Gospel: John 18:1—19:42*
(…) Bearing his cross, Jesus went out of the city to what is called the Place of the Skull, in Hebrew, Golgotha. There he was crucified, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus in the middle.Pilate had a notice written and fastened to the cross, which read: Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews. (…) The chief priests said to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews’; but, ‘This man claimed to be King of the Jews.’” Pilate answered them, “What I have written, I have written.” When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one part for each of them. But as the tunic was woven in one piece from top to bottom, they said, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots to decide who will get it.” This fulfilled

the words of Scripture: They divided my clothing among them; they cast lots for my garment. This was what the soldiers did.Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister Mary, who was the wife of Cleophas, and Mary of whom he loved, he said to the mother, “Woman, this is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “This is your mother.” And from that moment the disciple took her to his own home.Jesus knew all was now finished and, in order to fulfill what was written in Scripture, he said, “I am thirsty.“ A jar full of bitter wine stood there; so, putting a sponge soaked in the wine on a twig of hyssop, they raised it to his lips. Jesus took the wine and said, “It is accomplished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up the spirit. (…)

Reflections

“Who are you looking for?”We celebrate today the Lord’s Passion. There is no holy mass. The Christian world is asked to be more quiet this day to reflect on the passion and death of our Lord. The passion comes from the Greek verb, pascho, which means, “I suffer.” All the gospels have their own accounts on the passion and death of Jesus Christ. Scholars even tell us the gospels are written beginning with the long passion narratives and then appended to them are the other stories about Jesus and his sayings.Today, have time to reflect on your own sufferings, your own rejections, and physical fatigue.You can also reflect on the plight of others, who might be suffering more. They are in other countries or just around the corner. They are persecuted because their beliefs and culture. They are driven away from their homes because others are taking over their properties. As of now, no one can stop greedy families and corporations from amassing the earth’s wealth.Jesus is still suffering through his members. His bloody face is seen in war torn areas. He is still seen in the worried faces of mothers uncertain of the future of their children.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2019