to them, ‘Pray not to be put to the test.’
Then he withdrew from them, about a stone’s throw away, and knelt down and prayed. ‘Father,’ he said ‘if you are willing, take this cup away from me. Nevertheless, let your will be done, not mine.’ Then an angel appeared to him, coming from heaven to give him strength. In his anguish he prayed even more earnestly, and his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.
When he rose from prayer he went to the disciples and found them sleeping for sheer grief. ‘Why are you asleep?’ he said to them. ‘Get up and pray not to be put to the test.’
He was still speaking when a number of men appeared, and at the head of them the man called Judas, one of the Twelve, who went up to Jesus to kiss him. Jesus said, ‘Judas, are you betraying the son of Man with a kiss?’ His followers, seeing what was happening, said, ‘Lord, shall we use our swords?’ And one of them struck out at the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. But at this Jesus spoke. ‘Leave off!’ he said ‘That will do!’ And touching the man’s ear he healed him.
Then Jesus spoke to the chief priests and captains of the Temple guard and elders who had come for him. ‘Am I a brigand’ he said ‘that you had to set out with swords and clubs? When I was among you in the Temple day after day you never moved to lay hands on me. But this is your hour; this is the reign of darkness.’
They seized him then and led him away, and they took him to the high priest’s house. Peter followed at a distance. They had lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and Peter sat down among them, and as he was sitting there by the blaze a servant-girl saw him, peered at him, and said, ‘This person was with him too.’ But he denied it. ‘Woman,’ he said ‘I do not know him.’ ‘Shortly afterwards someone else saw him and said, ‘You are another of them.’ But Peter replied, ‘I am not, my friend.’ About an hour later another man insisted, saying, ‘This fellow was certainly with him. Why, he is a Galilean.’ ‘My friend,’ said Peter ‘I do not know what you are talking about.’ At that instant, while he was still speaking, the cock crew, and the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter, and Peter remembered what the Lord had said to him, ‘Before the cock crows today, you will have disowned me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly.
Meanwhile the men who guarded Jesus were mocking and beating him. They blindfolded him and questioned him. ‘Play the prophet’ they said. ‘Who hit you then?’ And they continued heaping insults on him.
When day broke there was a meeting of the elders of the people, attended by the chief priests and scribes. He was brought before their council, and they said to him, ‘If you are the Christ, tell us.’ ‘If I tell you,’ he replied ‘you will not believe me, and if I question you, you will not answer. But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the Power of God. Then they all said, ‘So you are the Son of God then?’ He answered, ‘It is you who say I am.’ ‘What need of witnesses have we now?’ they said. ‘We have heard it for ourselves from his own lips.’ The whole assembly then rose, and they brought him before Pilate.
They began their accusation by saying, ‘We found this man inciting our people to revolt, opposing payment of the tribute to Caesar, and claiming to be Christ, a king.’ Pilate put to him this question, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ ‘It is you who say it’ he replied. Pilate then said to the chief priests and the crowd, ‘I find no case against this man.’ But they persisted, ‘He is inflaming the people with his teaching all over Judaea; it has come all the way from Galilee, where he started, down to here.’ When Pilate heard this, he asked if the man were a Galilean; and finding that he came under Herod’s jurisdiction he passed him over to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.
Herod was delighted to see Jesus; he had heard about him and had been wanting for a long time to set eyes on him; moreover, he was hoping to see some miracle worked by him. So he questioned him at some length; but without getting any reply. Meanwhile the chief priests and the scribes were there, violently pressing their accusations. Then Herod, together with his guards, treated him with contempt and made fun of him; he put a rich cloak on him and sent him back to Pilate. And though Herod and Pilate had been enemies before, they were reconciled that same day.
Pilate then summoned the chief priests and the leading men and the people. ‘You brought this man before me’ he said ‘as a political agitator. Now I have gone into the matter myself in your presence and found no case against the man in respect of all the charges you bring against him. Nor has Herod either, since is he has sent him back to us. As you can see, the man has done nothing that deserves death, So I shall have him flogged and then let him go.’ But as one man they howled, ‘Away with him! Give us Barabbas!’ (This man had been thrown into prison for causing a riot in the city and for murder.)
Pilate was anxious to set Jesus free and addressed them again, but they shouted back, ‘Crucify him! Crucify him!’ And for the third time he spoke to them, ‘Why? What harm has this man done? I have found no case against him that deserves death, so I shall have him punished and then let him go’ But they kept on shouting at the top of their voices, demanding that he should be crucified. And their shouts were growing louder.
Pilate then gave his verdict: their demand was to be granted. He released the man they asked for, who had been imprisoned for rioting and murder, and handed Jesus over to them to deal with as they pleased.
As they were leading him away they seized on a man, Simon from Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and made him shoulder the cross and carry it behind Jesus. Large numbers of people followed him, and of women too, who mourned and lamented for him. But Jesus turned to them and said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep rather for yourselves and for your children. For the days will surely come when people will say, “Happy are those who are barren, the wombs that have never borne, the breasts that have never suckled!” Then they will begin to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!”; to the hills, “Cover us.” For if men use the green wood like this, what will happen when it is dry?’ Now with him they were also leading out two other criminals to be executed.
When they reached the place called The Skull, they crucified him there and the two criminals also, one on the right, the other on the left. Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing.’ Then they cast lots to share out his clothing.
The people stayed there watching him. As for the leaders, they jeered at him. ‘He saved others,’ they said ‘let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.’ The soldiers mocked him too, and when they approached to offer vinegar they said, ‘If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.’ Above him there was an inscription: ‘This is the King of the Jews.’
One of the criminals hanging there abused him. ‘Are you not the Christ?’ he said. ‘Save yourself and us as well.’ But the other spoke up and rebuked him. ‘Have you no fear of God at all?’ he said. ‘You got the same sentence as he did, but in our case we deserved it: we are paying for what we did. But this man has done nothing wrong. Jesus,’ he said ‘remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ ‘Indeed, I promise you,’ he replied ‘today you will be with me in paradise.’
It was now about the sixth hour and, with the sun eclipsed, a darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. The veil of the Temple was torn right down the middle; and when Jesus had cried out in a loud voice, he said, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit’ With these words he breathed his last.
When the centurion saw what had taken place, he gave praise to God and said, ‘This was a great and good man.’ And when all the people who had gathered for the spectacle saw what had happened, they went home beating their breasts.
All his friends stood at a distance; so also did the women who had accompanied him from Galilee, and they saw all this happen.
Then a member of the council arrived, an upright and virtuous man named Joseph. He had not consented to what the others had planned and carried out. He came from Arimathaea, a Jewish town, and he lived in the hope of seeing the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. He then took it down, wrapped it in a shroud and put him in a tomb which was hewn in stone in which no one had yet been laid. It was Preparation Day and the sabbath was imminent.
Meanwhile the women who had come from Galilee with Jesus were following behind. They took note of the tomb and of the position of the body.
Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. And on the sabbath day they rested, as the Law required.
Alternative gospel Luke 23:1-49
The elders of the people and the chief priests and scribes rose, and they brought Jesus before Pilate.
They began their accusation by saying, ‘We found this man inciting our people to revolt, opposing payment of the tribute to Caesar, and claiming to be Christ, a king.’ Pilate put to him this question, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ ‘It is you who say it’ he replied. Pilate then said to the chief priests and the crowd, ‘I find no case against this man.’ But they persisted, ‘He is inflaming the people with his teaching all over Judaea; it has come all the way from Galilee, where he started, down to here.’ When Pilate heard this, he asked if the man were a Galilean; and finding that he came under Herod’s jurisdiction he passed him over to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.
Herod was delighted to see Jesus; he had heard about him and had been wanting for a long time to set eyes on him; moreover, he was hoping to see some miracle worked by him. So he questioned him at some length; but without getting any reply. Meanwhile the chief priests and the scribes were there, violently pressing their accusations. Then Herod, together with his guards, treated him with contempt and made fun of him; he put a rich cloak on him and sent him back to Pilate. And though Herod and Pilate had been enemies before, they were reconciled that same day.
Pilate then summoned the chief priests and the leading men and the people. ‘You brought this man before me’ he said ‘as a political agitator. Now I have gone into the matter myself in your presence and found no case against the man in respect of all the charges you bring against him. Nor has Herod either, since is he has sent him back to us. As you can see, the man has done nothing that deserves death, So I shall have him flogged and then let him go.’ But as one man they howled, ‘Away with him! Give us Barabbas!’ (This man had been thrown into prison for causing a riot in the city and for murder.)
Pilate was anxious to set Jesus free and addressed them again, but they shouted back, ‘Crucify him! Crucify him!’ And for the third time he spoke to them, ‘Why? What harm has this man done? I have found no case against him that deserves death, so I shall have him punished and then let him go’ But they kept on shouting at the top of their voices, demanding that he should be crucified. And their shouts were growing louder.
Pilate then gave his verdict: their demand was to be granted. He released the man they asked for, who had been imprisoned for rioting and murder, and handed Jesus over to them to deal with as they pleased.
As they were leading him away they seized on a man, Simon from Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and made him shoulder the cross and carry it behind Jesus. Large numbers of people followed him, and of women too, who mourned and lamented for him. But Jesus turned to them and said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep rather for yourselves and for your children. For the days will surely come when people will say, “Happy are those who are barren, the wombs that have never borne, the breasts that have never suckled!” Then they will begin to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!”; to the hills, “Cover us.” For if men use the green wood like this, what will happen when it is dry?’ Now with him they were also leading out two other criminals to be executed.
When they reached the place called The Skull, they crucified him there and the two criminals also, one on the right, the other on the left. Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing.’ Then they cast lots to share out his clothing.
The people stayed there watching him. As for the leaders, they jeered at him. ‘He saved others,’ they said ‘let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.’ The soldiers mocked him too, and when they approached to offer vinegar they said, ‘If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.’ Above him there was an inscription: ‘This is the King of the Jews.’
One of the criminals hanging there abused him. ‘Are you not the Christ?’ he said. ‘Save yourself and us as well.’ But the other spoke up and rebuked him. ‘Have you no fear of God at all?’ he said. ‘You got the same sentence as he did, but in our case we deserved it: we are paying for what we did. But this man has done nothing wrong. Jesus,’ he said ‘remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ ‘Indeed, I promise you,’ he replied ‘today you will be with me in paradise.’
It was now about the sixth hour and, with the sun eclipsed, a darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. The veil of the Temple was torn right down the middle; and when Jesus had cried out in a loud voice, he said, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit’ With these words he breathed his last.
When the centurion saw what had taken place, he gave praise to God and said, ‘This was a great and good man.’ And when all the people who had gathered for the spectacle saw what had happened, they went home beating their breasts.
All his friends stood at a distance; so also did the women who had accompanied him from Galilee, and they saw all this happen.
Readings and Commentary from the Navarre Bible
Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord
From: Luke 19:28-40 (At the Procession with Palms)
The Messiah enters the Holy City
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[28] And when he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. [29] When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, [30] saying, "Go into the village opposite, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat; untie it and bring it here. [31] If any one asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' you shall say this, 'The Lord has need of it.'" [32] So those who were sent went away and found it as he had told them. [33] And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, "Why are you untying the colt?" [34] And they said, "The Lord has need of it." [35] And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their garments on the colt they set Jesus upon it. [36] And as he rode along, they spread their garments on the road. [37] As he was now drawing near, at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, [38] saying, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" [39] And some of the Pharisees in the multitude said to him, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples." [40] He answered, "I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out."
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Commentary:
28. Normally in the Gospels when there is mention of going to the Holy City it is in terms of "going up" to Jerusalem (cf. Mt 20:18; Jn 7:8), probably because geographically the city is located on Mount Zion. Besides, since the temple was the religious and political centre, going up to Jerusalem had also a sacred meaning of ascending to the holy place, where sacrifices were offered to God.
Particularly in the Gospel of St Luke, our Lord's whole life is seen in terms of a continuous ascent towards Jerusalem, where his self-surrender reaches its high point in the redemptive sacrifice of the cross. Here Jesus is on the point of entering the city, conscious of the fact that his passion and death are imminent.
30-35. Jesus makes use of a donkey for his entry into Jerusalem, thereby fulfilling an ancient prophecy: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on an ass, on a colt the foal of an ass" (Zech 9:9).
The people, and particularly the Pharisees, were quite aware of this prophecy. Therefore, despite its simplicity of form, there was a certain solemnity about the whole episode which impressed those present, stirring the hearts of the people and irritating the Pharisees. By fulfilling the prophecy our Lord was showing everyone that he was the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament. Other aspects of this episode are commented on in connexion with Mk 11:3.
38. Christ is greeted with the prophetic words referring to the enthronement of the Messiah, contained in Psalm 118:26: "Blessed be he who enters in the name of the Lord!" But the people also acclaim him as king. This is a great messianic demonstration, which infuriates the Pharisees. One of the acclamations, "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest", echoes the announcement made by the angel to the shepherds on Christmas night (cf. Lk 2:14).
40. To the reproaches of the Pharisees, who are scandalized by the people's shouts, our Lord replies in a phrase which sounds like a proverb: so obvious is his messiahship that if men refused to recognize it nature would proclaim it. In fact, when his friends were cowed on the hill of Calvary the earth trembled and the rocks split (cf. Mt 27:51). At other times our Lord imposed silence on those who want to proclaim him King or Messiah, but now he adopts a different attitude: the moment has come for his dignity and his mission to be made public.
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From: Isaiah 50:4-7
Third Song of the Servant of the Lord
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[4] The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of those who are taught; that I may know how to sustain with a word him that is weary. Morning by morning he wakens, he wakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. [5] The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I turned not backward. [6]I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I hid not my face from shame and spitting.
[7] For the Lord GOD helps me; therefore I have not been confounded; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame;
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Commentary:
50:4-9. The second song dealt with the servant’s mission (cf. 49:6); the third song focuses on the servant himself. The term "servant" as such does not appear here, and therefore some commentators read the passage as being a description of a prophet and not part of the songs. Still, the context (cf. 50:10) does suggest that the protagonist is the servant. The poem is neatly constructed in three stanzas, each beginning with the words, "The Lord God" (vv. 4, 5, 7), and it has a conclusion containing that same wording (v. 9). The first stanza emphasizes the servant’s docility to the word of God; that is, he is not depicted as a self-taught teacher with original ideas, but as an obedient disciple. The second (vv. 5-6) speaks of the suffering that that docility has brought him, without his uttering a word of complaint. The third (vv. 7-8) shows how determined the servant is: if he suffers in silence, it is not out of cowardice but because God helps him and makes him stronger than his persecutors. The conclusion (v. 9) is like the verdict of a trial: when all is said and done, the servant will stand tall, and all his enemies will be struck down.
The evangelists saw the words of this song as finding fulfillment in Jesus -- especially what the song has to say about the suffering and silent fortitude of the servant. The Gospel of John, for example, quotes Nicodemus’ acknowledgment of Christ’s wisdom: "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him" (Jn 3:21). But the description of the servant’s sufferings was the part that most impressed the early Christians; that part of the song was recalled when they meditated on the passion of Jesus and how "they spat in his face; and struck him; and some slapped him" (Mt 26:67) and later how the Roman soldiers "spat upon him, and took the reed and struck him on the head" (Mt 27:30; cf. also Mk 15:19; Jn 19:3). St Paul refers to v. 9 when applying to Christ Jesus the role of intercessor on behalf of the elect in the suit pressed constantly against them by the enemies of the soul: "Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect?" (Rom 8:33).
St Jerome sees the servant’s docility as a reference to Christ: "His self-discipline and wisdom enabled him to communicate to us the knowledge of the Father. And he was obedient onto death, death on the cross; he offered his body to the blows they struck, his shoulders to the lash; and though he was wounded on the chest and on his face, he did not try to turn away and escape their violence" ("Commentarii In Isaiam", 50, 4). This passage is used in the liturgy of Palm Sunday (along with Psalm 22 and St Paul’s hymn in the Letter to the Philippians 2:6-11), before the reading of our Lord’s passion.
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From: Philippians 2:6-11
Hymn in Praise of Christ's Self-Emptying
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([5] Have this mind among yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus,) [6] who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, [7] but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. [8] And being found in human form He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. [9] Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, [10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in Heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
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Commentary:
5. The Apostle's recommendation, "'Have this mind among yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus, requires all Christians, so far as human power allows, to reproduce in themselves the sentiments that Christ had when He was offering Him- self in sacrifice--sentiments of humility, of adoration, praise, and thanksgiving to the divine majesty. It requires them also to become victims, as it were; cultivating a spirit of self-denial according to the precepts of the Gospel, willingly doing works of penance, detesting and expiating their sins. It requires us all, in a word, to die mystically with Christ on the Cross, so that we may say with the same Apostle: 'I have been crucified with Christ' (Galatians 2:19)" (Pius XII, "Mediator Dei", 22).
6-11. In what he says about Jesus Christ, the Apostle is not simply proposing Him as a model for us to follow. Possibly transcribing an early liturgical hymn (and) adding some touches of his own, he is -- under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit -- giving a very profound exposition of the nature of Christ and using the most sublime truths of faith to show the way Christian virtues should be practiced.
This is one of the earliest New Testament texts to reveal the divinity of Christ. The epistle was written around the year 62 (or perhaps before that, around 55) and if we remember that the hymn of Philippians 2:6-11 may well have been in use prior to that date, the passage clearly bears witness to the fact that Christians were proclaiming, even in those very early years, that Jesus, born in Bethlehem, crucified, died and buried, and risen from the dead, was truly both God and man.
The hymn can be divided into three parts. The first (verses 6 and the beginning of 7) refers to Christ's humbling Himself by becoming man. The second (the end of verse 7 and verse 8) is the center of the whole passage and proclaims the extreme to which His humility brought Him: as man He obediently accepted death on the cross. The third part (verses 9-11) describes His exaltation in glory. Throughout St. Paul is conscious of Jesus' divinity: He exists from all eternity. But he centers his attention on His death on the cross as the supreme example of humility. Christ's humiliation lay not in His becoming a man like us and cloaking the glory of His divinity in His sacred humanity: it also brought Him to lead a life of sacrifice and suffering which reached its climax on the cross, where He was stripped of everything He had, like a slave. However, now that He has fulfilled His mission, He is made manifest again, clothed in all the glory that befits His divine nature and which His human nature has merited.
The man-God, Jesus Christ, makes the cross the climax of His earthly life; through it He enters into His glory as Lord and Messiah. The Crucifixion puts the whole universe on the way to salvation.
Jesus Christ gives us a wonderful example of humility and obedience. "We should learn from Jesus' attitude in these trials," St. Escriva reminds us. "During His life on earth He did not even want the glory that belonged to Him. Though He had the right to be treated as God, He took the form of a servant, a slave (cf. Philippians 2:6-7). And so the Christian knows that all glory is due God and that he must not use the sublimity and greatness of the Gospel to further his own interests or human ambitions.
"We should learn from Jesus. His attitude in rejecting all human glory is in perfect balance with the greatness of His unique mission as the beloved Son of God who becomes incarnate to save men" ("Christ Is Passing By", 62).
6-7. "Though He was in the form of God" or "subsisting in the form of God": "form" is the external aspect of something and manifests what it is. When referring to God, who is invisible, His "form" cannot refer to things visible to the senses; the "form of God" is a way of referring to Godhead. The first thing that St. Paul makes clear is that Jesus Christ is God, and was God before the Incarnation. As the "Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed" professes it, "the only-begotten Son of God, born of the Father before time began, light from light, true God from true God."
"He did not count equality with God as something to be grasped": the Greek word translated as "equality" does not directly refer to equality of nature but rather the equality of rights and status. Christ was God and He could not stop being God; therefore, He had a right to be treated as God and to appear in all His glory. However, He did not insist on this dignity of His as if it were a treasure which He possessed and which was legally His: it was not something He clung to and boasted about. And so He took "the form of a servant". He could have become man without setting His glory aside -- He could have appeared as He did, momentarily, as the Transfiguration (cf. Matthew 17:1ff); instead He chose to be like men, in all things but sin (cf. verse 7). By becoming man in the way He did, He was able, as Isaiah prophesied in the Song of the Servant of Yahweh, to bear our sorrows and to be stricken (cf. Isaiah 53:4).
"He emptied Himself", He despoiled Himself: this is literally what the Greek verb means. But Christ did not shed His divine nature; He simply shed its glory, its aura; if He had not done so it would have shone out through His human nature. From all eternity He exists as God and from the moment of the Incarnation He began to be man. His self-emptying lay not only in the fact that the Godhead united to Himself (that is, to the person of the Son) something which was corporeal and finite (a human nature), but also in the fact that this nature did not itself manifest the divine glory, as it "ought" to have done. Christ could not cease to be God, but He could temporarily renounce the exercise of rights that belonged to Him as God--which was what He did.
Verses 6-8 bring the Christian's mind the contrast between Jesus and Adam. The devil tempted Adam, a mere man, to "be like God" (Genesis 3:5). By trying to indulge this evil desire (pride is a disordered desire for self-advancement) and by committing the sin of disobeying God (cf. Genesis 3:6), Adam drew down the gravest misfortunes upon himself and on his whole line (present potentially in him): this is symbolized in the Genesis passage by his expulsion from Paradise and by the physical world's rebellion against his lordship (cf. Genesis 3:16-24). Jesus Christ, on the contrary, who enjoyed divine glory from all eternity, "emptied Himself": He chooses the way of humility, the opposite way to Adam's (opposite, too, to the way previously taken by the devil). Christ's obedience thereby makes up for the disobedience of the first man; it puts mankind in a position to more than recover the natural and supernatural gifts with which God endowed human nature at the Creation. And so, after focusing on the amazing mystery of Christ's humiliation or self-emptying ("kenosis" in Greek), this hymn goes on joyously to celebrate Christ's exaltation after death.
Christ's attitude in becoming man is, then, a wonderful example of humility. "What is more humble", St. Gregory of Nyssa asks, "than the King of all creation entering into communion with our poor nature? The King of kings and Lord of lords clothes Himself with the form of our enslavement; the Judge of the universe comes to pay tribute to the princes of this world; the Lord of creation is born in a cave; He who encompasses the world cannot find room in the inn...; the pure and incorrupt one puts on the filthiness of our nature and experiences all our needs, experiences even death itself" ("Oratio I In Beatitudinibus").
This self-emptying is an example of God's infinite goodness in taking the initiative to meet man: "Fill yourselves with wonder and gratitude at such a mystery and learn from it. All the power, all the majesty, all the beauty, all the infinite harmony of God, all His great and immeasurable riches. God whole and entire was hidden for our benefit in the humanity of Christ. The Almighty appears determined to eclipse His glory for a time, so as to make it easy for His creatures to approach their Redeemer." (St. J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 111).
8. Jesus Christ became man "for us men and for our salvation", we profess in the Creed. Everything He did in the course of His life had a salvific value; His death on the cross represents the climax of His redemptive work for, as St. Gregory of Nyssa says, "He did not experience death due to the fact of being born; rather, He took birth upon Himself in order to die" ("Oratio Catechetica Magna", 32).
Our Lord's obedience to the Father's saving plan, involving as it did death on the cross, gives us the best of all lessons in humility. For, in the words of St. Thomas Aquinas, "obedience is the sign of true humility" ("Commentary on Phil., ad loc."). In St. Paul's time death by crucifixion was the most demeaning form of death, for it was inflicted only on criminals. By becoming obedient "unto death, even death on a cross", Jesus was being humble in the extreme. He was perfectly within His rights to manifest Himself in all His divine glory, but He chose instead the route leading to the most ignominious of deaths.
His obedience, moreover, was not simply a matter of submitting to the Father's will, for, as St. Paul points out, He made Himself obedient: His obedience was active; He made the Father's salvific plans His own. He chose voluntarily to give Himself up to crucifixion in order to redeem mankind. "Debasing oneself when one is forced to do so is not humility", St. John Chrysostom explains; "humility is present when one debases oneself without being obliged to do so" ("Hom. on Phil., ad loc.").
Christ's self-abasement and his obedience unto death reveals His love for us, for "greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). His loving initiative merits a loving response on our part: we should show that we desire to be one with Him, for love "seeks union, identification with the beloved. United to Christ, we will be drawn to imitate His life of dedication, His unlimited love and His sacrifice unto death. Christ brings us face to face with the ultimate choice: either we spend our life in selfish isolation, or we devote ourselves and all our energies to the service of others" (St. J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 236).
9-11. "God highly exalted Him": the Greek compounds the notion of exaltation, to indicate the immensity of His glorification. Our Lord Himself foretold this when He said, "He who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 14:11).
Christ's sacred humanity was glorified as a reward for His humiliation. The Church's Magisterium teaches that Christ's glorification affects his human nature only, for "in the form of God the Son was equal to the Father, and between the Begetter and the Only-begotten there was no difference in essence, no difference in majesty; nor did the Word, through the mystery of incarnation, lose anything which the Father might later return to Him as a gift" (St. Leo the Great, "Promisisse Me Memini", Chapter 8). Exaltation is public manifestation of the glory which belongs to Christ's humanity by virtue of its being joined to the divine person of the Word. This union to the "form of a servant" (cf. verse 7) meant an immense act of humility on the part of the Son, but it led to the exaltation of the human nature He took on.
For the Jews the "name that is above every name" is the name of God (Yahweh), which the Mosaic Law required to be held in particular awe. Also, they regarded a name given to someone, especially if given by God, as not just a way of referring to a person but as expressing something that belonged to the very core of his personality. Therefore, the statement that God "bestowed on Him the name which is above every name" means that God the Father gave Christ's human nature the capacity to manifest the glory of divinity which was His by virtue of the hypostatic union: therefore, it is to be worshipped by the entire universe.
St. Paul describes the glorification of Jesus Christ in terms similar to those used by the prophet Daniel of the Son of Man: "To Him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations and languages should serve His Kingdom, one that shall not be destroyed" (Daniel 7:14). Christ's lordship extends to all created things. Sacred Scripture usually speaks of "heaven and earth" when referring to the entire created universe; by mentioning here the underworld it is emphasizing that nothing escapes His dominion. Jesus Christ can here be seen as the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy about the universal sovereignty of Yahweh: "To Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear" (Isaiah 45:23). All created things come under His sway, and men are duty-bound to accept the basic truth of Christian teaching: "Jesus Christ is Lord." The Greek word "Kyrios" used here by St. Paul is the word used by the Septuagint, the early Greek version of the Old Testament, to translate the name of God ("Yahweh"). Therefore, this sentence means "Jesus Christ is God."
The Christ proclaimed here as having been raised on high is the man-God who was born and died for our sake, attaining the glory of His exaltation after undergoing the humiliation of the cross. In this also Christ sets us an example: we cannot attain the glory of Heaven unless we understand the supernatural value of difficulties, ill-health and suffering: these are manifestations of Christ's cross present in our ordinary life. "We have to die to ourselves and be born again to a new life. Jesus Christ obeyed in this way, even unto death on a cross (Philippians 2:18); that is why God exalted Him. If we obey God's will, the cross will mean our own resurrection and exaltation. Christ's life will be fulfilled step by step in our own lives. It will be said of us that we have tried to be good children of God, who went about doing good in spite of our weakness and personal shortcomings, no matter how many" (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 21).
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From: Luke 22:14-23:56
(The shorter Passion reading is Luke 23:1-49.)
The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke
The institution of the Eucharist
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[14] And when the hour came, he sat at table, and the apostles with him. [15] And he said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer; [16] for I tell you I shall not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." [17] And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, "Take this, and divide it among yourselves; [18] for I tell you that from now on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." [19] And he took bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." [20] And likewise the cup after supper, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
The treachery of Judas foretold
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[21] But behold the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. [22] For the Son of man goes as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!" [23] And they began to question one another, which of them it was that would do this.
A dispute among the apostles
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[24] A dispute also arose among them, which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. [25] And he said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors. [26] But not so with you; rather let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. [27] For which is the greater, one who sits at table, or one who serves? Is it not the one who sits at table? But I am among you as one who serves.
[28] "You are those who have continued with me in my trials; [29] and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, [30] that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Peter's denial foretold
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[31] "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, [32] but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren." [33] And he said to him, "Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death." [34] He said, "I tell you, Peter, the cock will not crow this day, until you three times deny that you know me."
Appeal to the apostles
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[35] And he said to them, "When I sent you out with no purse or bag or sandals, Did you lack anything?" They said, "Nothing." [36] He said to them, "But now, let him who has a purse take it, and likewise a bag. And let him who has no sword sell his mantle and buy one. [37] For I tell you that this scripture must be fulfilled in me, 'And he was reckoned with transgressors'; for what is written about me has its fulfilment." [38] And they said, "Look, Lord, here are two swords." And he said to them, "It is enough."
Jesus' prayer and agony in the garden
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[39] And he came out, and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him. [40] And when he came to the place he said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation." [41] And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, [42] "Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." [43] And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. [44] And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling upon the ground. [45] And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, [46] and he said to them, "Why do you sleep? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation."
The arrest of Jesus
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[47] While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him; [48] but Jesus said to him, "Judas, would you betray the Son of man with a kiss?" [49] And when those who were about him saw what would follow, they said, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?" [50] And one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. [51] But Jesus said, "No more of this!" And he touched his ear and healed him. [52] Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? [53] When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."
Peter's denials
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[54] Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest's house. Peter followed at a distance; [55] and when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. [56] Then a maid, seeing him as he sat in the light and gazing at him, said, "This man also was with him." [57] But he denied it, saying, "Woman, I do not know him." [58] And a little later some one else saw him and said, "You also are one of them." But Peter said, "Man, I am not." [59] And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, "Certainly this man also was with him; for he is a Galilean." [60] But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are saying." And immediately, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed. [61] And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, "Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times." [62] And he went out and wept bitterly.
Jesus abused by the guards
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[63] Now the men who were holding Jesus mocked him and beat him; [64] they also blindfolded him and asked him, "Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?" [65] And they spoke many other words against him, reviling him.
Jesus before the chief priests
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[66] When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes; and they led him away to their council, and they said, [67] "If you are the Christ, tell us." But he said to them, "If I tell you, you will not believe; [68] and if I ask you, you will not answer. [69] But from now on the Son of man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God." [70] And they all said, "Are you the Son of God, then?" And he said to them, "You say that I am." [71] And they said, "What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips."
Jesus before Pilate
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[1] Then the whole company of them arose, and brought him before Pilate. [2] And they began to accuse him, saying, "We found this man perverting our nation, and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ a king." [3] And Pilate asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" And he answered him, "You have said so." [4] And Pilate said to the chief priests and the multitudes, "I find no crime in this man." [5] But they were urgent, saying, "He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place."
Jesus before Herod
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[6] When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. [7] And when he learned that he belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him over to He- rod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. [8] When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. [9] So he questioned him at some length; but he made no answer. [10] The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. [11] And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him; then, arraying him in gorgeous apparel, he sent him back to Pilate. [12] And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other.
Jesus is condemned to death
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[13] Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, [14] and said to them, "You brought me this man as one who was perverting the people; and after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him; [15] neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Behold, nothing deserving death has been done by him; [16] I will therefore chastise him and release him."
[18] But they all cried out together, "Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas" -- [19] a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city, and for murder. [20] Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus; [21] but they shouted out, "Crucify, crucify him!" [22] A third time he said to them, "Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no crime deserving death; I will therefore chastise him and release him." [23] But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. [24] So Pilate gave sentence that their demand should be granted. [25] He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, whom they asked for; but Jesus he delivered up to their will.
The crucifixion and death of Jesus
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[26] And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. [27] And there followed him a great multitude of the people, and of women who bewailed and lamented him. [28] But Jesus turning to them said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. [29] For behold, the days are coming when they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never gave suck!' [30] Then they will begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us'; and to the hills, 'Cover us.' [31] For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?" [32] Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. [33] And when they came to the place which is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on the right and one on the left. [34] And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." And they cast lots to divide his garments. [35] And the people stood by, watching; but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!" [36] The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him vinegar, [37] and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!" [38] There was also an inscription over him, "This is the King of the Jews."
[39] One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!" [40] But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? [41] And we indeed justly; for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." [42] And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." [43] And he said to him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
[44] It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, [45] while the sun's light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. [46] Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, "Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!" And having said this he breathed his last. [47] Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, and said, "Certainly this man was innocent!" [48] And all the multitudes who assembled to see the sight, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. [49] And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance and saw these things.
The burial
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[50] Now there was a man named Joseph from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, [51] who had not consented to their purpose and deed, and he was looking for the kingdom of God. [52] This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. [53] Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud, and laid him in a rock-hewn tomb, where no one had ever yet been laid. [54] It was the day of Preparation, and the sabbath was beginning. [55] The women who had come with him from Galilee followed, and saw the tomb, and how his body was laid; [56] then they returned, and prepared spices and ointments.
On the sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
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Commentary:
1-38. These verses report the events immediately prior to our Lord's passion, events rich in meaning. The three Synoptic Gospels all give more or less the same account, but St Luke omits certain details and adds others which fill out Mark's or Matthew's account. Take, for example, the reporting of the institution of the Eucharist: while being substantially the same in the three Synoptics and often word for word, the Matthew and Mark accounts (cf. Mt 26:26-29; Mk 14: 22-25) are quite different from that of Luke taken together with the First Letter to the Corinthians (cf. Lk 22:15-20; 1 Cor 11:23-25).
1. The feast of the Passover, the most solemn of all the Jewish feasts, was instituted by God to commemorate the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and to remind them of their former slavery from which he saved them (Deut 16:3). It began with the passover supper on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month of Nisan (March-April), a little after sundown, and went on until 22 Nisan, the feast of the unleavened bread. The Mosaic Law laid down (Ex 12:15-20) that on the evening of 14 Nisan the Jews had to remove any trace of leaven from their houses and eat unleavened bread for the duration of the feast -- reminding them that when the moment came to leave Egypt they had to leave in such a hurry that they had no time to prepare leavened bread to take with them (Ex 12:34).
All this was a prefigurement of the renewal which Christ would bring about: "Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us, therefore, celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Cor 5:7-8).
3-6. Even prior to the Passion, one can sense that the behaviour of Jesus' enemies was being orchestrated by the spirit of evil, Satan. This is particularly true where Judas is concerned. Corrupt human will alone cannot explain the torrent of hatred unleashed against Jesus.
The passion of our Lord marks the climax of the struggle between God and the powers of evil. After the third temptation in the desert the devil "departed from him until an opportune time" (Lk 4:13). The time has now come: it is the hour of Christ's enemies and of the power of darkness (cf. Lk 22:53), and it is also the hour of God's definitive victory, for he "decreed that man should be saved through the wood of the cross. The tree of man's defeat became his tree of victory; where life was lost, there life has been restored" ("Roman Missal", Preface of the Triumph of the Cross).
7-13. This scene took place on 14 Nisan. Every Israelite was familiar with the details of preparations for the Passover: it involved a rite which Jewish tradition, based on God-given regulations contained in the Law of Moses (cf. the note on Lk 22:1), had spelt out in minute detail -- the unleavened loaves, bitter herbs, and the lamb to be sacrificed in the courtyard of the temple in the late afternoon. Peter and John, therefore, were perfectly acquainted with all these details; the only enquiry concerns where the supper is to be held, and our Lord tells them exactly how to find the place.
The disciples think that all that is involved is the Passover meal; but Jesus is also thinking about the institution of the Holy Eucharist and the Sacrifice of the New Alliance, which will take the place of the sacrifices of the Old Testament.
14. The Last Supper is beginning, the meal at which our Lord is going to institute the Holy Eucharist, a mystery of faith and love: "We must therefore approach this mystery, above all, with humble reverence, not following human arguments, which ought to be hushed, but in steadfast adherence to divine revelation" (Paul VI, "My- sterium fidei").
15. St John, the beloved disciple, sums up in a single phrase the sentiments welling up in Jesus' soul at the Last Supper: "when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end" (Jn 13:1). Our Lord expresses his burning desire to spend the hours prior to his death with those whom he loves most on earth and, as happens when people are taking leave of their nearest and dearest, very affectionate words are exchanged (cf. Theophylact, "Enarratio in Evangelium loannis", in loc.). His love is not confined to the apostles; he is thinking of all men and women. He knows that this Passover meal marks the beginning of his passion. He is going to anticipate the Sacrifice of the New Testament, which will bring such benefits to mankind.
To fulfil his Father's will, Jesus must necessarily go away, but his love, impelling him to stay with his own, moves him to institute the Eucharist, in which he stays behind, in which he remains really and truly present. "Think," St J. Escrivá writes, "of the human experience of two people who love each other, and yet are forced to part. They would like to stay together forever, but duty -- in one form or another -- forces them to separate. They are unable to fulfill their desire of remaining close to each other, so man's love -- which, great as it may be, is limited – seeks a symbolic gesture. People who make their farewells exchange gifts or perhaps a photograph with a dedication so ardent that it seems almost enough to burn that piece of paper. They can do no more, because a creature's power is not so great as its desire.
"What we cannot do, our Lord is able to do. Jesus Christ, perfect God and perfect man, leaves us not a symbol but a reality. He himself stays with us. He will go to the Father, but he will also remain among men. He will leave us, not simply a gift that will make us remember him, not an image that becomes blurred with time, like a photograph that soon fades and yellows, and has no meaning except for those who were contemporaries. Under the appearances of bread and wine, he is really present, with his body and blood, with his soul and divinity" ("Christ Is Passing By", 83).
16-20. This text contains the three basic truths of faith having to do with the sublime mystery of the Eucharist: 1) the institution of this sacrament and Jesus Christ's real presence in it; 2) the institution of the Christian priesthood; and 3) the Eucharist as the Sacrifice of the New Testament or Holy Mass (cf. the note on Mt 26:26-29). St Luke's account is substantially the same as that in the First Gospel, but it is enhanced by his more detailed description of some points (cf. the note on v. 17).
Regarding the real presence of Christ in this sacrament, Paul VI stated: "In reliance on this belief of the Church, the Council of Trent 'openly and simply professes that in the bountiful sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, after the consecration of the bread and wine, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, true God and true man, is contained truly, really and substantially under the appearance of the objects that the senses can perceive' ("De SS. Eucharistia", chap. 1). Therefore our Saviour is not only present according to his humanity at the right hand of the Father, after his natural mode of existence, but at the same time he is present in the sacrament of the Eucharist also by that form of existence which is possible to God, though we can hardly express it in words. With thoughts enlightened by faith we can reach it and we must believe it with the greatest constancy" ("Mysterium fidei"). In contemplating this ineffable mystery, Christian souls have always perceived its grandeur as deriving from the fact of Christ's real presence in it. The sacrament of the Eucharist is not only an efficacious sign of Christ's loving presence in an intimate union with the faithful: in it he is present corporeally and substantially, as God and as man. Certainly, in order to penetrate this mystery one needs to have faith, because "there is no difficulty about Christ being present in the Sacrament as a sign; the real difficulty lies in his being as truly in the Sacrament as he is in heaven; therefore, it is very meritorious to believe this" (St Bonaventure, "In IV Sent.", d. 10, q. 1, a. 1). This mystery cannot be perceived by the senses: it can only be grasped by faith in the words of our Saviour who, being truth itself (cf. Jn 14:6), cannot deceive or be deceived: thus, in a hymn which is traditionally attributed to St Thomas Aquinas, the "Adoro te devote", the Christian people sing: "Seeing, touching, tasting are in thee deceived; how says trusty hearing? that shall be believed; what God's Son has told me, take for truth I do; Truth himself speaks truly or there's nothing true" (translated by G.M. Hopkins).
"If no one is to misunderstand this mode of presence, which oversteps the laws of nature and constitutes the greatest miracle of all in its kind, our minds must be docile and we must follow the voice of the Church through her teaching and prayer. This voice continually re-echoes the voice of Christ. It informs us that Christ becomes present in this sacrament precisely by a change of the bread's whole substance into his body and the wine's whole substance into his blood. This is clearly remarkable, a singular change, and the Catholic Church gives it the suitable and accurate name of transubstantiation" (Paul VI, "Mysterium fidei").
After instituting the Eucharist, our Lord instructs the apostles to perpetuate what he has done: the Church has always taken Christ's words "Do this in remembrance of me" to mean that he thereby made the apostles and their successors priests of the New Covenant who would renew the Sacrifice of Calvary in an unbloody manner in the celebration of Holy Mass.
This means that at the centre of Christ's entire activity stands the bloody Sacrifice he offered on the cross -- the Sacrifice of the New Covenant, prefigured in the sacrifices of the Old Law, in the offerings made by Abel (Gen 4:4), by Abraham (Gen 15:10; 22:13), by Melchizedek (Gen 14:18-20; Heb 7:1-28). The Last Supper is the very Sacrifice of Calvary performed in advance of the event through the words of the Consecration. Similarly the Mass renews this sacrifice which was offered once for all on the altar of the cross. Christ alone is the victim and the priest at Supper, Calvary and Mass; the only thing that varies is the way he is offered.
"We believe that the Mass which is celebrated by the priest in the person of Christ in virtue of the power he receives in the sacrament of Order, and which is offered by him in the name of Christ and of the members of his Mystical Body, is indeed the Sacrifice of Calvary sacramentally realized on our altars" (Paul VI, Creed of the People of God, 24).
16. The words "I shall not eat it [this Passover] until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of heaven," as also those in v. 18, "I shall not drink of the fruit of this vine until the kingdom of God comes," do not mean that Jesus Christ will eat the paschal lamb once his Kingdom is established, but simply that this was the last time he will celebrate the Jewish Passover. Announcing the New Passover, which is now imminent and which will last until his second coming, Jesus once and for all replaces the ancient rite with his redemptive sacrifice, which marks the beginning of the Kingdom.
17. The Passover meal always followed a very specific pattern. Before eating the lamb, the senior person explained, in reply to a question from the youngest present, the religious meaning of what was happening. Then the meal proceeded, interspersed with hymns and psalms. At the end came a solemn prayer of thanks- giving. Throughout the meal, marking its main stages, the diners drank four glasses of wine mixed with water. St Luke refers to two of these, the second being that which our Lord consecrated.
19. We should note how plainly our Lord speaks: he does not say "here is my body," or "this is the symbol of my body," but "this is my body": that is, "this bread is no longer bread, it is my body". "Some men, accordingly, not paying heed to these things, have contended that Christ's body and blood are present in this sacrament only as in a sign: this is to be rejected as heretical, since it is contrary to Christ's words" (St Thomas Aquinas, "Summa theologiae", 3, q. 75, a. 1). Jesus' words when he promised the Eucharist reinforce what he says here: "I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh [. . .]. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day" (Jn 6:51, 54).
"Do this in remembrance of me." The solemn Magisterium of the Church teaches us the meaning and scope of these words: "If anyone says that by the words, 'Do this in remembrance of me' Christ did not make his apostles priests, or that he did not decree that they and other priests should offer his body and blood: let him be condemned" (Council of Trent, "De SS. Missae sacrificio", c. 2).
24-30. This was not the first time the apostles brought up this question about which of them was the greatest. It came up when they were going towards Capernaum, after Jesus' second announcement of his passion. At that time Jesus used a child as an example of humility (cf. Mt 18:1-5; Mk 9:33-37; Lk 9:46-48). A little later, when the mother of James and John made her special request, the same subject arose: the other apostles were very annoyed with the sons of Zebedee, and our Lord intervened and put himself forward as an example: "The Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mk 10:45; cf. Mt 20:25-28).
The apostles failed to grasp what Jesus meant. They continue to be blinded by their human outlook and the same argument starts again. Jesus had invited them to have a greater sense of responsibility by telling them that one of their number was going to betray him (vv. 21 and 22) and by charging them to renew the Eucharistic Sacrifice (v. 19). As on other occasions when the apostles boasted about their personal merits, Jesus reminds them again of the example of his own life: he was their Teacher and Lord (cf. Jn 13:13) and yet he acted as if he were the least among them and served them. To respond to a calling from God a person needs humility, which expresses itself in the form of a spirit of service. "You want to hear all that I think of 'your way'? Very well, then. . ., listen: if you respond to the call, you will do your utmost in your work for Christ; if you become a man of prayer, you will be granted the grace necessary to respond and, hungry for sacrifice, you will seek out the hardest tasks.. . . And you will be happy here, and unspeakably happy hereafter" (St J. Escrivá, "The Way", 235).
The reward which Jesus promises those who stay faithful to him far exceeds anything human ambition can envisage: the apostles will share in divine friendship in the Kingdom of heaven and they will sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel. Christ's word and example are basic norm of government in the Church; the Second Vatican Council explains our Lord's commandment as fol- lows: "The bishops, vicars and legates of Christ, govern the particular Church assigned to them by their counsels, exhortations and example, but over and above that also by the authority and sacred power which indeed they exercise exclusively for the spiritual development of their flock in truth and holiness, keeping in mind that he who is greater should become as the lesser, and he who is the leader as the servant (cf. Lk 22:26-27)" ("Lumen Gentium", 27).
25-27. By spreading Jesus' teaching about humility and service to others, we promote the true brotherhood of man. Pope Paul VI pointed this out in his address to the United Nations: "Allow me to say this to you, as the representative of a religion which accomplishes salvation through the humility of its divine Founder: men cannot be brothers if they are not humble. It is pride, no matter how legitimate it may seem to be, which provokes tension and struggles for prestige, for predominance, colonialism, selfishness; it is pride that disrupts brotherhood" (no. 4).
31-34. Our Lord had previously told Peter that he was going to give him a specially important mission among the apostles -- that of being the cornerstone, the foundation, of the Church he would found. "'So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas' (which means Peter)" (Jn 1:42), Jesus told him on the bank of the Jordan. Later, in Caesarea Philippi, after his profession of faith in the divinity of the Redeemer, Christ again referred to him as being a rock, as having a mission to strengthen the Church: "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it" (Mt 16:18). Now, at this very solemn moment, when his death approaches and he has just instituted the Sacrifice of the New Testament, our Lord renews his promise to Peter to give him the primacy: Peter's faith, despite his fall, cannot fail because it is supported by the efficacious prayer of our Lord himself.
Jesus Christ is giving Peter a privilege which is both personal and transferable. Peter will publicly deny his Lord in the high priest's house, but he will not lose his faith. As St John Chrysostom comments, it is as if our Lord were saying to Peter, "I have not prayed that you may not deny me but that your faith may not fail" ("Hom. on St Matthew", 3). And Theophylact adds: "For, although St Peter would have to experience ups and downs he still had the hidden seed of faith, and he [Christ] adds, 'And when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren', as if to say, 'After you repent; confirm then your brethren, for I have made you the leader of the apostles; this is the task given you: you with me are the strength and the rock of my Church.' This should be taken not only as applying to the disciples who were present there, for them to be strengthened by Peter: it also refers to all the faithful who would follow, until the end of the world" ("Enarratio in Evangelium Lucae", in loc.).
And, as it turned out, as a result of our Lord's prayer, Peter's faith did not fail and he recovered from his fall; he confirmed his brothers and was indeed the cornerstone of the Church.
Our Lord's prayer was effective in respect not only to Peter but also to his successors: their faith will not fail. This indefectibility of the faith of the bishop of Rome, the successor of St Peter, is to be seen as ensuring that he stay committed to the faith, a commitment guaranteed by the charism of infallibility: "This infallibility, with which the divine Redeemer wished to endow his Church in defining doctrine pertaining to faith and morals, is co-extensive with the deposit of revelation, which must be religiously guarded and loyally and courageously expounded. The Roman Pontiff, head of the college of bishops, enjoys this infallibility in virtue of his office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful -- who confirms his brethren in the faith (cf. Lk 22:32) -- he proclaims in an absolute decision a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals" (Vatican II, "Lumen gentium", 25).
Therefore, when the Pope speaks ex cathedra (cf. Vatican I, "Pastor aeternus", chap. 4) "he enjoys that infallibility with which the divine Redeemer wished to provide his Church. . . and therefore the definitions of the Roman Pontiff are irreformable by their very nature" (see also the note on Mt 16:13-20).
"The supreme power of the Roman Pontiff and his infallibility, when he speaks ex cathedra, are not a human invention: they are based on the explicit foundational will of Christ [. . .]. No one in the Church enjoys absolute power by himself, as man. In the Church there is no leader other than but Christ. And Christ constituted a vicar of his -- the Roman Pontiff -- for his wayfaring spouse on earth […]. Love for the Pope must be in us a beautiful passion, because in him we see Christ" (St. J. Escrivá, "In Love with the Church", 13).
36-38. Jesus announces his passion by applying to himself the Isaiah prophecy about the Servant of Yahweh (Is 53:12) -- "he was numbered with the transgresssors" -- and by pointing out that all the other prophecies about the sufferings the Redeemer would undergo will find fulfillment in him. The testing-time is imminent and our Lord is speaking symbolically when he talks about making provision and buying weapons to put up a fight. The apostles take him literally, and this leads him to express a certain indulgent understanding: "It is enough." "Just in the same way as we," Theophylact says, "when we are speaking to someone and see that he does not understand, say: 'Very well, leave it'" ("Enarratio in Evangelium Lucae", in loc.).
39-71. Our Lord's passion is the outstanding proof of God's love for men: "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (Jn 3:16). It also proves beyond doubt that Christ, true God and true man, loves us, as he said himself: "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (Jn 15:13).
"Do you want to accompany Jesus closely, very closely? . . . Open the Holy Gospel and read the Passion of our Lord. But don't just read it: live it. There is a big difference. To read is to recall something that happened in the past; to live is to find oneself present at an event that is happening here and now, to be someone taking part in those scenes. Then, allow your heart to open wide; let it place itself next to our Lord. And when you notice it trying to slip away -- when you see that you are a coward, like the others -- ask forgiveness for your cowardice and mine" (St. J. Escriva, "The Way of the Cross", IX, 3).
39-40. It was Jesus' custom to retire to the garden of Gethsemane, on the Mount of Olives, in order to pray; this seems to be implied by both St John (Jn 18:1) and St Luke (21:37). This explains how Judas knew the place (Jn 18:1-2).
As soon as he reaches the garden our Lord prepares to face his agony. Before going aside to pray, he asks his disciples to pray as well because very soon they will be tempted to lose faith when they see him being arrested (cf. Mt 26:31). At the Last Supper Jesus had told them this would happen; now he warns them that if they are not watchful and prayerful they will not be able to resist the temptation. He also wants his apostles to keep him company when he suffers -- which is why, when he comes back and finds them sleeping, he sorrowfully complains to Peter: "Could you not watch with me one hour?" (Mt 26:40).
We should stay close to our Lord and keep him company, even at times of difficulty and tribulation; the command Jesus gives here shows us how to go about this -- by prayer and vigilance.
41. Jesus prays kneeling down. Many Gospel passages refer to our Lord's prayer but this is the only time his posture is described. It may well be that he knelt at other times also. Kneeling is an external expression of a humble attitude toward God.
42. Jesus Christ is perfect God and perfect man: as God he is equal to the Father, as man less than the Father. And therefore as man he could pray, he had to pray -- as he did throughout his life. Now, when his spiritual suffering is so intense that he is in agony, our Lord addresses his Father with a prayer which shows both his trust and his anguish: he calls him, with immense affection, "Abba", Father, and asks him to remove this cup of bitterness. What causes our Lord his intense pain? Foreknowledge of all the sufferings involved in his passion, which he freely undergoes; and the weight of all the sins of mankind, the unfaithfulness of the chosen people and abandonment by his disciples. Christ's sensitive soul felt the full impact of all this. So intense is our Redeemer's anguish that he actually sweats blood, an indication of the extent of his human capacity to suffer. In this connection St Thomas More comments: "The fear of death and torments carries no stig- ma of guilt but rather is an affliction of the sort Christ came to suffer, not to escape. We should not immediately consider it cowardice for someone to feel fear and horror at the thought of torments [. . .]. But to flee because of a fear of torture and death when the circumstances make it necessary to fight, or to give up all hope of victory and surrender to the enemy -- that, to be sure, is a capital crime according to the military code. But otherwise, no matter how much the heart of the soldier is agitated and stricken by fear, if he still comes forward at the command of the general, goes on, fights and defeats the enemy, he has no reason to fear that his former fear might lessen his reward in any way. As a matter of fact, he ought to receive even more praise because of it, since he had to overcome not only the enemy but also his own fear, which is often harder to conquer than the enemy itself" ("De tristitia Christi", in loc.).
Jesus perseveres in his prayer: "Not my will, but thine, be done" -- which shows that he had a human will and that it was in total harmony with the divine will. This prayer of our Lord is also a perfect lesson in abandonment to and union with the Will of God -- features which should be found in our own prayer, particularly in moments of difficulty. "Are things going against you? Are you going through a rough time? Say very slowly, as if relishing it, this powerful and manly prayer: 'May the most just and most lovable will of God be done, be fulfilled, be praised and eternally exalted above all things. Amen, Amen.' I assure you that you will find peace" (St. J Escrivá, "The Way", 691).
43. In the Gospel we often see angels play a part in our Lord's life. An angel announces the mystery of the Incarnation to the Blessed Virgin (Lk 1:26); choirs of angels sing God's praises when Jesus is born in Bethlehem (Lk 2:13); angels minister to him after he is tempted in the wilderness (Mt 4:11); and now the Father sends an angel to comfort him in his agony.
Our Lord, who is God, accepts this consolation. The Creator of all, who is never in need of the help of his creatures is ready to accept, as man, consolation and help from those who can give it.
In addition to aiding Jesus in his work as Redeemer, angels also minister to the Church in a special way. We often see them act in the early days of the Church (cf. Acts 5:19; 7:30; 8:26; 12:7 27:23; etc.). God has given angels the mission of accompanying men and helping them as they make their way on earth towards their heavenly goal. The angels, says Paul VI, "intercede for us and come to the aid of our weakness in brotherly care" ("Creed of the People of God", 29). Their caring presence should move us to rely constantly on our guardian angels, to have recourse to them in our needs and to show them reverence.
47-48. Judas now gives the prearranged sign (cf. Mt 26:48); he comes forward to kiss our Lord -- a form of friendly greeting normal among the Jews. When greeting someone like this, one would say Shalom, "peace". In contemplating this sad betrayal by an apostle, Jesus treats Judas in a very gentle way and yet shows up the malice and ugliness of his treachery: for the last time he tries to win Judas back.
There is no limit to the goodness of a merciful God, and not even the greatest sinner should despair of obtaining forgiveness. "Even to Judas," St Thomas More comments, "God gave many opportunities of coming to his senses. He did not deny him his companionship. He did not take away from him the dignity of his apostleship. He did not even take the purse-strings from him, even though he was a thief. He admitted the traitor to the fellowship of his beloved disciples at the last supper. He deigned to stoop down at the feet of the betrayer and to wash with his most innocent and sacred hands Judas' dirty feet, a fit symbol of his filthy mind [. . .]. Finally when Judas, coming with his crew to seize him, offered him a kiss, a kiss that was in fact the terrible token of his treachery, Christ received him calmly and gently [. . .]. Therefore, since God showed his great mercy, in so many ways even toward Judas, an apostle turned traitor, since he invited him to forgiveness so often and did not allow him to perish except through despair alone, certainly there is no reason why, in this life, anyone should despair of any imitator of Judas. Rather, according to that holy advice of the apostle, 'Pray for one another, that you may be healed' (Jas 5:16), if we see anyone wandering wildly from the right road, let us hope that he will one day return to the path, and meanwhile let us pray humbly and incessantly that God will hold out to him chances to come to his senses, and likewise that with God's help he will eagerly seize them, and having seized them will hold fast and not throw them away out of malice or let them slip away from him through wretched sloth" ("De tristitia Christi", in loc.).
51. St Luke, who was a physician (cf. Col 4:15), here by divine inspiration records the last miracle worked by Jesus before his death. Ever merciful, Jesus restores to Malchus the ear Peter cut off (cf. Jn 18:10) -- thereby showing that he is still in control of events, even in the present situation. Careless of his own safety he cures one of the people who have come to arrest him. Also, Jesus, who is giving himself up to death in obedience to his Father, refuses to have violence used in his defence. In fulfilment of the prophecies he offers no resistance, he goes like a sheep to the slaughter (cf. Is 52-53. The "captains of the temple" were a military corps charged with policing the temple precincts; they reported to the high priest. To them, as well as to the priests and elders, our Lord addresses these words.
"This is your hour," that is, the time when you, the prince of darkness, can unleash all your hatred against me: our Lord shows that he knows his death is at hand. Previous attempts to arrest him had failed; but this one will succeed, because, as he explains, God allows it to happen. This is the hour the Father has fixed to accomplish the redemption of mankind; therefore, Jesus freely lets himself be taken prisoner.
55-62. Peter, who has been following the throng of people hustling our Lord, enters the house of the high priest. While Jesus is undergoing his first trial the saddest event in the apostle's life takes place. The evangelists give vivid accounts of the scene. Peter is in a state of shock and is all confused. Inevitably, that night, people would have spoken about Jesus and his disciples a number of times. In conversation Peter says three times that he does not know Jesus, that he is not a follower of his. He does want to continue to follow our Lord, but wanting is not enough: he has a duty not to disguise the fact that he is a disciple, even though it is obviously risky to do so; that is why his denial is a grave sin. No one is justified in denying or disguising his faith, the fact that he is a Christian, a follower of Christ.
After the cock crows Jesus' glance meets Peter's. The apostle is moved by this silent and tender gesture. Peter realizes the seriousness of his sin and the fact that it fulfils our Lord's prophecy about his betrayal. "He went out and wept bitterly." Tears like these are the natural reaction of a noble heart moved by God's grace; this lovesorrow, this contrition, when it is sincere, leads a person to make the firm resolution to do anything necessary to erase the least trace of the sin he has committed.
66-71. Our Lord's first trial, which took place at night, was aimed at establishing the charges to be laid against him (Mt 26:59-66; Mk 14:53-64). Now, as day dawns, the Sanhedrin trial begins: this trial was required because Jewish custom forbade night trials on serious charges -- which meant that any decisions taken at such trials had no legal validity. The authorities want to charge Jesus with a crime carrying the death penalty, and they decide to establish that he has com- mitted blasphemy; but the evidence is so inconsistent that it fails to provide a pretext for condemning him. Therefore the Sanhedrin endeavours to get our Lord to say something which will compromise him. Although he knows that his reply provides the Pharisees with the pretext they are looking for, Jesus solemnly states, to the indignation of those present, not only that he is the Messiah but that he is the Son of God, equal to the Father; and he emphasizes that in him the ancient prophecies are being fulfilled (cf. Dan 7:13; Ps 110:1). The members of the Sanhedrin know exactly what our Lord's answer means and, tearing their garments to show their horror, they call for his death: he deserves death because he has committed the blasphemy of claiming to be on the same level as God.
Recognizing Jesus would involve their doing an about-turn in their attitude towards him -- which they would have found very embarrassing. They are too proud to change, and they close the door on faith -- a lesson to us all not to let pride blind us to our mistakes and sins.
1-2. Jesus underwent two trials -- a religious one, following the Jewish system, and a civil one, following the Roman.
In the first trial, the Jewish authorities condemned Jesus to death on religious grounds for claiming to be the Son of God; but they could not carry out the sentence because the Romans reserved to themselves the exercise of the death penalty. The Sanhedrin now arranges a new trial before Pilate in order to get the Romans to execute the sentence they themselves have already passed. Events are moving to fulfil Jesus' prophecy that he will die at the hands of the Gentiles (cf. Lk 18:32).
Due to the fact that the Romans were very tolerant of religious customs of subject peoples -- and took no interest in them provided they did not lead to public unrest -- the Jewish leaders alter the charges they bring against Jesus: from now on they accuse him of political crimes -- of inciting rebellion against the Romans and of seeking to become king. And they present these charges in such a way that a verdict favourable to the accused might be interpreted in Rome as a treacherous act: "If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend; every one who makes himself a king sets himself against Caesar" (Jn 19:12).
2. To give their charges a veneer of credibility, they produce half-truths, taken out of context and interpreted in the worst possible light. Jesus had taught: "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's" (Mt 22:21; cf. the note on same), and in his preaching he stated that by virtue of being the Messiah he was King as well as Prophet and Priest; but he also preached that his was a spiritual kingship and therefore he energetically rejected all the people's attempts to proclaim him king (cf. Jn 6:15).
3-4. Jesus openly confesses that he is King, but from what he says he makes quite clear the spiritual nature of this kingship (Jn 18:33-38). Pilate becomes convinced that he is guilty of no crime (Jn 18:38; 19:4) and that all the charges brought against him are groundless (Mt 27:18). However, instead of efficiently delivering judgment in favour of the accused, he temporizes; he tries to gain popularity at Jesus' expense and settles for indicating that he is convinced of his inno- cence -- as if inviting the accusers to back off; but this only encourages them to become vociferous and complicates the situation.
By behaving in this way Pilate becomes the classic example of a compromiser: "A man, a 'gentleman', ready to compromise would condemn Jesus to death again" (St J. Escrivá, "The Way", 393).
7. Herod Antipas normally went up to Jerusalem for the Passover, staying in his own palace in the centre of the city. By sending Jesus to Herod Pilate is trying to rid himself of a troublesome case and build up a friendship useful to his own political career.
8-11. Our Lord adopts a very different attitude to Herod Antipas compared with his attitude to Pilate. Herod was superstitious, sensual and adulterous. In spite of his regard for John the Baptist, he had him beheaded to keep his oath to Salome (cf. Mk 6:14-29). Now he tries to get Jesus to perform a miracle, as if Jesus were a magician putting on a show for Herod's entertainment. Jesus does not reply to his flattery. Our Lord's attitude is simple, stately and also severe. His eloquent silence is a perfect example of the way to deal with behaviour of this type. Herod reacts by dressing Jesus in a rich robe, to make fun of him.
12. Psalm 2 said this in prophecy of the Messiah: "The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and his anointed." These words are now fulfilled to the letter, as the Book of the Acts points out: "For truly in this city there were gathered together against thy holy servant Jesus, whom thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, to do whatever thy hand and thy plan had predestined to take place" (Acts 4:27f).
17. Verse 17 -- "Necesse autem habebat dimittere eis per diem festum, unum" (in the Old Vulgate) -- has not been included in the New Vulgate because it is absent from most of the better Greek manuscripts.
24-25. Jesus condemned to death and made to carry the cross (cf. Jn 19:16-17) is devoutly contemplated by Christians in the first and second stations of the Way of the Cross. Pilate at last gives in to the Sanhedrin and condemns our Lord to the most ignominious form of punishment, death by crucifixion.
It was customary for people condemned to crucifixion to be made to carry the instrument of their own death. Our Lord fulfils in his own person the prophecies of Isaiah: "By oppression and judgment he was taken away; [. . .] he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked" (Is 53:8-9).
26. Christian piety contemplates this episode of the Passion in the fifth station of the Way of the Cross. The soldiers force Simon to help Jesus carry the cross, not because they feel pity for our Lord, but because they realize that he is getting weaker and weaker and they are afraid he may die before reaching Calvary. According to tradition, preserved in the third, seventh and ninth stations, Jesus fell three times under the weight of the cross; but he got up again and lovingly embraced it once more in obedience to his heavenly Father's will, seeing in the cross the altar on which he would give his life as a propitiatory Victim for the salvation of mankind.
However, our Lord chose to be helped by Simon of Cyrene in order to show us that we -- whom Simon represents -- have to become co-redeemers with him. "Love for God invites us to take up the cross and feel on our own shoulders the weight of humanity. It leads us to fulfill the clear and loving plans of the Father's will in all the circumstances of our work and life" (St J. Escrivá, "Christ Is Passing By", 97). God the Father, in his providence, gave his Son this small consolation in the midst of his terrible suffering -- just as he sent an angel to comfort him in his agony in Gethsemane (Lk 22:43).
Other aspects of this scene of the Gospel are commented on in notes on Mt 27: 32 and Mk 15:21.
27-31. The piety of these women shows that Jesus had friends as well as enemies. If we bear in mind that Jewish traditions, as recorded in the Talmud, forbade wailing for people condemned to death, we will appreciate the value of these women's gesture.
"Among the people watching our Lord as he passes by are a number of women who are unable to restrain their compassion and break into tears, perhaps recalling those glorious days spent with Jesus, when everyone exclaimed in amazement: "bene omnia fecit" (Mk 7:37), he has done all things well.
"But our Lord wishes to channel their weeping towards a more supernatural motive, and he invites them to weep for sins, which are the cause of the Passion and which will draw down the rigour of divine justice: 'Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. . . For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?' (Lk 23:28, 31).
"Your sins, my sins, the sins of all men, rise up. All the evil we have done and the good that we have neglected to do. The desolate panorama of the countless crimes and iniquities which we would have committed, if he, Jesus, had not strengthened us with the light of his most loving glance. How little a life is for making atonement!" (St. J. Escriva, "The Way of the Cross", VIII).
Christian devotion also includes in the Way of the Cross a pious tradition that a woman, called Veronica (Berenice), approached Jesus and wiped his face with a linen cloth -- a brave action on her part, in view of the hostility of the crowd (sixth station). And another station, the fourth, venerates Jesus' meeting with his blessed Mother on the way to Calvary, a sorrowful meeting which fulfils Simeon's prophecy to the Blessed Virgin (cf. Lk 2:35).
On the way to Calvary the only people who give Jesus consolation are women -- evidencing their bravery and religious sensitivity during this painful time in Jesus' life; whereas only one man – John -- is to be seen.
In spite of his awful suffering, Jesus is mindful of the terrible times which are approaching. His words in response to the women's lament are a prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem, which will come about within a few years.
The "green wood" refers to the just and innocent; the "dry wood", to the sinner, the guilty one. Jesus, the Son of God, is the only truly just and innocent man.
33. The crucifixion is contemplated in the eleventh station of the Way of the Cross. The soldiers nail Jesus' hands and feet to the beams. The purpose of this punishment is to bring on a slow death, involving maximum suffering: "Now they are crucifying our Lord, and with him two thieves, one on his right and one on his left. Meanwhile, Jesus says: 'Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do' (Lk 23:34).
"It is Love that has brought Jesus to Calvary. And once on the Cross, all his ges- tures and all his words are of love, a love both calm and strong. With a gesture befitting an Eternal Priest, without father or mother, without lineage (cf. Heb 7:3), he opens his arms to the whole human race.
"With the hammer blows with which Jesus is being nailed, there resound the prophetic words of Holy Scripture: 'They have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones, and they stare and gloat over me' (Ps 22:17-18). "'My people, what have I done to you? In what have I wearied you? Answer me!' (Mic 6:3).
"And we, our soul rent with sorrow, say to Jesus in all sincerity: I am yours and I give my whole self to you; gladly do I nail myself to your Cross, ready to be in the crossroads of this world a soul dedicated to you, to your glory, to the work of Re- demption, the co-redemption of the whole human race" (St J. Escrivá, "The Way of the Cross, XI).
"It is good for us to try to understand better the meaning of Christ's death. We must get beyond external appearances and clichés. [. . .] Let us, above all, come close to Jesus in his death and to his cross which stands out in silhouette above the summit of Golgotha. But we must approach him sincerely and with the interior recollection that is a sign of Christian maturity. The divine and human events of the Passion will then pierce our soul as words spoken to us by God to uncover the secrets of our heart and show us what he expects of our lives" (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 101).
Jesus' terrible suffering on the cross clearly shows the gravity of the sins of men, of my sin. This gravity is measured by the infinite greatness and honour of God, the offended one. God, who is infinitely merciful and at the same time infinitely just, exercised both these attributes: his infinite justice required an infinite reparation, of which mere man was incapable; his infinite mercy found the solution: the second person of the Trinity, taking on human nature, becoming truly man while not ceasing to be true God, suffered the punishment which was man's due. In this way, by being represented in Jesus' sacred humanity, men would be able to make sufficient atonement to God's justice. No words can express God's love for us as manifested on the cross. A living faith in the mystery of our redemption will lead us to respond with gratitude and love: "We believe that our Lord Jesus Christ redeemed us by the sacrifice on the Cross from original sin and from all those personal sins to which we confess, so that the truth of the apostle's words is vindicated that where sin increased, grace abounded all the more' (Paul VI, "Creed of the People of God", 17).
34. Jesus addresses the Father in a tone of supplication (cf. Heb 5:7). We can distinguish two parts in his prayer -- his simple request: "Father, forgive them," and the excuse he offers, "for they know not what they do." We can see him as one who practises what he preaches (cf. Acts 1:1) and as a model whom we should imitate. He had taught us that we have a duty to forgive offences (cf. Mt 6:12-15; 18:21-35), and even to love our enemies (cf. Mt 5:44-45; Rom 12:14, 20), because he had come into the world to offer himself as a victim "for the forgiveness of sins" (Mt 26:28; cf. Eph 1:7) and to enable us to obtain pardon.
The excuse which Jesus offers may at first take us by surprise: "for they know not what they do." His love, his perfect mercy and justice make maximum allowance for factors rendering our sins less heinous. It is quite clear that the people directly responsible were perfectly aware that they were condemning an innocent person to death, that they were guilty of homicide; but they did not realize, in these moments of passion, that they were also committing deicide. This is what St Peter means when he tells the Jews, encouraging them to repent, that they acted "in ignorance" (Acts 3:17), and St Paul adds that if they had understood the hidden wisdom of God "they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Cor 2:8). Jesus in his mercy excuses them on the grounds of ignorance.
In any sinful action there are always areas of darkness, passion, blindness, which without taking away a person's freedom and responsibility do enable him to carry out an evil action through being attracted by apparently good aspects which that action involves; and this does lessen the evil that we do.
Christ teaches us to forgive those who offend us and to look for excuses for them, thereby leaving open the door to the hope of their pardon and repentance; only God can be the ultimate judge of men. This heroic charity was practised by Christians from the very beginning. Thus, the first martyr, St Stephen, dies begging God to pardon his executioners (cf. Acts 7:60). "Force yourself, if necessary, always to forgive those who offend you, from the very first moment. For the greatest injury or offence that you can suffer from them is as nothing compared with what God has pardoned you" (St J. Escrivá, "The Way", 452).
35-37. The Roman governor's soldiers join the Jewish people and their leaders in mocking Jesus; thus, everyone -- Jews and Gentiles -- contributed to making Christ's passion even more bitter. But we should not forget that we too make a mockery of our Lord every time we fall into sin or fail to respond sufficiently to grace. This is why St Paul says that those who sin "crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold him up to contempt" (Heb 6:6).
39-43. The episode of the two thieves invites us to admire the designs of divine providence, of grace and human freedom. Both thieves are in the same position – in the presence of the Eternal High Priest as he offers himself in sacrifice for them and for all mankind. One of them hardens his heart, despairs and blasphemes, while the other repents, prays with confidence to Christ and is promised immediate salvation. "The Lord," St Ambrose comments, "always grants more than one asks: the thief only asked him to remember him, but the Lord says to him, 'Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.' Life consists in dwelling with Jesus Christ, and where Jesus Christ is there is his Kingdom" ("Expositio Evangelii sec. Lucam", in loc.). "It is one thing for man to judge someone he does not know; another, for God, who can see into a person's conscience. Among men, confession is followed by punishment; whereas confession to God is followed by salvation" (St John Chrysostom, "De Cruce et latrine").
While we make our way through life, we all sin, but we can all repent also. God is always waiting for us with his arms wide open, ready to forgive us. Therefore, no one should despair: everyone should try to have a strong hope in God's mercy. But no one may presume that he will be saved, for none of us can be absolutely certain of our final perseverance (cf. Council of Trent, "De Iustificatione", can. 16). This relative uncertainty is a spur God gives us to be ever vigilant; this vigilance in turn helps us progress in the work of our sanctification as Christians.
42. "Many times have I repeated that verse of the Eucharistic hymn: "Peto quod petivit latro poenitens", and it always fills me with emotion: to ask like the penitent thief did! He recognized that he himself deserved that awful punishment. . . . And with a word he stole Christ's heart and 'opened up for himself' the gates of heaven" (St J. Escrivá, "The Way of the Cross", XII, 4).
43. In responding to the good thief, Jesus reveals that he is God, for he has power over man's eternal destiny; and he also shows that he is infinitely merciful and does not reject the soul who sincerely repents. Similarly by these words Jesus reveals to us a basic truth of faith: "We believe in eternal life. We believe that the souls of all those who die in the grace of Christ -- whether they must still make expiation in the fire of purgatory, or whether from the moment they leave their bodies they are received by Jesus Christ into Paradise like the good thief – go to form that People of God which succeeds death, death which will be totally destroyed on the day of the Resurrection when these souls are reunited with their bodies" (Paul VI, "Creed of the People of God", 28).
45. The darkening of the sun is a sign of the magnitude and gravity of the Lord's death (cf. the note on Mk 15:33). The tearing of the curtain of the temple shows the end of the Old Covenant and the beginning of the New Covenant, sealed in the blood of Christ (cf. the note on Mk 15:38).
46. The Way of the Cross contemplates Jesus' death as the twelfth station. Christ's life is totally influenced by the fact that he is the only Son of the Father: "I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father" (Jn 16:28). All along, his only desire was to do the will of him who sent him (cf. Jn 4:34), who, as Christ himself says, "is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him" (Jn 8:29).
At this, the climax of his life on earth, when he is apparently left totally on his own, Christ makes an act of supreme confidence, throws himself into his Father's arms, and freely gives up his life. He was not forced to die nor did he die against his will; he died because he wanted to die. "It was the peculiar privilege of Christ the Lord to have died when he himself decreed to die, and to have died not so much by external violence as by internal assent. Not only his death, but also its time and place, were ordained by him. For thus Isaiah wrote: 'He was offered because it was his own will' (Is 53:7). The Lord, before his Passion, declared the same of himself, 'I lay down my life, that I may take it again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again' (Jn 10:17f)" (St Pius V, Catechism, 1, 6, 7).
"We know", says St Paul, "that our old self was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. The death he died he died to sin, once for all. . . . So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus" (Rom 6:6, 10f). Therefore, Vatican II explains, "This work of redeeming mankind [. . .] Christ the Lord achieved principally by the paschal mystery of his blessed Passion, Resurrection from the dead, and glorious Ascension, whereby 'dying, he destroyed our death, and rising, he restored our life.' For it was from the side of Christ as he slept the sleep of death upon the Cross that there came forth 'the wondrous sacrament of the whole Church'" ("Sacrosanctum Concilium", 5).
47. The three Synoptic Gospels all report the profound reaction of the centurion, the reaction of an upright man who, helped by grace, studies these events with an openness to the mystery of the supernatural. The parallel accounts in Matthew 27: 54 and Mark 15:39 show more clearly that the centurion recognized the divinity of Jesus Christ. See the note on Mk 15:39.
48. Jesus' redemptive death on the cross immediately begins to draw people towards God by way of repentance: as he made his way to Calvary there was the probable conversion of Simon of Cyrene and the lamentations of the women of Jerusalem; at the cross, the repentance of the good thief, the effect of grace on the Roman centurion, and the compunction felt by the crowd reported in this verse. Jesus had prophesied, "When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself" (Jn 12:32). This prophecy begins to come true on Golgotha, and it will continue to be fulfilled until the end of time.
"On the Cross hangs our Lord's -- now lifeless -- body. The people, 'when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts' (Lk 23:48).
"Now that you have repented, promise Jesus that, with his help, you will not crucify him again. Say it with faith. Repeat, over and over again: I will love you, my God, because ever since you were born, ever since you were a child, you abandoned yourself in my arms, defenceless, trusting in my loyalty" (St J. Escrivá, "The Way of the Cross", XII, 5).
49. We should note here the presence of a number of women, some of whose names have been recorded by St Matthew (27:56) and St Mark (15:40-41) – Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and Salome. The soldiers would not have allowed them to approach the cross while Jesus was alive; but the women would have waited, watching from a distance, and then come up close to it, and unashamedly stood there (cf. Jn 19:25), impelled by their deep love for Jesus Christ. "Woman is stronger than man, and more faithful, in the hour of trial: Mary of Magdala and Mary Cleophas and Salome! With a group of valiant women like these, closely united to our Lady of Sorrows, what work for souls could be done in the world!" (St J. Escrivá, "The Way", 982).
50-54. St John's Gospel tells us that "Nicodemus also, who had at first come to him by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds' weight" (Jn 19:39). "Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus visit Jesus secretly in ordinary times and in the time of triumph. But they are courageous in the face of authority, declaring their love for Christ audacter – boldly -- in the time of cowardice. Learn from them" ("The Way", 841).
"With them I too will go up to the foot of the Cross; I will press my arms tightly round the cold Body, the corpse of Christ, with the fire of my love. . .; I will unnail it, with my reparation and mortifications . . . ; I will wrap it in the new windingsheet of my clean life, and I will bury it in the living rock of my breast, where no one can tear it away from me, and there, Lord, take your rest!
"Were the whole world to abandon you and to scorn you . . . , serviam!, I will serve you, Lord" (St J. Escrivá, "The Way of the Cross", XIV, 1).
Joseph of Arimathea's and Nicodemus' love for our Lord leads them to ignore the Dangers -- the hatred of their colleagues in the Sanhedrin, possible reprisals from fanatics. They show the body of Jesus utmost reverence, doing everything required for its pious burial and thereby giving an example to every disciple of Christ who should be ready to risk honour, position and wealth for love for his Lord. In the thirteenth and fourteenth stations of the Cross Christian piety contemplates the descent from the cross, and the noble actions of these two men, whose respect God chose to reward by inscribing their names in the Gospel text (cf. the note on Mt 15:43--46).
55-56. These holy women -- who were familiar with the material poverty of our Lord when he was born in Bethlehem, and in the course of his public ministry and on the cross -- do not skimp in showing veneration for the body of the Lord. When the Christian people generously endow eucharistic worship they are simply showing that they have learned well the lesson taught by these first disciples.
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
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