On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.” So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Two years ago, twenty-five parishioners and I made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. When we were in Jerusalem, we climbed the hill of Calvary, the place where Jesus was crucified. We even touched the rock that once held his cross!
After a prayerful moment of silence, we journeyed back down the hill to celebrate Mass at his empty tomb. Imagine that: the grave that once held our Lord’s body captive is now an altar where Catholics celebrate Mass.
It was one of the most spiritual experiences of my priesthood. We were at ground-zero, the place where it all happened.
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In some ways, the darkness of Good Friday still haunts the land Jesus once called home. We’ve all seen horrific images of war and violence in Israel and Gaza, where entire families are starving, crying out in anguish, and dying in despair.
Such a grim reality reminds us that while the empty tomb is just a stone’s throw from Calvary, the inner journey from Good Friday to Easter Sunday – from horror to hope, from disbelief to belief – can span a lifetime.
Faith is a journey, often a series of questions, answers, and still, more questions.
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Consider the journey of Mary Magdalene in today’s Gospel. She’s one of the few women, who along with the Apostle John, remained by our Lord during his final hours.
She witnessed the horror of Calvary. She wept as Nicodemus laid him in the rock hewn tomb. Then she waited three long days for the opportunity to go and anoint his body.
John tells us that Mary, “went while it was still dark,” before sunrise with the bitterness of Christ’s death fresh in her heart.
She went expecting to face an obstruction – a large stone placed in front of his tomb. But, to her absolute surprise, the stone had been rolled away!
Symbolically, that “stone” represented every obstacle preventing her and the others from believing – their fears, their doubts, their overwhelming sense of helplessness had been rolled away.
Something happened. The tomb was opened.
Though she does not fully understand yet, Easter begins growing in Mary’s heart.
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What does she do next?
She runs to tell the others.
This is what happens when the joy of Easter starts becoming real. Even when we don’t fully understand who Jesus is, or what he has done for us, we have to share the Good News with others.
“Could it be? Could Jesus be alive again, even now? Has he opened a way to new life after death?”
Imagine standing in front of the empty tomb this Easter morning. What do you see?
Is there a stone still rolled in front of it, some obstacle blocking your belief? Or has the reality of Easter awakened in your heart?
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Now imagine entering the tomb.
As we look around, Christ’s body is nowhere to be found. His burial cloths lay wrinkled on the ground, as if his body evaporated, passing right through them.
This image was used by early Christians to explain what happens in baptism. Traditionally, when a person was baptized, they were plunged underwater, reminding them that they have been buried with Christ – spiritually, placed in his tomb.
Upon being pulled out of the water, they’d receive the same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead.
“For if we have died with Christ,” Paul tells us, “then we shall also live with Christ… for the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus.”
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This is what Easter is all about.
It’s a journey from Good Friday to Easter Sunday. Christians do not deny the pain or suffering present in our world. But we never despair.
We do what we can to alleviate the burdens of others, while rejoicing in the truth that Christ has conquered the grave. He has overcome death!
May the power of his Spirit fill our hearts – and those of Christians in the Holy Land – this Easter morning so that, like Mary, we may come to see and proclaim with great joy, “He is Risen! Alleluia!”
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Image credits: (1) The Vine Church (2) JW.org (3) FreePik
This includes the entire Passion narrative according to John. For the sermon, scroll down to the picture.
Gospel: John 18:1 – 19:42
Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to where there was a garden, into which he and his disciples entered. Judas his betrayer also knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. So Judas got a band of soldiers and guards from the chief priests and the Pharisees and went there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen to him, went out and said to them, “Whom are you looking for?” They answered him, “Jesus the Nazorean.” He said to them, “I AM.” Judas his betrayer was also with them. When he said to them, “I AM, “ they turned away and fell to the ground. So he again asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” They said, “Jesus the Nazorean.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I AM. So if you are looking for me, let these men go.” This was to fulfill what he had said, “I have not lost any of those you gave me.” Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its scabbard. Shall I not drink the cup that the Father gave me?”
So the band of soldiers, the tribune, and the Jewish guards seized Jesus, bound him, and brought him to Annas first. He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. It was Caiaphas who had counseled the Jews that it was better that one man should die rather than the people.
Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Now the other disciple was known to the high priest, and he entered the courtyard of the high priest with Jesus. But Peter stood at the gate outside. So the other disciple, the acquaintance of the high priest, went out and spoke to the gatekeeper and brought Peter in. Then the maid who was the gatekeeper said to Peter, “You are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” Now the slaves and the guards were standing around a charcoal fire that they had made, because it was cold, and were warming themselves. Peter was also standing there keeping warm.
The high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his doctrine. Jesus answered him, “I have spoken publicly to the world. I have always taught in a synagogue or in the temple area where all the Jews gather, and in secret I have said nothing. Why ask me? Ask those who heard me what I said to them. They know what I said.” When he had said this, one of the temple guards standing there struck Jesus and said, “Is this the way you answer the high priest?” Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong; but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?” Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.
Now Simon Peter was standing there keeping warm. And they said to him, “You are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the one whose ear Peter had cut off, said, “Didn’t I see you in the garden with him?” Again Peter denied it. And immediately the cock crowed.
Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorium. It was morning. And they themselves did not enter the praetorium, in order not to be defiled so that they could eat the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and said, “What charge do you bring against this man?” They answered and said to him, “If he were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” At this, Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law.” The Jews answered him, “We do not have the right to execute anyone, “ in order that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled that he said indicating the kind of death he would die. So Pilate went back into the praetorium and summoned Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you say this on your own or have others told you about me?” Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here.” So Pilate said to him, “Then you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”
When he had said this, he again went out to the Jews and said to them, “I find no guilt in him. But you have a custom that I release one prisoner to you at Passover. Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” They cried out again, “Not this one but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged. And the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on his head, and clothed him in a purple cloak, and they came to him and said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck him repeatedly. Once more Pilate went out and said to them, “Look, I am bringing him out to you, so that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple cloak. And he said to them, “Behold, the man!” When the chief priests and the guards saw him they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him. I find no guilt in him.” The Jews answered, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.” Now when Pilate heard this statement, he became even more afraid, and went back into the praetorium and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” Jesus did not answer him. So Pilate said to him, “Do you not speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you and I have power to crucify you?” Jesus answered him, “You would have no power over me if it had not been given to you from above. For this reason the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.” Consequently, Pilate tried to release him; but the Jews cried out, “If you release him, you are not a Friend of Caesar. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.”
When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus out and seated him on the judge’s bench in the place called Stone Pavement, in Hebrew, Gabbatha. It was preparation day for Passover, and it was about noon. And he said to the Jews, “Behold, your king!” They cried out, “Take him away, take him away! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your king?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.
So they took Jesus, and, carrying the cross himself, he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull, in Hebrew, Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus in the middle. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews.” Now many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that he said, ‘I am the King of the Jews’.” Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four shares, a share for each soldier. They also took his tunic, but the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top down. So they said to one another, “Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be, “ in order that the passage of Scripture might be fulfilled that says: They divided my garments among them, and for my vesture they cast lots. This is what the soldiers did. Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I thirst.” There was a vessel filled with common wine. So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth. When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, “It is finished.” And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.
Here all kneel and pause for a short time.
Now since it was preparation day, in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath, for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one, the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken and that they be taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out. An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true; he knows that he is speaking the truth, so that you also may come to believe. For this happened so that the Scripture passage might be fulfilled: Not a bone of it will be broken. And again another passage says: They will look upon him whom they have pierced.
After this, Joseph of Arimathea, secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. And Pilate permitted it. So he came and took his body. Nicodemus, the one who had first come to him at night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about one hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and bound it with burial cloths along with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom. Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried. So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day; for the tomb was close by.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Two years ago, we took a parish pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
Together, we rode a boat across the Sea of Galilee – the same waters that Peter once fished from. We dipped our hands into the Jordan River, the very place where Jesus was baptized by John.
We celebrated Mass at the site of the Annunciation, on the Mount of Beatitudes, even at the empty tomb, where our Lord was raised from the dead!
These experiences change the way one reads scripture. It colors your faith, providing new insights into the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord.
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There was one moment, in particular, that twisted my heart with both sorrow and admiration for Jesus.
We were standing at the Church of Saint Peter in Gallacantu, which is the site where Pontius Pilate’s courtyard once stood. It was here that Peter denied knowing Jesus three times while the Lord was being led off to be scourged, beaten, mocked, and crucified.
Stepping outside of the church, you begin to descend almost immediately into the Kidron Valley. On the other side of the valley is the hill that encompasses the Garden of Gethsemane.
This is where Jesus fell to his knees, sweat blood, and prayed that the “cup” of his suffering and death would pass from him.
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My entire perspective of today’s Gospel changed while standing there – outside the Church of Saint Peter.
Our guide explained that, from the other side of the valley, Jesus would’ve seen the torches lit in Pilate’s court.
He also would’ve seen tiny flames flickering in the night, creeping towards him as Pilate’s soldiers followed Judas’ lead.
Locals say it would’ve taken about forty-five minutes for those soldiers to reach Jesus. Meanwhile, our Lord could’ve disappeared over the hills in less than fifteen.
Time was of the essence. His opportunity to run faded by the minute, like sand slipping through his fingers.
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I stood there imaging how Jesus must’ve felt.
It was pitch black. Judas had already betrayed him. His friends were fast asleep nearby. Was this all for nothing?
If Peter and the others couldn’t stay awake in the garden to pray with him for one hour, then how could they carry Jesus’ ministry forward?
In his greatest hour of need, his friends reveal themselves to be tired, imperfect, and weak.
In spite of what looks like a complete failure, Jesus kneels down, and prays, “Father, not my will, but Thine be done.”
Although he could’ve left it all behind – he could’ve avoided unimaginable torture – Jesus didn’t budge an inch. “Not my will, but Thine be done.”
Suddenly, the darkness is broken by the soldiers’ torches, who awaken the disciples, arrest Jesus, and lead him off on a forty-five minute journey across the Kidron Valley, up to Pontius Pilate.
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I had never seen the Lord in that light before: the pressure, the temptation, and the opportunity he had to flee.
Then the Lord spoke to me softly saying: sometimes we’re in need of one thing only – help from the Divine.
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While we aren’t standing in the Garden of Gethsemane physically, we all endure periods in life that test every fiber of our faith.
The doctor reads a malignant diagnosis. Our child struggles with mental illness or is bullied. A missile strikes. A gun is fired. Mother Nature wipes away our home.
We stand and weep, tasting the bitterness of Good Friday.
In these moments, remember Jesus. Instead of giving up, or taking matters into his own hands, he knelt down and prayed, commending his life, his body, and his Spirit to his Father.
Everything he was – everything he had – he gave back.
Three days later, the tomb was empty.
This is the mystery of Good Friday. The Lord takes his most wrenching hours and turns them into glory, leaving us all an example to follow.
In his words, “Into your hands, I commend my spirit.”
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Image credits: (1) Cornerstone Counseling (2) The Taking of Christ, Caravaggio (3) Calvary con Carmelita, Fray Juan del Santisimo Sacramento
Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass from this world to the Father. He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end. The devil had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand him over. So, during supper, fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God, he rose from supper and took off his outer garments. He took a towel and tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel around his waist. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Master, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing, you do not understand now, but you will understand later.” Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well.” Jesus said to him, “Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed, for he is clean all over; so you are clean, but not all.” For he knew who would betray him; for this reason, he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
So when he had washed their feet and put his garments back on and reclined at table again, he said to them, “Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Feet are the movers of the body. They take us where we want to go – and stop us from going where we don’t.
Tonight, I will wash the feet of ten youngsters who participate in our faith formation program. They’ve used their feet to bring their bodies – and by extension, their hearts – here tonight.
We begin by welcoming them – as well as their parents, and all of you present this evening.
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We are now entering into the final hours of Christ’s life on earth. As he kneels down to wash his disciples’ feet, the power of his heart is revealed.
In ancient Palestine, washing a person’s feet was an ordinary gesture before entering a person’s home. In dry weather, the roads could be inches deep in dust. After the spring rains, they’d be mushy and muddy. Understandably, people’s feet got dirty.
But notice that not one of the disciples steps forward to do the customary washing. Within the shadow of the cross, they’re too busy arguing about who is the greatest. So, the Lord takes off his outer garments, kneels down, and leads by example.
This gesture not only grants the disciples access into their host’s home for the evening; on a deeper level, the Lord is also welcoming them into his sorrow, into his heart, even into the priesthood.
We will see as the evening unfolds, the more people hurt Jesus, the more he will love them.
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A prime example is Judas.
Judas spent the last three years of his life observing the Lord. He listened to Christ’s sermons, witnessed miraculous healings, and saw first-hand the compassion Jesus had for those who suffered – widows, lepers, the blind, the paralyzed, even the dead.
In spite of this, Judas is preparing to hand Jesus over for thirty lousy pieces of silver – and Jesus knows this!
With this knowledge in mind, the Lord kneels down and washes his feet. Then at supper, Jesus feeds Judas with a morsel of his very own Body.
As the Gospel tells us, “Jesus dipped the morsel and took it and handed it to Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot. After he took the morsel, Satan entered him. So, Jesus said to him, ‘What you are going to do, do quickly.’”
With the exception of the Apostle John, the other disciples will also abandon the Lord. Yet he kneels down and washes their feet, then feeds them with his very Self, as well.
The more people hurt Jesus, the more he loves them.
This truth continues unfolding at the Cross. After being betrayed by a kiss, arrested, repeatedly lashed with a whip, spit upon, and crowned with thorns, Jesus is nailed to a tree.
Beaten and bloodied, he cries out from the depths of his heart, “Father, forgive them. They know not what they do.”
The more people hurt Jesus, the more he loves them.
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It’s so easy – seemingly natural – for us to react in the opposite way. When hurt, we become resentful or bitter. When betrayed, we plot revenge. But when these things happened to Jesus, he loves them all the more.
Any time we stand before him – regardless of where our feet have taken us – Jesus kneels down and bathes us in forgiveness.
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Imagine doing this to others.
Picture someone who’s hurt or disappointed you. Even someone who’s betrayed you. Can you kneel down and wash their feet?
Left to our own nature, it seems impossible.
We need the heart of Christ.
Devout Jews longed for this divine love in the Old Testament. Perhaps the most famous – and important – of all of them was King David, who prayed to the LORD after committing adultery and murder:
“You love truth in the heart. Then in the secret of my heart, teach me wisdom. Purify me, then I shall be clean. Wash me, then I shall be whiter than snow… A pure heart create for me, O God, put a steadfast spirit within me.”
David longed for the heart of Christ – a heart that bled for us on the cross. A heart that seeks to merge our lives with his.
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As I kneel down to wash these youngsters’ feet, imagine the Lord washing yours. Then pray for the grace to do the same to others.
As Jesus says, “I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.”
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
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Image credits: (1) Jesus Washing Peter’s Feet, Ford Madox Brown (2) Ibid. (3) America Magazine
