Passion according to Matthew 27, 11 – 54
Jesus stood before the governor, Pontius Pilate, who questioned him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You say so.” And when he was accused by the chief priests and elders,
he made no answer. Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they are testifying against you?” But he did not answer him one word, so that the governor was greatly amazed. Now on the occasion of the feast the governor was accustomed to release to the crowd one prisoner whom they wished. And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.
So when they had assembled, Pilate said to them, “Which one do you want me to release to you,
Barabbas, or Jesus called Christ?” For he knew that it was out of envy that they had handed him over. While he was still seated on the bench, his wife sent him a message, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man. I suffered much in a dream today because of him.” The chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas but to destroy Jesus. The governor said to them in reply, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” They answered, “Barabbas!” Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” But he said, “Why? What evil has he done?” They only shouted the louder, “Let him be crucified!” When Pilate saw that he was not succeeding at all, but that a riot was breaking out instead, he took water and washed his hands in the sight of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. Look to it yourselves.” And the whole people said in reply, “His blood be upon us and upon our children.” Then he released Barabbas to them, but after he had Jesus scourged, he handed him over to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus inside the praetorium and gathered the whole cohort around him. They stripped off his clothes and threw a scarlet military cloak about him. Weaving a crown out of thorns, they placed it on his head, and a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They spat upon him and took the reed and kept striking him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the cloak, dressed him in his own clothes, and led him off to crucify him. As they were going out, they met a Cyrenian named Simon; this man they pressed into service to carry his cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha — which means Place of the Skull —, they gave Jesus wine to drink mixed with gall. But when he had tasted it, he refused to drink. After they had crucified him, they divided his garments by casting lots; then they sat down and kept watch over him there. And they placed over his head the written charge against him: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews. Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and the other on his left. Those passing by reviled him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, if you are the Son of God, and come down from the cross!”
Likewise the chief priests with the scribes and elders mocked him and said, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. So he is the king of Israel! Let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now if he wants him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” The revolutionaries who were crucified with him also kept abusing him in the same way. From noon onward, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Some of the bystanders who heard it said, “This one is calling for Elijah.” Immediately one of them ran to get a sponge; he soaked it in wine, and putting it on a reed, gave it to him to drink. But the rest said, ‘Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to save him.” But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, and gave up his spirit. (Pause for a moment) And behold, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked, rocks were split, tombs were opened,
and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And coming forth from their tombs after his resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many. The centurion and the men with him who were keeping watch over Jesus feared greatly when they saw the earthquake and all that was happening, and they said, “Truly, this was the Son of God!
Homily
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The passion account which we just red tells us that at the moment of Jesus’ death, “the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom,” no longer hiding God from the people. The people no longer had to guess about God. The ability to truly know God is now a reality. The crucifixion is thus the opening through which we come to know God and understand God’s actions and God’s heart. While it is true that visibly it is Jesus Christ who hung on the cross, God cannot be divided and the other two persons of the Trinity, the Father and the Spirit, must have been there as well. What is visible to our eyes is Jesus dying on the cross in apparent failure, alone, abandoned by his friends, mocked by his enemies yet without recriminations or blasphemies coming out of his mouth. He suffers and dies in trust and fidelity to the God whom he knows, loves and trusts deeply enough so that he can believe in love when he is experiencing hate and acknowledge the loving presence of the Father even when he is not experiencing it. The cry of Jesus, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” is not I believe a cry of recrimination against the Father but an acknowledgement of the Father’s presence even when he was not experiencing it.
On the other hand the Father who is present but not experienced also trusts that Jesus his Son will continue to be faithful to what, He, the Father asked of him from the very beginning and through this act of obedience in spite of the most horrible torture overturn the disobedience of the Adam and Eve and thus restore the possibility of that harmony which was the primordial gift of God and God’s ongoing desire for all humanity.
Also present is the Holy Spirit. Classical theology has always maintained that the Holy Spirit is the mutual love of Father and Son that is so perfect that this love is personified in the Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. On the Cross this self-giving love of Jesus for the Father and of the Father for this Son who trusts in spite of not experiencing the presence of the Father, continues to flow between them and continues to be the Bond of Love. Trinitarian love cannot remain locked up in itself and so this love of the Trinity on the Cross, symbolized in Blood (Eucharist) and Water (Baptism), spills over and flows out of the side of Jesus to bring about New Life. The Resurrection is thus not a show of power, not a taunt to the Jewish and Roman leaders who had executed Jesus but the entrance into New Life, a life without bitterness, of forgiveness, a life of gracefulness and graciousness which invites others to growth and to become part of the river of love which brings life wherever it flows. The Cross is thus the ultimate battle between God and Satan, a battle in which Love and fidelity triumph over selfishness and hate.
This is the battle which is played out every day in the world; in marriages, in religious life, among friends. When persons living New Life, under the inspiration of the Spirit love enough to trust even in times of darkness and pain; when persons in the face of hatred continue to love without becoming bitter, when persons accept the Cross thrusting that through their acceptance of it, New Life will come to them and others, then the Life of God which spilled over and flowed out of the side of Jesus has touched them. This was how the Saints lived. The example of Mons Romero and St. Maximilian Kolbe are a living witness to the transforming power of the Cross. May our lives be thus transformed.
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God, through the cross You revealed yourself as transforming Love. Be with us your disciples as we live celebrate the Triduum of Holy week. As we meditate on the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus help us to remember that You were there also with the Spirit sustaining your Son and transforming the suffering pain and death into New Life.
As we live our own Crosses, help us to invite you in so that our Crosses may be transformed into New Life. We ask this through the intercession of Mary who stood faithfully at the foot of the cross and Jesus your Son. Amen
