April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
WORD OF FAITH
Three things to consider
Three things to consider
'The high priest asked Him, "Are you the Messiah?"...Jesus said, "I am; and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power"...' -- Mk 14:61-62
On the last Sunday of Lent, we celebrate Palm Sunday. Jesus' sufferings were foretold in the songs and stories of the Old Testament, particularly in the songs of the suffering servant in the book of the prophet Isaiah.
Sunday's first reading (Is 50:4-7) gives voice to Jesus' trust and confidence in God, even in the midst of such torment. Even today, He sustains us with His word, and His sufferings continue to wash away the sins of the world.
That is why, with St. Paul, we confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. He is the beginning and the end, the center of all human history and forever exalted (Phil 2:6-11).
The reading of the entire Passion narrative (Mk 14:1-15:47) takes us up to the death and burial of Jesus. We see the detail and care that Mark gives to this story because it is the center of the Christian message, the heart of the Gospel of Jesus. There is much to meditate upon and pray over, but three things are foremost:
• The first is the institution of the Eucharist. Jesus gave His Apostles, including Judas, His body, blood, soul, and divinity as a perpetual memorial to His sacrificial death. Every time we celebrate the Eucharist, also called the holy sacrifice of the Mass, Jesus' death for us is made present in an unbloody manner. We truly receive His body, and we receive the grace we need to persevere and grow in the Christian life. Every time the Eucharist is celebrated, the whole Church is lifted up in prayer, and grace goes out to all the world.
• The second is Peter's denial of Christ. As Jesus is being interrogated in the council room, Peter is right outside in the courtyard. As Jesus bears witness to His own divinity and receives the sentence of death, Peter is confronted about his association with Jesus. As Peter becomes more afraid and even curses himself in denying Christ, he moves farther away from the warmth of the fire and from the room where Jesus is.
This physical distance mimics the interior distance that Peter is creating through his denial. Let us be attentive to the distances we put between Christ and ourselves, especially this holy week. There is no one who wants to be closer to us than Jesus, and His nearness is our comfort and strength. His name means "salvation" and that is what He brings to us. Let Him draw close to you; do not walk away from Him.
• The third is Our Lady. Mark does not mention her at the foot of the cross of Jesus, but we know she is there. She endures the agony of the death of Jesus like no one else. We are told that as Jesus hung there, dying, those who passed by derided Him, shaking their heads and saying, "Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!"
The chief priests also mocked him to one another with the scribes, saying, "He saved others; He cannot save Himself. Let the Christ, the king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Those who were crucified with Him also reviled Him (Mk 15:29-32).
Let us not forget that Mary overheard all these taunts and jeers. She not only watched her Son die for these men, she listened to them mock Him and revile Him as he did so. What a torment this must have been for her!
Therefore, as you listen to the Passion, think also of Mary, and stay with her. Comfort her by refusing to mock her Son as the others do. Pray with her as she prays for all of us at the foot of the cross. She will hold the faith of the whole world on that first Holy Saturday.[[In-content Ad]]
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