BELOVED | March 22, 2016

March 22, 2016

One of my favorite images of the word BELOVED is in today’s gospel from John at the Last Supper when Jesus says that one of his friends will betray him.  It says that the Disciples shared a worried glance and it must have been a very awkward pause. Can you imagine it, everyone is feeling a little relaxed from the wine and perhaps mid-bite of lamb chop, Jesus drops the bomb, “oh yeah, because of one of you, my Bro’s, I’m going to be executed….” Maybe some of them choked their food down, maybe some lost their appetite and went straight for more wine, and maybe one in particular had the shit scared out of him. After this confused skip in time, it says that Peter motions to John, “ask him who.”

I really want to see this scene in person because it seems funny in my mind. Peter and John, in my opinion, must have had this healthy (or not so healthy) rivalry as to which one of them is actually closest to Jesus. Most “group of  ‘Best Friends For Life’” (BFFLs) situations do have some sort of similar competition. People might say, we know there are three of you BFFLs, but which TWO of you are actual BFFLs? I see it all the time with the teenagers and I may or may not be in a three BFFLs scenario of my own, but I digress! The point is that the Disciples reflect real life and these little scenes help us see that.

Back to Peter…what exactly did he do to motion to John? Did they have some sort of secret Middle Eastern sign language or was their lip reading going on or did he whisper, “Pssst, John, find out what he means.” And what was John’s reaction? “Why do I always have to do it? You do it, Peter. You’re the one always putting your foot in your mouth.” I don’t know why, but it has always seemed like a comical situation in my imagination.   

Then my favorite part comes when it says that John actually leaned over and rested his head on Jesus’ chest and softly asked, “Who is it, Lord?” First of all, how precious and sweet this must have been, such an intimate gesture between two men and it shows me that there was a special tenderness between Christ and (depending on your translation) his BELOVED or between Christ and the one he loved. And, obviously even Peter recognized the extra closeness John and Jesus had with one another because he deferred to John to go get the inside scoop.

The second thing I noticed is that if John was close enough to rest his head on Jesus’ chest, then be must have been sitting at Jesus’ right hand, first chair, if you will! And on the other hand, the left side, last chair: Judas. Was Jesus telling the world, yes, John is my favorite, my BELOVED?

This scene floods my soul and it also makes the Passion of Christ way more heartbreaking when I think of poor John, the only one of the twelve, watching his BELOVED, his best friend, his brother, his person give his life away to brutal murderers, when hours before, they were BELOVEDLY intimate.

Jesus’ love goes beyond what the world tells us about love. We connect love or being in love to sexuality too much and inappropriately so. We can share intimately with our BELOVED(s) and still reflect Christ but like everything of this world, sin gets in the way and clouds our judgment. May we all get the chance to know what it is to be someone’s BELOVED and to simply BE LOVED intimately without temptation. What a wonderful world it would be if we were all able to rest our heads on the hearts of those we love?

A couple weeks ago I attended a talk by Fr. Gil Gentile on the Pope’s book for the Year of Mercy entitled, The Name Of God Is Mercy, and as I listened I wrote the following prose. Anne Barrack, one of my talented wonder teens put it to music. I wanted to share it with you during Holy Week because God’s name, Mercy, is made known through the face of his Son, Jesus, and in today’s gospel we see him calling us gently into his name…mercy.

The Name Of God Is Mercy

Lyrics by Jen Bedison and Music by Anne Barrack

LISTEN ON YOUTUBE

https://youtu.be/nu2SD-UcmBQ

The name of God is Mercy

Breathing sweetly when sin consumes me

Holding me tenderly when I can’t see

Calling me gently into His name… Mercy

As I discover you

I discover your heart

Beating with mine, deep in the dark

Mercy’s Delight

Overcoming the part of me that hurts

The part of me that hurts

My restless heart burns

For your belovedness

And I surrender to you and to your tenderness

Mercy’s Delight

Overcoming the part of me that hurts

The part of me that hurts

The name of God is Mercy

Breathing sweetly when sin consumes me

Holding me tenderly when I can’t see

Calling me gently into His name… Mercy

Be the center of my life

Exhausted in love with you

For your mercy is too good to be true

That it has to be true

It has to be you because…The name of God is Mercy

Reading 1 IS 49:1-6

Hear me, O islands,
listen, O distant peoples.
The LORD called me from birth,
from my mother’s womb he gave me my name.
He made of me a sharp-edged sword
and concealed me in the shadow of his arm.
He made me a polished arrow,
in his quiver he hid me.
You are my servant, he said to me,
Israel, through whom I show my glory.

Though I thought I had toiled in vain,
and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength,
Yet my reward is with the LORD,
my recompense is with my God.
For now the LORD has spoken
who formed me as his servant from the womb,
That Jacob may be brought back to him
and Israel gathered to him;
And I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD,
and my God is now my strength!
It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant,
to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and restore the survivors of Israel;
I will make you a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.

Responsorial Psalm PS 71:1-2, 3-4A, 5AB-6AB, 15 AND 17

R. (see 15ab) I will sing of your salvation.
In you, O LORD, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me, and deliver me;
incline your ear to me, and save me.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
For you are my hope, O Lord;
my trust, O God, from my youth.
On you I depend from birth;
from my mother’s womb you are my strength.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
My mouth shall declare your justice,
day by day your salvation.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
R. I will sing of your salvation.

Verse Before The Gospel

Hail to you, our King, obedient to the Father;
you were led to your crucifixion like a gentle lamb to the slaughter.

Gospel JN 13:21-33, 36-38

Reclining at table with his disciples, Jesus was deeply troubled and testified,
“Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”
The disciples looked at one another, at a loss as to whom he meant.
One of his disciples, the one whom Jesus loved,
was reclining at Jesus’ side.
So Simon Peter nodded to him to find out whom he meant.
He leaned back against Jesus’ chest and said to him,
“Master, who is it?”
Jesus answered,
“It is the one to whom I hand the morsel after I have dipped it.”
So he dipped the morsel and took it and handed it to Judas,
son of Simon the Iscariot.
After Judas took the morsel, Satan entered him.
So Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”
Now none of those reclining at table realized why he said this to him.
Some thought that since Judas kept the money bag, Jesus had told him,
“Buy what we need for the feast,”
or to give something to the poor.
So Judas took the morsel and left at once. And it was night.

When he had left, Jesus said,
“Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.
If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself,
and he will glorify him at once.
My children, I will be with you only a little while longer.
You will look for me, and as I told the Jews,
‘Where I go you cannot come,’ so now I say it to you.”

Simon Peter said to him, “Master, where are you going?”
Jesus answered him,
“Where I am going, you cannot follow me now,
though you will follow later.”
Peter said to him,
“Master, why can I not follow you now? 
I will lay down my life for you.”
Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me?
Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will not crow
before you deny me three times.”

Best Friends For Eternal Life (BFFELs) | March 21, 2016

March 21, 2016

Today’s gospel might be one of my favorites of all time. It’s obvious that Jesus had a special relationship with Martha, Mary, and Lazarus and we know that he visited them in Bethany regularly. I love getting to know personal Jesus and meeting his friends and family gives me a glimpse into that part of him. I grew up with lots of extended family in my life. You didn’t have to be blood related to be called Auntie, Uncle, or Cousin. My parent’s house was a gathering place for family parties and special celebrations and all of our surrogate families were welcome no matter what. The bonds with these family friends are deep and wide and special. We support each other in times of need; we go to each other’s family funerals, weddings, and reunions. We turn to one another in crisis and of course we never pass an opportunity to tell embarrassing stories from the past. This is how I imagine Jesus with Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. They knew Jesus even on a different level from his apostles because they had history, and they probably grew up together. I bet Lazarus and Jesus have some good shenanigan stories and perhaps Jesus and Mary even had crushes on each another at some point.

At any rate, today’s gospel scene is not the first time we have seen Mary at the feet of her beloved, nor is it the first time that her beloved defends her for being at his feet. This sentiment alone shows me just how affectionate Mary and Jesus were toward one another and it makes me smile because it was intimate but pure, tender without lust, platonic and yet set apart, special and sacred, and I’m sure they were misunderstood. Men and women were not even supposed to associate outside of marriage, let alone be actual friends, and then close enough to touch (especially the feet!). Each one of these things was scandalous in their culture and yet we have two separate instances of it in scripture. It gives me hope that Jesus wants us to look beyond the world’s definition of things and see the essence of our soul as something to be united and cared for by one another, which does require a certain intimacy, but the kind of intimacy that stokes the flames of our heart and not the flames of passion. Someday, in an ideal world, this might just be so…

Today all the characters are in their proper place with Martha serving the meal, Lazarus reclining at table with his buddy, and Mary tending to Jesus’ personal needs. Raise your hand if you have ever saved something to be used for a special occasion, without knowing what that occasion might be, but you would just know when; a special outfit, a bottle of wine, expensive perfume, jewelry, etc. Mary just knew somehow that the time was now to give what she had saved to Jesus and to give it intimately so that he would know the blessedness of it. She poured the special fragrance lavishly, like he pours his love and grace lavishly, and she used her hair to rub it in and wipe away the excess. I wonder how long that fragrance lingered in her hair, the fragrance of the Christ. I’m sure if you just picture the scene in your mind, you can imagine how sensual this must have seemed from the spectators’ points of view, but Jesus and Mary knew what was happening and these soul friends were uniting themselves for probably the last time, therefore the need for the deep expression of love, honor, gratitude, friendship, and goodbye. Depth in relationships is hard to grasp sometimes because these kinds of friendships are so rare and we are used to more surface level acquaintances. Every now and then you may find a connection with someone that goes way deeper than the surface and it might be confusing to those looking in. I’m sure Jesus and Mary were such a pair and that is why this scene became so scandalous. Her act of deep love and foreshadowing of his death was turned into a waste of expensive perfume and a platform for rumors about their inappropriate relationship. I love that Jesus defended her so sternly as he did when she was scolded for sitting at his feet before.

Jesus defends us when we are serving him as well. He knows our heart and he knows when we are trying to honor him with whatever gifts we have even if that means letting our hair down to be used in place of a towel. Don’t let naysayers like Judas get you down when you are showing love to Christ. There will always be someone that wants to whiz in your Wheaties, to bring you down, to make you feel less than, but persevere and keep your eyes fixed on the one you serve. Perhaps it was Mary’s action that inspired Jesus’ final teaching moment with his apostles when he too would bend down and wash their feet, including Judas. Mary and Jesus had a special connection and their intimacy gives us a sneak peak into eternity where we all will be in love; best friends for eternal life. Have a blessed day.

Reading 1 IS 42:1-7

Here is my servant whom I uphold,
my chosen one with whom I am pleased,
Upon whom I have put my Spirit;
he shall bring forth justice to the nations,
Not crying out, not shouting,
not making his voice heard in the street.
A bruised reed he shall not break,
and a smoldering wick he shall not quench,
Until he establishes justice on the earth;
the coastlands will wait for his teaching.

Thus says God, the LORD,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spreads out the earth with its crops,
Who gives breath to its people
and spirit to those who walk on it:
I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice,
I have grasped you by the hand;
I formed you, and set you
as a covenant of the people,
a light for the nations,
To open the eyes of the blind,
to bring out prisoners from confinement,
and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.

Responsorial Psalm PS 27:1, 2, 3, 13-14

R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
When evildoers come at me
to devour my flesh,
My foes and my enemies
themselves stumble and fall.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Though an army encamp against me,
my heart will not fear;
Though war be waged upon me,
even then will I trust. 
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Verse Before The Gospel 

Hail to you, our King;
you alone are compassionate with our faults.

Gospel JN 12:1-11

Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany,
where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served,
while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him. 
Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil
made from genuine aromatic nard
and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair;
the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. 
Then Judas the Iscariot, one of his disciples,
and the one who would betray him, said,
“Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages
and given to the poor?”
He said this not because he cared about the poor
but because he was a thief and held the money bag
and used to steal the contributions.
So Jesus said, “Leave her alone.
Let her keep this for the day of my burial.
You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

The large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came,
not only because of him, but also to see Lazarus,
whom he had raised from the dead.
And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too,
because many of the Jews were turning away
and believing in Jesus because of him.

How He Loves Us | March 20, 2016

March 20, 2016

Today I’d like to reflect on how life can go from triumphal entry to suffering at any given moment. Life is fragile, unpredictable, and wild sometimes. Palm Sunday begins with a joyful procession where Jesus has rock star status, a St. Patrick’s Day parade scene, ticker tape falling from the sky, his song playing loudly over the speakers in the street, the crowd is taking selfies with his donkey and Jesus in the background, middle school girls cry at the sight of him, beer bellied dudes high five each other when he passes, ladies swoon, boys want to collect his baseball card, he kisses babies like a friendly pope does, he waves humbly at everyone he gets eye contact with, his apostles get caught up as well and begin waving at people, vendors are selling tchotchkes with his face on it, and the Messiah is ushered into the holy city, Jerusalem, in style and as he deserves…like a king! Raise your hand if you have ever had a rock star kind of day.

Fast forward a few days to the scene of today’s gospel where Jesus announces that one of his best friends has betrayed him and the result of that betrayal is death. Jesus has one last meal and teaching moment with his friends and mom before he would face the complete opposite kind of procession described above; from rock star to criminal, ticker tape to lashes, his song becomes wailing, selfies become spitting, girls are still crying but from horror not delight, moms shield their babies from the sight, the trinket shops are all closed, and the apostles are nowhere to be found. Raise your hand if your life has ever changed drastically in an instant.

As we enter into Holy Week, may we enter it triumphantly knowing that Jesus emptied himself to become one with us in our celebrations AND equally in our sorrow. We will partake in both frequently and the God of the universe will lovingly and willingly be with us in both. If we, like Jesus, know that resurrection will always overcome death, and good will always win in the end, then we can enjoy our victories and endure our failures with true grace. This is such a rich time in our faith, so let’s meditate on the beautiful gift that Jesus has given to us because he loves us, oh, how he loves us so…

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion
Lectionary: 37 and 38

–

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!”

At The Mass – Reading 1 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 2 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.

Verse Before The Gospel PHIL 2:8-9

Christ became obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name which is above every name.

Gospel LK 22:14—23:56

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.