CHRIST OPENS THE DOOR OF DEATH

20160325 CHRIST OPENS THE DOOR OF DEATH

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Red.

There is no Mass today. The readings given here are used in the afternoon celebration of the Lord's Passion.

First reading

Isaiah 52:13-53:12 ©

See, my servant will prosper,

he shall be lifted up, exalted, rise to great heights.

As the crowds were appalled on seeing him

– so disfigured did he look

that he seemed no longer human –

so will the crowds be astonished at him,

and kings stand speechless before him;

for they shall see something never told

and witness something never heard before:

‘Who could believe what we have heard,

and to whom has the power of the Lord been revealed?’

Like a sapling he grew up in front of us,

like a root in arid ground.

Without beauty, without majesty we saw him,

no looks to attract our eyes;

a thing despised and rejected by men,

a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering,

a man to make people screen their faces;

he was despised and we took no account of him.

And yet ours were the sufferings he bore,

ours the sorrows he carried.

But we, we thought of him as someone punished,

struck by God, and brought low.

Yet he was pierced through for our faults,

crushed for our sins.

On him lies a punishment that brings us peace,

and through his wounds we are healed.

We had all gone astray like sheep,

each taking his own way,

and the Lord burdened him

with the sins of all of us.

Harshly dealt with, he bore it humbly,

he never opened his mouth,

like a lamb that is led to the slaughter-house,

like a sheep that is dumb before its shearers

never opening its mouth.

By force and by law he was taken;

would anyone plead his cause?

Yes, he was torn away from the land of the living;

for our faults struck down in death.

They gave him a grave with the wicked,

a tomb with the rich,

though he had done no wrong

and there had been no perjury in his mouth.

The Lord has been pleased to crush him with suffering.

If he offers his life in atonement,

he shall see his heirs, he shall have a long life

and through him what the Lord wishes will be done.

His soul’s anguish over

he shall see the light and be content.

By his sufferings shall my servant justify many,

taking their faults on himself.

Hence I will grant whole hordes for his tribute,

he shall divide the spoil with the mighty,

for surrendering himself to death

and letting himself be taken for a sinner,

while he was bearing the faults of many

and praying all the time for sinners.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 30:2,6,12-13,15-17,25 ©

Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

In you, O Lord, I take refuge.

  Let me never be put to shame.

In your justice, set me free,

Into your hands I commend my spirit.

  It is you who will redeem me, Lord.

Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

In the face of all my foes

  I am a reproach,

an object of scorn to my neighbours

  and of fear to my friends.

Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

Those who see me in the street

  run far away from me.

I am like a dead man, forgotten in men’s hearts,

  like a thing thrown away.

Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

But as for me, I trust in you, Lord;

  I say: ‘You are my God.

My life is in your hands, deliver me

  from the hands of those who hate me.

Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

Let your face shine on your servant.

  Save me in your love.’

Be strong, let your heart take courage,

  all who hope in the Lord.

Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

Second reading

Hebrews 4:14-16,5:7-9 ©

Since in Jesus, the Son of God, we have the supreme high priest who has gone through to the highest heaven, we must never let go of the faith that we have professed. For it is not as if we had a high priest who was incapable of feeling our weaknesses with us; but we have one who has been tempted in every way that we are, though he is without sin. Let us be confident, then, in approaching the throne of grace, that we shall have mercy from him and find grace when we are in need of help.

  During his life on earth, he offered up prayer and entreaty, aloud and in silent tears, to the one who had the power to save him out of death, and he submitted so humbly that his prayer was heard. Although he was Son, he learnt to obey through suffering; but having been made perfect, he became for all who obey him the source of eternal salvation.

Gospel Acclamation

Phil2:8-9

Glory and praise to you, O Christ!

Christ 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 names.

Glory and praise to you, O Christ!

Gospel

John 18:1-19:42 ©

Key: N. Narrator. ✠ Jesus. O. Other single speaker. C. Crowd, or more than one speaker.

  N. Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kedron valley. There was a garden there, and he went into it with his disciples. Judas the traitor knew the place well, since Jesus had often met his disciples there, and he brought the cohort to this place together with a detachment of guards sent by the chief priests and the Pharisees, all with lanterns and torches and weapons. Knowing everything that was going to happen to him, Jesus then came forward and said,

  ✠ Who are you looking for?

  N. They answered,

  C. Jesus the Nazarene.

  N. He said,

  ✠ I am he.

  N. Now Judas the traitor was standing among them. When Jesus said, ‘I am he’, they moved back and fell to the ground. He asked them a second time,

  ✠ Who are you looking for?

  N. They said,

  C. Jesus the Nazarene.

  N. Jesus replied,

  ✠ I have told you that I am he. If I am the one you are looking for, let these others go.

  N. This was to fulfil the words he had spoken, ‘Not one of those you gave me have I lost.’

  Simon Peter, who carried a sword, drew it and wounded the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter,

  ✠ Put your sword back in its scabbard; am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?

  N. The cohort and its captain and the Jewish guards seized Jesus and bound him. They took him first to Annas, because Annas was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. It was Caiaphas who had suggested to the Jews, ‘It is better for one man to die for the people.’

  Simon Peter, with another disciple, followed Jesus. This disciple, who was known to the high priest, went with Jesus into the high priest’s palace, but Peter stayed outside the door. So the other disciple, the one known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who was keeping the door and brought Peter in. The maid on duty at the door said to Peter,

  O. Aren’t you another of that man’s disciples?

  N. He answered,

  O. I am not.

  N. Now it was cold, and the servants and guards had lit a charcoal fire and were standing there warming themselves; so Peter stood there too, warming himself with the others.

  The high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. Jesus answered,

  ✠ I have spoken openly for all the world to hear; I have always taught in the synagogue and in the Temple where all the Jews meet together: I have said nothing in secret. But why ask me? Ask my hearers what I taught: they know what I said.

  N. At these words, one of the guards standing by gave Jesus a slap in the face, saying,

  O. Is that the way to answer the high priest?

  N. Jesus replied,

  ✠ If there is something wrong in what I said, point it out; but if there is no offence in it, why do you strike me?

  N. Then Annas sent him, still bound, to Caiaphas the high priest.

  As Simon Peter stood there warming himself, someone said to him,

  O. Aren’t you another of his disciples?

  N. He denied it, saying,

  O. I am not.

  N. One of the high priest’s servants, a relation of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said,

  O. Didn’t I see you in the garden with him?

  N. Again Peter denied it; and at once a cock crew.

  They then led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the Praetorium. It was now morning. They did not go into the Praetorium themselves or they would be defiled and unable to eat the passover. So Pilate came outside to them and said,

  O. What charge do you bring against this man?

  N. They replied,

  C. If he were not a criminal, we should not be handing him over to you.

  N. Pilate said,

  O. Take him yourselves, and try him by your own Law.

  N. The Jews answered,

  C. We are not allowed to put a man to death.

  N. This was to fulfil the words Jesus had spoken indicating the way he was going to die.

  So Pilate went back into the Praetorium and called Jesus to him, and asked,

  O. Are you the king of the Jews?

  N. Jesus replied,

  ✠ Do you ask this of your own accord, or have others spoken to you about me?

  N. Pilate answered,

  O. Am I a Jew? It is your own people and the chief priests who have handed you over to me: what have you done?

  N. Jesus replied,

  ✠ Mine is not a kingdom of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my men would have fought to prevent my being surrendered to the Jews. But my kingdom is not of this kind.

  N. Pilate said,

  O. So you are a king, then?

  N. Jesus answered,

  ✠ It is you who say it. Yes, I am a king. I was born for this, I came into the world for this: to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.

  N. Pilate said,

  O. Truth? What is that?

  N. and with that he went out again to the Jews and said,

  O. I find no case against him. But according to a custom of yours I should release one prisoner at the Passover; would you like me, then, to release the king of the Jews?

  N. At this they shouted:

  C. Not this man, but Barabbas.

  N. Barabbas was a brigand.

  Pilate then had Jesus taken away and scourged; and after this, the soldiers twisted some thorns into a crown and put it on his head, and dressed him in a purple robe. They kept coming up to him and saying,

  C. Hail, king of the Jews!

  N. and they slapped him in the face.

  Pilate came outside again and said to them,

  O. Look, I am going to bring him out to you to let you see that I find no case.

  N. Jesus then came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said,

  O. Here is the man.

  N. When they saw him the chief priests and the guards shouted,

  C. Crucify him! Crucify him!

  N. Pilate said,

  O. Take him yourselves and crucify him: I can find no case against him.

  N. The Jews replied,

  C. We have a Law, and according to that Law he ought to die, because he has claimed to be the Son of God.

  N. When Pilate heard them say this his fears increased. Re-entering the Praetorium, he said to Jesus

  O. Where do you come from?

  N. But Jesus made no answer. Pilate then said to him,

  O. Are you refusing to speak to me? Surely you know I have power to release you and I have power to crucify you?

  N. Jesus replied,

  ✠ You would have no power over me if it had not been given you from above; that is why the one who handed me over to you has the greater guilt.

  N. From that moment Pilate was anxious to set him free, but the Jews shouted,

  C. If you set him free you are no friend of Caesar’s; anyone who makes himself king is defying Caesar.

  N. Hearing these words, Pilate had Jesus brought out, and seated himself on the chair of judgement at a place called the Pavement, in Hebrew Gabbatha. It was Passover Preparation Day, about the sixth hour. Pilate said to the Jews,

  O. Here is your king

  N. They said,

  C. Take him away, take him away! Crucify him!

  N. Pilate said,

  O. Do you want me to crucify your king?

  N. The chief priests answered,

  C. We have no king except Caesar.

  N. So in the end Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

  They then took charge of Jesus, and carrying his own cross he went out of the city to the place of the skull or, as it was called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified him with two others, one on either side with Jesus in the middle. Pilate wrote out a notice and had it fixed to the cross; it ran: ‘Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews.’ This notice was read by many of the Jews, because the place where Jesus was crucified was not far from the city, and the writing was in Hebrew, Latin and Greek. So the Jewish chief priests said to Pilate,

  C. You should not write ‘King of the Jews,’ but ‘This man said: “I am King of the Jews.”’

  N. Pilate answered

  O. What I have written, I have written.

  N. When the soldiers had finished crucifying Jesus they took his clothing and divided it into four shares, one for each soldier. His undergarment was seamless, woven in one piece from neck to hem; so they said to one another,

  C. Instead of tearing it, let’s throw dice to decide who is to have it.

  N. In this way the words of scripture were fulfilled:

  They shared out my clothing among them.

  They cast lots for my clothes.

This is exactly what the soldiers did.

  Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. Seeing his mother and the disciple he loved standing near her, Jesus said to his mother,

  ✠ Woman, this is your son.

  N. Then to the disciple he said,

  ✠ This is your mother.

  N. And from that moment the disciple made a place for her in his home.

  After this, Jesus knew that everything had now been completed, and to fulfil the scripture perfectly he said:

  ✠ I am thirsty.

  N. A jar full of vinegar stood there, so putting a sponge soaked in the vinegar on a hyssop stick they held it up to his mouth. After Jesus had taken the vinegar he said,

  ✠ It is accomplished;

  N. and bowing his head he gave up his spirit.

  Here all kneel and pause for a short time.

  It was Preparation Day, and to prevent the bodies remaining on the cross during the sabbath – since that sabbath was a day of special solemnity – the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken away. Consequently the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with him and then of the other. When they came to Jesus, they found he was already dead, and so instead of breaking his legs one of the soldiers pierced his side with a lance; and immediately there came out blood and water. This is the evidence of one who saw it – trustworthy evidence, and he knows he speaks the truth – and he gives it so that you may believe as well. Because all this happened to fulfil the words of scripture:

  Not one bone of his will be broken;

and again, in another place scripture says:

  They will look on the one whom they have pierced.

After this, Joseph of Arimathaea, who was a disciple of Jesus – though a secret one because he was afraid of the Jews – asked Pilate to let him remove the body of Jesus. Pilate gave permission, so they came and took it away. Nicodemus came as well – the same one who had first come to Jesus at night-time – and he brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, following the Jewish burial custom. At the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in this garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been buried. Since it was the Jewish Day of Preparation and the tomb was near at hand, they laid Jesus there.

CHRIST OPENS THE DOOR OF DEATH

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ ISA 52:13-53:12; HEB 4:14-16; 5:7-9; JOHN 18:1-19:42 ]

In the eyes of the world, death is seen as the end of everything.   St Paul wrote, “The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” (1 Cor 15:26)  This explains why we all fear death because it means the end of all that we have worked for and built.  It means final separation and even annihilation. We cannot even carry a pin into the next world.  Death is certainly a frightening experience, crossing an abyss of no return.  Accordingly, man seeks to prolong life, regardless how miserable and painful it is, because once the bridge is crossed, it means it is all over and everything is reduced to nothing.  

But it is not only physical death that we are afraid of.   No less painful is emotional suffering that causes us to harden our hearts.  Some of us have gone through much suffering in life, especially due to injustices.  Some of us have suffered because of the abuses of our parents and those in authority.  Others have been betrayed by colleagues, friends and people they respect highly.  When we have been cheated and betrayed, we lose confidence in people.  As a result, we dare not trust anymore and we give up hope on relationships of every kind.  We withdraw into our shell, and that makes our life lonely, meaningless and miserable.  Some of us even fall into deep depression and attempt suicide to overcome our emotional pain.  When we come to a stage where we cannot feel anymore, we become numb.

But there is also another kind of death, which we call “spiritual death.”  It is the most deadly of all deaths.  Jesus said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Mt 10:28)  This is the consequence of being numb to sin, when we can no longer distinguish the truth from falsehood.  Those who suffer spiritual death live in sin when their minds are darkened and their hearts coarsened by the world.  Initially they feel guilty, but soon they become indifferent to what is right or wrong.  Indifference will lead to hostility against God and the Church, as we see in the attacks by Catholics and non-Catholics on the gospel values we subscribe to.  Those who live in mortal sins will end up not just as atheists but enemies of the Church and the gospel.  They become instruments of the Evil One in promoting the culture of death instead of the culture of life, the culture of relativism and falsehood, rather than the culture of true love.

Who then can free us from death in its entire dimension, emotional, physical and spiritual?   Only Christ can set us free from eternal death.  Only Christ can open the door of death that Satan shut.  The letter to the Hebrews says, “During his life on earth, he offered up prayer and entreaty, aloud and in silent tears, to the one who had the power to save him out of death, and he submitted so humbly that his prayer was heard.”   Jesus could open the door of death only because He has won victory over the power of death.  Instead of closing the door of death, He opened the door of death to life.  When He said, “It is accomplished”, He meant His mission was completed, which is victory over death.

Indeed, to overcome death we must not fear death.  This is the path Jesus has shown us.  When the soldiers came to arrest Him, Jesus without hesitation, declared, “I am He.”  Then when Simon Peter drew his sword and wounded the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear, Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back in its scabbard; am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?”   Jesus was not afraid of death or the authorities.

Why was He not afraid of death?  This was because He was clear of His identity and mission.  Only when we are clear of who we are and what we are called to do in life, can we be confident about our destiny and life.  Thus when confronted by Pilate, Jesus told him in no uncertain terms that “You would have no power over me if it had not been given you from above; that is why the one who handed me over to you has the greatest guilt.’”  Again, He told Pilate, “Mine is not a kingdom of this world: If my kingdom were of this world, my men would have fought to prevent me being surrendered to the Jews. But my kingdom is not of this kind.”

What is His mission?   Jesus said, “Yes, I am a King, I was born for this, I came into the world for this; to bear witness to my truth, and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.”  Jesus was clear about His mission.  He had come to lead us to the fullness of the truth so that we can be justified and be reconciled with the Father.  This is what Isaiah said about the suffering servant.  “His soul’s anguish over, he shall see the light and be content. By his sufferings shall my servant justify many, taking their faults on himself.”  He wants to heal us and liberate us from our sins.  “On him lies a punishment that brings us peace, and through him his wounds we are healed. We had all gone astray like sheep, each taking his own way, and the Lord burdened him with the sins of all of us.”

How does He do it? Through redemptive suffering! This redemptive suffering is carried out through carrying our sins in His body and suffering the consequences of our sins.  Indeed, the Lord carries our sins and is identified with us in our suffering.  Like the Suffering Servant, Jesus suffers for us and with us even though He was without sin.  “And yet ours were the sufferings he bore, ours the sorrows he carried. But we, we thought of him as someone punished, struck by God, and brought low. Yet he was pierced through for our faults, crushed for our sins.”

By so doing, Christ reveals to us the power of love and manifests the Father’s unconditional love and mercy.  He shows us that forgiveness is the only way to heal the wounds and pains of this world.   Forgiveness is the only way to peace and reconciliation.   Love is more powerful than hatred and death.

Where did His strength come from?  It comes from confidence in His Father’s love.  Jesus could suffer for us because His Father suffers for us when He sees His children hurting themselves.  Not only did Jesus feel with His Father, He felt with us as well in our misery, sinfulness and pain.  Jesus knew what it was to be human and to suffer temptations and the consequences of sin.  That is why the author says, “Let us be confident, then, in approaching the throne of grace, that we shall have mercy from him and find grace when we are in need of help.”

Secondly, He knew that His Father who is Almighty was in control of the situation.  Jesus reminded Pilate where his authority came from.  “You would have no power over me if it had not been given you from above; that is why the one who handed me over to you has the greatest guilt.’”  Jesus was fully confident that His Father was in charge, regardless of the situation He was in.  We must never give up hope and lose faith in His divine justice.   Rather, we are called to trust in God in all circumstances.

How can we do likewise and follow the path of our Lord to overcome death and open the door of death?   On Good Friday, we are called precisely to contemplate on His passion and be moved by His love and sacrifices for us.  This is what Isaiah is saying to us, “As the crowds were appalled on seeing him so disfigured did he look that he seemed no longer human – so will the crowds be astonished at him, and kings stand speechless before him; for they shall see something never told and witness something never heard before.” Contemplating on His death, we too will be inspired to use our sufferings, whether innocent suffering or that which comes from humanity and our sinfulness, for our conversion and the conversion of souls.   We must never suffer in vain.  All suffering must be seen as ways in which we are purified in love. When we suffer innocently, we grow in the capacity to love selflessly.  One day when they come to realize that we have suffered in their place, made sacrifices for them, they will be touched and moved to conversion of life.   When it dawns on us how someone has suffered in our place, then we will see life differently.

Death is but a passage to fullness of life.  It is not a question of whether we will die but how we die.  If we die with grace and dignity, we will live forever, now and hereafter.  If we die for truth and love in service, then we will be set free and death has no claim over us.  So we too must listen to Jesus and give a place for Mary to be in our home and heart so that we can continue to contemplate on their suffering and passion and be inspired by them. With Jesus, we can commend our souls to the Father, trusting in His love and mercy.  With Jesus and Mary, we can show the world that truth lies in unconditional love and mercy.  This truth will overcome eternal death, hatred and sin.  Let us be like Arimathea who loved Jesus and took care of His body.  We too who love Jesus must take care of His mystical body through selfless love and service.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved