30 MARCH, 2018, Good Friday
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.
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First reading
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Isaiah 52:13-53:12 ©
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The servant of the Lord, an expiatory Sacrifice
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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.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 30(31):2,6,12-13,15-17,25 ©
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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.
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Second reading
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Hebrews 4:14-16,5:7-9 ©
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The Lord burdened him with the sins of all of us
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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.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Phil2:8-9
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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!
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Gospel
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John 18:1-19:42 ©
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The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ
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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.
CHRISTIANITY ON TRIAL
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ISA 52:13 – 53:12; HEB 4:14-16; 5:7-9; JN 18:1 – 19:42 ]
In the
gospel, we read of the trial, the passion and the crucifixion of Jesus. The latter was put on
trial more than 2000 years ago. Since then Christianity has always been
put on trial, especially in the first 300 hundred years after Christ. But
more than ever in our times, today Christianity is again put on trial.
The western world, the cradle of Christianity responsible for the spread of the
gospel to Asia and the rest of the world, is denying their Christian
heritage. They are removing all Christian vestiges from their culture in
the name of secularism. They seek to take away support for the Church,
Catholic schools and even transform Christian festivals into secular
events. They transformed Halloween, which is to prepare us for the Feast
of All Saints and All Souls, into a mockery of our faith in the spirits.
They take Christ out of Christmas and Easter. From Merry Christmas, it
has become Happy Holidays. They do not ask why they have holidays at this
time of year and not at other times. I do not hear people wishing each
other during Summer holidays, which most Westerners take. The world’s religion
is secularism, and they call it democracy and freedom. All other
religions are suppressed and secularism as the new god of humanity is extolled!
How do we as
Christians and Catholics stand in the face of the onslaught of secularism
seeking to take away our faith and tradition? Today, we are also on trial
like Jesus 2000 years ago. But in truth, it was not Jesus who was on
trial, but the trial of Jesus puts us on trial. This is why we have the
ironical situation of Pilate sitting Jesus on the throne, “the chair of judgement
at a place called the Pavement,’ whilst he stood before Jesus, with the people
accusing him of treason. Indeed, when we listen
to the gospel, we can identify with the different characters in the passion
narrative. This explains why the Church invites the congregation to take
the place of the crowd during the passion narrative.
We can
identify with Judas who betrayed our Lord because of greed, or because he was
impatient with Jesus and wanted Him to act according to his own ways. How
many of us have sold out Jesus for money, for power and for politics?
When we put our faith before money, power and politics, then we are like Judas,
traitors of our Lord. This can also happen in Church as well. There
are so many “political” parties within the Christian community fighting with
each other for power, status and glory.
Perhaps, we
can also identify with Peter who was afraid to acknowledge Christ out of fear
for his life and safety. Earlier on, he wanted to die for Jesus but now in front of
the servants of Caiaphas’ palace, he denied he knew Jesus three times.
How many of us deny Jesus in public and secular life because we want to look
good and be acceptable to other people. We prefer to be in the good books
of others than in the good books of Jesus. We deny Jesus by our actions
and by our words when our lives contradict the way we live and our profession
of faith in Jesus.
Perhaps, we
can also identify with Annas who simply ignored the truth about Jesus. “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.’” Annas was
silent before the truth. Instead of setting him free, he passed the buck
to Caiaphas. Are not many Cathoics like that? They do not know
their faith, especially when challenged by the world. Instead of seeking
to understand their faith more deeply through study, research and prayers, they
keep silent and ignore the truth of what they believe in. By so
doing, they are evading the truth of what they believe and instead choose to
listen to the world’s views.
Then again,
many of us can easily identify with Pilate. We are too cowardly to do what is
right. We seek popularity and self-interest. Pilate knew that Jesus
was innocent but he did not have the moral courage to free Jesus. Pilate
said to the Jews, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, I can find no case
against him.” He was motivated by fear of the loss of power because
the people threatened him, “If you set him free you are no friend of Caesar’s;
anyone who makes himself King is defying Caesar.” Instead, he
pushed the responsibility to the Jews. He proposed to set a prisoner free
and he made them choose between a notorious bandit, Barrabas, and the harmless
and innocent Jesus.
Perhaps, we
are like the crowd who have no position of their own and are easily bought over
by social pressure. They were easily swayed by others, especially the
authorities who manipulated them. They were really hypocrites because
they condemned Jesus not for a religious crime but a political one. It is
the height of irony when the Jews who hated the Romans said to Pilate, “We have
no king except Caesar.” This was the biggest lie! We too are like
that. We allow social media and social pressure to push us to accept the
moral position of the world because people in the world are for it, whether it
is abortion, pornography, promiscuity, divorce, same-sex union and euthanasia.
Finally, we
are like Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. They were good disciples of Jesus.
Joseph gave Jesus the tomb and Nicodemus spent much money for the myrrh and
aloes to anoint the body of Jesus. But they were secret disciples.
Most of our Catholics belong to this category of secret agents of
Jesus. They are good Catholics. They come for mass
regularly. They say their prayers. They support the Church’s
activities and projects. They contribute money and resources. But
outside the Church, they keep their faith to themselves and do not even
identify themselves as Catholics in public. They go about doing their
duties but keep their faith and Catholic identity from their friends and
colleagues.
In contrast,
we have Jesus who did not act like a timid criminal who was on trial. On
the contrary, He acted like a king and a judge. He was confident and
forceful in His reply to the charges. When the soldiers came to arrest
Him, He did not run away, unlike the apostles. He answered the guards
clearly when they told Him they were looking for Jesus the Nazarene, “I am
he.” When Peter cut off the ear of one of the soldiers, Jesus reprimanded
him and said, ‘Put your sword back in its scabbard; am I not to drink the cup
that the Father has given me?”
Jesus was
ever ready to stand up for His beliefs before the Sanhedrin and the
world. When He was slapped for being truthful with Annas, Jesus said, “If
there is something wrong in what I say, point it out; but if there is no
offence in it, why do you strike me?” Before Pilate, Jesus said, “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.” In response to Pilate on whether He was a king, Jesus
replied in no uncertain terms, “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.”
Truly, Jesus’
trial is ours. Today, when we stand before Jesus, can we say that we have
been faithful to Him? Do we have the courage of Mary and the holy women to stand
beneath the cross of Jesus, testifying to His love and mercy? Are we able
to be like St John the beloved disciple who stood up for the truth when he
exclaimed, upon seeing blood and water flowing from the pierced side of our
Lord, “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”? This is the question we have to ask ourselves.
As we venerate the crucifix we must remember that our sins, our betrayals,
silence, hypocrisy, inaction and failure to defend our faith have crucified Him
on the cross because we have denied Him.
Yet, let us
not be discouraged because the Lord is full of mercy and love. We are
called to contemplate on His face and His passion so that we can find strength
to renew our love and our faith in Him. The first reading from Isaiah speaks of
Christ as the Suffering Servant. “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 him his
wounds we are healed.”
The letter of
Hebrews invites us to have confidence in His mercy. “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.”
Jesus understands our fear and weakness. He understands why we are afraid
to stand up for Him. His death on the cross is to reveal to us God’s
forgiveness and mercy.
Most of all,
we must have confidence that in our trials and sufferings, God will triumph in
the end. With Jesus we pray with the psalmist, “In you, O Lord, I
take refuge. In your justice, set me free, Into your hands I commend my spirit.
It is you who will redeem me, Lord. 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.” The letter of Hebrews concludes, “Although he
was son, he learnt to obey through suffering; but having been made perfect, he
became for all who obey the source of eternal salvation and was acclaimed by
God with the title of high priest of the order of Melchizedeck.” So let
us follow Jesus our leader in salvation to the cross so as to share in His
resurrection.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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