A Homily - Holy Week, Maundy Thursday (Year B) A Holy Day of Obligation

First Reading – Isaiah 61:1 – 3, 6, 8 – 9 ©

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 88(89):21 – 22, 25, 27 ©

Second Reading – Apocalypse 1:5 – 8 ©

Gospel Acclamation – Isaiah 61:1 (Luke 4:18)

The Gospel According to Luke 4:16 – 21 ©

First Reading – Exodus 12:1 – 8, 11 – 14 ©

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 115(116):12 – 13, 15 – 18 ©

Second Reading – 1 Corinthians 11:23 – 26 ©

Gospel Acclamation – John 13:34

The Gospel According to John 13:1-15 ©

 

(NJB)

 

Listen!

We should not make the mistake of celebrating Jesus as a martyr and using his murder as a vehicle to prop-up Christian vanity and pride.

Understand this!

God, the creator of the universe, God does not desire martyrs.

Jesus was not a king or a priest; we are not meant to be priests ourselves, officiants in the cult of sacrifice. Jesus was a prophet and he depicted the mission of the Church as one in which its members are servants to one another and the world.

God does not favor one nation above any other, God does not favor one person over their sister and brother. God has no special favor for any one family, tribe or nation.

The way is not found in the cult of animal sacrifice, in the slaughter of sheep and goats and bulls, or any other mode of ritual murder.

The way is found in love, in the recognition of our inherent equality before God, and the equanimity of the divine.

Rather, the way is found in justice…justice tempered by mercy, justice delivered with humility, justice that reaches for the good.

Jesus showed us the way from the outset of his ministry, and followed it to the cross on Calvary.

Be mindful.

The sacred texts cannot be a repository for our vanity, our nationalism or our jingoistic instincts.

God is a loving and merciful God, and good. God is not the lord of palace intrigues; the divine is not a god of wars and battles.

Let me reiterate:

Jesus was not a king or a general, and he was not a priest but a prophet. He came to us in friendship, as a teacher, a healer and comforter; he came to show us the way.

Consider how Jesus begins his ministry, and his intention when connecting it to the work of the Isaiah. They teach us that the way is meant to bring relief to those who suffer, give sight to the blind and freedom to those in captivity. This is true whether their blindness is physical or spiritual, whether their bondage is of this world or the next; the way is found in love.

Be mindful.

God is not a sorcerer, magician or wizard, animal sacrifice is a mode of necromancy, they are based on lies, and we must reject them.

Please do not be shocked when I tell you that there are depictions of God in the scripture, that are false, monstrous, and immoral. The cult of animal sacrifice represents the worst of these, there is no merit in it and there never was. The economy of salvation, as mediated by blood on the altar, is a vehicle of corruption and a tool of oppression, and it has always been so.

Know this!

It is unjust to punish the people for the crimes of their leaders, God does not do this, any suggestion that this might be so is a lie and must be rejected.

Justice does not divide human beings into the blessed and damned, worthy and unworthy, the ugly and beautiful. Justice is blind and grace is free, they come to us without regard to our relative merits, these are gifts we receive simply because God loves us.

Listen!

Trust in God, not men. All men are liars and all women too; but that is not important.

Take no oaths, take no vows, allow your resolve to stand in their place and be true to it, even while knowing that you will fail at many things.

Know that the promises God has made for our wellbeing (for our salvation) are not of this world, and that the expectation of justice in this world must be rooted in real relationships with real human beings. Justice in this world begins with us, and is only found through one another.

Remember this.

Throughout your days, until their end, be generous and share your table. Serve those who have less than you. Share your cup and your bread.

This is the way.

Forget the apocryphal imagery and mythological symbolism of the “Son of Man,” the cryptic words about the glory of God; in whom and how it appears. Forget those things because they are irrelevant, love one another instead.

Know this.

To follow Jesus is to lead with love; therefore love as Jesus loved. Be prepared to risk everything for love’s sake…even your life; in this way you will keep faith with Jesus, and everyone who witnesses it will see the truth of it.

There is no other way.

Faith (which is the trust we place in God); faith is not about words, it is about actions; faith is about love. Faith is not ideology, it is not partisan, it is not dogmatic, it is not doctrinaire. Faith is not a legally binding agreement. Faith is not concerned with creeds or secrets, or magic words. Faith is trust, and faith in God finds its natural expression in love.

Read the Gospel today’s Gospel carefully, read it as the authors intended it to be read, as a record of the love Jesus bore toward the world.

Keep that love in front of you, keep it always, and do this:

Forgive Judas, he is one of those about whom Jesus said to God, “Forgive them, they know not what they do.”

Do as Jesus did and pardon him, forgive Judas as you are meant to, forgive him as you are meant to forgive all who have done you harm. Forgive him when you seek forgiveness for the hurts you have caused others.

This is the way, and there is no other.

First Reading – Isaiah 61:1 – 3, 6, 8 – 9 ©

The Lord Has Anointed Me

The spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for the Lord has anointed me.

He has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to bind up hearts that are broken; to proclaim liberty to captives, freedom to those in prison; to proclaim a year of favour from the Lord, a day of vengeance for our God, to comfort all those who mourn and to give them for ashes a garland; for mourning robe the oil of gladness, for despondency, praise.

But you, you will be named ‘priests of the Lord’, they will call you ‘ministers of our God.’

I reward them faithfully and make an everlasting covenant with them.

Their race will be famous throughout the nations, their descendants throughout the peoples.

All who see them will admit that they are a race whom the Lord has blessed.

 

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 88(89):21 – 22, 25, 27 ©

I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.

I have found David my servant

  and with my holy oil anointed him.

My hand shall always be with him

  and my arm shall make him strong.

I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.

My truth and my love shall be with him;

  by my name his might shall be exalted.

He will say to me: ‘You are my father,

  my God, the rock who saves me.’

I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord.

 

Second Reading – Apocalypse 1:5 – 8 ©

Jesus Christ Has Made Us a Line of Kings and Priests

Grace and peace to you from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the First-Born from the dead, the Ruler of the kings of the earth. He loves us and has washed away our sins with his blood, and made us a line of kings, priests to serve his God and Father; to him, then, be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen. It is he who is coming on the clouds; everyone will see him, even those who pierced him, and all the races of the earth will mourn over him. This is the truth. Amen. ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega’ says the Lord God, who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.

 

Gospel Acclamation – Isaiah 61:1 (Luke 4:18)

Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!

The spirit of the Lord has been given to me.

He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor.

Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!

 

Gospel Luke 4:16 – 21 ©

The Spirit of the Lord Has Been Given to Me, for He Has Anointed Me

Jesus came to Nazara, where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day as he usually did. He stood up to read and they handed him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll he found the place where it is written:

The spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for he has anointed me.

He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and to the blind new sight, to set the downtrodden free, to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour.

He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the assistant and sat down. And all eyes in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to speak to them, ‘This text is being fulfilled today even as you listen.’

 

First Reading – Exodus 12:1 – 8, 11 – 14 ©

The Passover is a Day of Festival for All Generations, for Ever

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt:

  ‘This month is to be the first of all the others for you, the first month of your year. Speak to the whole community of Israel and say, “On the tenth day of this month each man must take an animal from the flock, one for each family: one animal for each household. If the household is too small to eat the animal, a man must join with his neighbour, the nearest to his house, as the number of persons requires. You must take into account what each can eat in deciding the number for the animal. It must be an animal without blemish, a male one year old; you may take it from either sheep or goats. You must keep it till the fourteenth day of the month when the whole assembly of the community of Israel shall slaughter it between the two evenings. Some of the blood must then be taken and put on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses where it is eaten. That night, the flesh is to be eaten, roasted over the fire; it must be eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. You shall eat it like this: with a girdle round your waist, sandals on your feet, a staff in your hand. You shall eat it hastily: it is a passover in honour of the Lord. That night, I will go through the land of Egypt and strike down all the first-born in the land of Egypt, man and beast alike, and I shall deal out punishment to all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord! The blood shall serve to mark the houses that you live in. When I see the blood I will pass over you and you shall escape the destroying plague when I strike the land of Egypt. This day is to be a day of remembrance for you, and you must celebrate it as a feast in the Lord’s honour. For all generations you are to declare it a day of festival, for ever.”’

 

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 115(116):12 – 13, 15 – 18 ©

The blessing-cup that we bless is a communion with the blood of Christ.

How can I repay the Lord

  for his goodness to me?

The cup of salvation I will raise;

  I will call on the Lord’s name.

The blessing-cup that we bless is a communion with the blood of Christ.

O precious in the eyes of the Lord

  is the death of his faithful.

Your servant, Lord, your servant am I;

  you have loosened my bonds.

The blessing-cup that we bless is a communion with the blood of Christ.

A thanksgiving sacrifice I make;

  I will call on the Lord’s name.

My vows to the Lord I will fulfil

  before all his people.

The blessing-cup that we bless is a communion with the blood of Christ.

 

Second Reading – 1 Corinthians 11:23 – 26 ©

Every Time You Eat this Bread and Drink this Cup, You Are Proclaiming the Death of the Lord

This is what I received from the Lord, and in turn passed on to you: that on the same night that he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread, and thanked God for it and broke it, and he said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this as a memorial of me.’ In the same way he took the cup after supper, and said, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Whenever you drink it, do this as a memorial of me.’ Until the Lord comes, therefore, every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are proclaiming his death.

 

Gospel Acclamation – John 13:34

Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!

I give you a new commandment:

love one another just as I have loved you, says the Lord.

Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!

 

The Gospel According to John 13:1 – 15 ©

Now He Showed How Perfect His Love Was

It was before the festival of the Passover, and Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to pass from this world to the Father. He had always loved those who were his in the world, but now he showed how perfect his love was.

They were at supper, and the devil had already put it into the mind of Judas Iscariot son of Simon, to betray him. Jesus knew that the Father had put everything into his hands, and that he had come from God and was returning to God, and he got up from table, removed his outer garment and, taking a towel, wrapped it round his waist; he then poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel he was wearing. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ Jesus answered, ‘At the moment you do not know what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ ‘Never!’ said Peter ‘You shall never wash my feet.’ Jesus replied, ‘If I do not wash you, you can have nothing in common with me.’ ‘Then, Lord,’ said Simon Peter ‘not only my feet, but my hands and my head as well!’ Jesus said, ‘No one who has taken a bath needs washing, he is clean all over. You too are clean, though not all of you are.’ He knew who was going to betray him, that was why he said, ‘though not all of you are.’

When he had washed their feet and put on his clothes again he went back to the table. ‘Do you understand’ he said ‘what I have done to you? You call me Master and Lord, and rightly; so I am. If I, then, the Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you should wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example so that you may copy what I have done to you.’

 

Holy Week, Maundy Thursday (Year B) A Holly Day of Obligation

A Homily - Holy Week – Palm Sunday (Year B)

The Procession Gospel – Mark 11:1-10 ©

Alternative Procession Gospel – John 12:12-16 ©

First Reading – Isaiah 50:4-7 ©

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 21(22):8-9,17-20,23-24 ©

Second Reading - Philippians 2:6-11 ©

The Gospel According to Mark 14:1 – 15:47 ©

 

(NJB)

 

Listen!

God, the creator of the universe, God is not a king. God is not a prince and God is not a lord.

The Church, which is meant to follow Jesus in the way, the Church should never be depicted as an extension of a royal dynasty; it is not that.

This reading should be interpreted apart from its mythological context and instead be read as an example of how much good-regard the common people, the am-haaretz, had for Jesus and his followers, which is to say that they were trusted and accepted; they could be taken at their word.

Remember this!

When you read the scriptures bear this in mind: God made human beings free, God made the entirety of the created order free, the whole of creation is free from divine coercion.

Because we are free, and the future is not written, it diminishes the ministry of Jesus to ground any part of his authority on the depiction of him fulfilling scripture or divining portents.

Jesus was not a seer, and all such passages are either misinterpretations of mythological allegory and metaphor, or they are straight propaganda and intentional prevarications.

Consider the words of Isaiah, take comfort in his courage.

Isaiah points the way; like Jesus, Isaiah sees the necessity of telling the truth. He understands how much the people need truth, he knows that justice cannot be had without it. He also knows that the reward for telling the truth is often condemnation. There are many who do not like to hear it, do not want to believe that God loves their neighbor just as much as God loves them.

People are afraid, the world has made them this way. When people endure scarcity and live in fear they do not like to share. The poor and the rich alike, will react with anger and violence to any little thing that threatens to upset their resentment filled lives, that challenges their jealousies and judges their miserliness.

Like Isaiah, you must open your ear and listen; you must listen with your heart.

When you open your mouth to speak, share the peace and blessing of God; do not speak words of condemnation, against yourself or anyone else.

Do not fear. This is the way of God.

Consider the wisdom of the psalmist:

Do not believe for one second that God does not hear you. The creator of the Universe knows your innermost thoughts. God knows you as you know yourself, God understands all that you are and all that you struggle with. God feels your experience in the world as you feel it. Your struggles are God’s own.

Know that God has given you the power to save yourself, or to choose surrender. You may agonize over the path in front of you, or be at peace with it. Whatever your basic disposition is, know that God will not rescue you. God will never intervene in the world on your behalf.

Be mindful.

Jesus was a man.

Everything that it means to be human Jeus shared with us, because he was one of us.

Jesus did not descend from on high; he was born to Joseph and Mary.

Jesus was also divine; like each of us, he was created in the divine image, he carried the spark of divinity within him. In Jesus that spark grew into a living flame, that divine fire was the spirit of God, and know this: where God is God is present fully…in Jesus, in you, in I, in everyone.

Jesus is our brother, and God is parent to us all.

Jesus is not a lord and he did not want to be thought of as one; Jesus is not a prince and God is not King. God does not seek nor desire glory, and neither should we.

God calls us to lead lives of humility, to accept with grace our role as teachers of the faith. To seek justice and to love mercy all of our days.

Now consider the Gospel reading for today and be mindful…read them with care.

Mark’s Gospel was written decades after Jesus was murdered. It was written in the years after the Romans came and laid waste to Jerusalem, when the destroyed the temple, which was never to be rebuilt. These words were written after Paul wrote his letters giving us the theology of Jesus the Christ, it was written after Paul was martyred together with Peter in Rome, and after all of the other disciples who had known Jesus, including his brother James, the Bishop of Jerusalem had either been killed or died.

Mark’s Gospel was not written by anyone who was an eye witness to the events they purport to relate. This Gospel represents a first summary of a growing and changing…evolving oral history of the ministry of Jesus, who was known as Joshua son of Joseph.

Be mindful.

The Gospel is part narrative history and part apology, it is the beginning of a mythos and it needs to be read as such.

Mark’s Gospel tells us that Jesus was a man of the people. He did not fear contact with the unclean or the outcast, whether a leper or an unmarried woman, or anyone else who in the view of the prevailing social norms were to be relegated to the status of untouchable.

The woman who comes to anoint Jesus is rebuked by the men in his company. Jesus in turn corrects them. The men who are his closest followers are among those whom Jesus rebukes. They are still ignorant of what is about to transpire, but the women who follow him anonymously, they are fully aware and they are prepared to support his mission to the bitter end.

Jesus was in fact betrayed by one of his closest followers, a man in his company named Judas Iscariot. Jesus knew he would be arrested if he came to Jerusalem, but he went to the city anyway, sending two of his disciples to prepare the way. There was no subterfuge in Jesus, he made no efforts to hide his coming. He meant to complete his mission, to bring hope to the people even while knowing that he would be betrayed.

They celebrated the Passover together, and the commemoration of this meal became the basis for the Eucharist[i], the celebration of the presence of Jesus in the bread and the wine.

We commemorate Jesus when we share with one another, when we welcome the outcaste and the marginalized to our table, when like Jesus, we share even those we know will betray us.

Jesus is present in the way.

It is not the food that is holy, it is the sharing of it. It is not the ritual words and gesture that make the meal holy, it is the gift of sustenance and the time we sit at table together that transform what we eat and drink into something holy.

Again, in Mark’s Gospel Jesus informs the disciples concerning everything that is about to happen. They respond to him in confusion and denial, and as close as they are to him they still do not understand how his mission will end, or that they will have to go on without him…but the women in his company know.

Even after the meal is shared, the chief among the disciples boasts of his faithfulness, while Jesus calls out his ignorance and names him a liar, which he proved to be…and Jesus forgives him for it.

In the course of this meal all of the men who followed Jesus, every one of the twelve disciples boasted of their faith. Even the one was preparing to sell Jesus into bondage. He may have been betrayed by Judas, but all of the rest would abandon him during the night...except the women who followed him.

Jesus did not resist when the men of the Sanhedrin came to apprehend him, even though his men were prepared to fight. He did not want a slaughter to ensue, especially when all he had to do was give up his own life.

By surrendering Jesus fulfilled the words that he had preached, no greater love does a man have than that he give up his life for his fellow men. By giving up his own life he allowed the ministry that he had started to continue without him. He stayed true to this until the end.

The Gospel According to Mark, The Procession Gospel – Mark 11:1-10 ©

Blessings on Him who Comes in the Name of the Lord.

When they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, and said to them, ‘Go into the village opposite you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat; untie it and bring it.

If any one says to you, “Why are you doing this?” say, “The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.”’

And they went away, and found a colt tied at the door out in the open street; and they untied it.

And those who stood there said to them, ‘What are you doing, untying the colt?’

And they told them what Jesus had said; and they let them go.

And they brought the colt to Jesus, and threw their garments on it; and he sat upon it.

And many spread their garments on the road, and others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields.

And those who went before and those who followed cried out, ‘Hosanna!

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is coming!

Hosanna in the highest!’

 

Alternative Gospel – John 12:12-16 ©

Blessings on Him who Comes in the Name of the Lord.

A great crowd who had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.

So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying, ‘Hosanna!

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the king of Israel!’

And Jesus found a young ass and sat upon it; as is written, ‘Fear not, daughter of Sion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on an ass’s colt!’

His disciples did not understand this at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that this had been written of him and had been done to him.

 

First Reading – Isaiah 50:4-7 ©

I did not cover my face against insult: I know I shall not be shamed The Lord has given me

a disciple’s tongue.

So that I may know how to reply to the wearied he provides me with speech.

Each morning he wakes me to hear, to listen like a disciple.

The Lord has opened my ear.

For my part, I made no resistance, neither did I turn away.

I offered my back to those who struck me, my cheeks to those who tore at my beard; I did not cover my face against insult and spittle.

The Lord comes to my help, so that I am untouched by the insults.

So, too, I set my face like flint;

 

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 21(22):8-9, 17-20, 23-24 ©

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

All who see me deride me.

  They curl their lips, they toss their heads.

‘He trusted in the Lord, let him save him;

  let him release him if this is his friend.’

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Many dogs have surrounded me,

  a band of the wicked beset me.

They tear holes in my hands and my feet

  I can count every one of my bones.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

They divide my clothing among them.

  They cast lots for my robe.

O Lord, do not leave me alone,

  my strength, make haste to help me!

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

I will tell of your name to my brethren

  and praise you where they are assembled.

‘You who fear the Lord give him praise;

  all sons of Jacob, give him glory.

  Revere him, Israel’s sons.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

 

Second Reading - Philippians 2:6-11 ©

Christ Humbled Himself but God Raised Him High

His state was divine, yet Christ Jesus did not cling to his equality with God but emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave and became as men are; and being as all men are, he 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 other names so that all beings in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld, should bend the knee at the name of Jesus

and that every tongue should acclaim Jesus Christ as Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 

Gospel Acclamation – Philippians 2:8-9

Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!

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.

Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!

 

The Gospel According to Mark 14:1 – 15:47 ©

The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark

 

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

 

N. It was two days before the Passover and the feast of Unleavened Bread, and the chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to arrest Jesus by some trick and have him put to death. For they said,

C. It must not be during the festivities, or there will be a disturbance among the people.

N. Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper; he was at dinner when a woman came in with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment, pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the ointment on his head. Some who were there said to one another indignantly,

C. Why this waste of ointment? Ointment like this could have been sold for over three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor.

N. and they were angry with her. But Jesus said,

  ✠ Leave her alone. Why are you upsetting her? What she has done for me is one of the good works. You have the poor with you always, and you can be kind to them whenever you wish, but you will not always have me. She has done what was in her power to do: she has anointed my body beforehand for its burial. I tell you solemnly, wherever throughout all the world the Good News is proclaimed, what she has done will be told also, in remembrance of her.

N. Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, approached the chief priests with an offer to hand Jesus over to them. They were delighted to hear it, and promised to give him money; and he looked for a way of betraying him when the opportunity should occur.

  On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was sacrificed, his disciples said to him,

C. Where do you want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the passover?

  N. So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them,

✠ Go into the city and you will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him, and say to the owner of the house which he enters, ‘The Master says: “Where is my dining room in which I can eat the passover with my disciples?”’ He will show you a large upper room furnished with couches, all prepared. Make the preparations for us there.

N. The disciples set out and went to the city and found everything as he had told them, and prepared the Passover.

  When evening came he arrived with the Twelve. And while they were at table eating, Jesus said,

✠ I tell you solemnly, one of you is about to betray me, one of you eating with me.

N. They were distressed and asked him, one after another,

C. Not I, surely?

N. He said to them,

✠ It is one of the Twelve, one who is dipping into the same dish with me. Yes, the Son of Man is going to his fate, as the scriptures say he will, but alas for that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! Better for that man if he had never been born!

N. And as they were eating he took some bread, and when he had said the blessing he broke it and gave it to them, saying:

✠ Take it: this is my body.

N. Then he took a cup, and when he had returned thanks he gave it to them, and all drank from it, and he said to them,

✠ This is my blood, the blood of the covenant, which is to be poured out for many. I tell you solemnly, I shall not drink any more wine until the day I drink the new wine in the kingdom of God.

N. After psalms had been sung they left for the Mount of Olives. And Jesus said to them,

✠ You will all lose faith, for the scripture says: ‘I shall strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered.’ However, after my resurrection I shall go before you to Galilee.

N. Peter said,

O. Even if all lose faith, I will not.

N. And Jesus said to him,

✠ I tell you solemnly, this day, this very night, before the cock crows twice, you will have disowned me three times.

N. But he repeated still more earnestly,

O. If I have to die with you, I will never disown you.

N. And they all said the same.

  They came to a small estate called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples,

✠ Stay here while I pray.

N. Then he took Peter and James and John with him. And a sudden fear came over him, and great distress. And he said to them,

✠ My soul is sorrowful to the point of death. Wait here, and keep awake.

N. And going on a little further he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, this hour might pass him by. He said:

✠ Abba (Father)! Everything is possible for you. Take this cup away from me. But let it be as you, not I, would have it.

N. He came back and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter,

✠ Simon, are you asleep? Had you not the strength to keep awake one hour? You should be awake, and praying not to be put to the test. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

N. Again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. And once more he came back and found them sleeping, their eyes were so heavy; and they could find no answer for him. He came back a third time and said to them,

✠ You can sleep on now and take your rest. It is all over. The hour has come. Now the Son of Man is to be betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up! Let us go! My betrayer is close at hand already.

N. Even while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, came up with a number of men armed with swords and clubs, sent by the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. Now the traitor had arranged a signal with them. He had said, ‘The one I kiss he is the man. Take him in charge, and see he is well guarded when you lead him away.’ So when the traitor came, he went straight up to Jesus and said,

O. Rabbi!

N. and kissed him. The others seized him and took him in charge. Then one of the bystanders drew his sword and struck out at the high priest’s servant, and cut off his ear.

  Then Jesus spoke:

✠ Am I a brigand, that you had to set out to capture me with swords and clubs? I was among you teaching in the Temple day after day and you never laid hands on me. But this is to fulfil the scriptures.

N. And they all deserted him and ran away. A young man who followed him had nothing on but a linen cloth. They caught hold of him, but he left the cloth in their hands and ran away naked.

  They led Jesus off to the high priest; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes assembled there. Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the high priest’s palace, and was sitting with the attendants warming himself at the fire.

  The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus on which they might pass the death sentence. But they could not find any. Several, indeed, brought false evidence against him, but their evidence was conflicting. Some stood up and submitted this false evidence against him,

C. We heard him say, ‘I am going to destroy this Temple made by human hands, and in three days build another, not made by human hands.’

N. But even on this point their evidence was conflicting. The high priest then stood up before the whole assembly and put this question to Jesus,

O. Have you no answer to that? What is this evidence these men are bringing against you?

N. But he was silent and made no answer at all. The high priest put a second question to him,

O. Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?

N. Jesus said,

✠ I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.

N. The high priest tore his robes, and said:

O. What need of witnesses have we now? You heard the blasphemy. What is your finding?

N. And they all gave their verdict: he deserved to die.

  Some of them started spitting at him and, blindfolding him, began hitting him with their fists and shouting,

C. Play the prophet!

N. And the attendants rained blows on him.

  While Peter was down below in the courtyard, one of the high priest’s servant-girls came up. She saw Peter warming himself there, stared at him and said,

O. You too were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth.

N. But he denied it, saying.

O. I do not know, I do not understand, what you are talking about.

N. And he went out into the forecourt. The servant-girl saw him and again started telling the bystanders,

O. This fellow is one of them.

N. But again he denied it. A little later the bystanders themselves said to Peter,

C. You are one of them for sure! Why, you are a Galilean.

N. But he started calling down curses on himself and swearing,

O. I do not know the man you speak of.

N. At that moment the cock crew for the second time, and Peter recalled how Jesus had said to him, ‘Before the cock crows twice, you will have disowned me three times.’ And he burst into tears.

 First thing in the morning, the chief priests together with the elders and scribes, in short the whole Sanhedrin, had their plan ready. They had Jesus bound and took him away and handed him over to Pilate.

  Pilate questioned him:

O. Are you the king of the Jews?

N. He answered,

✠ It is you who say it.

N. And the chief priests brought many accusations against him. Pilate questioned him again:

O. Have you no reply at all? See how many accusations they are bringing against you!

N. But, to Pilate’s amazement, Jesus made no further reply.

  At festival time Pilate used to release a prisoner for them, anyone they asked for. Now a man called Barabbas was then in prison with the rioters who had committed murder during the uprising. When the crowd went up and began to ask Pilate the customary favour, Pilate answered them

O. Do you want me to release for you the king of the Jews?

N. For he realised it was out of jealousy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over. The chief priests, however, had incited the crowd to demand that he should release Barabbas for them instead. Then Pilate spoke again:

O. But in that case, what am I to do with the man you call king of the Jews?

N. They shouted back,

C. Crucify him!

N. Pilate asked them,

O. Why? What harm has he done?

N. But they shouted all the louder,

C. Crucify him!

N. So Pilate, anxious to placate the crowd, released Barabbas for them and, having ordered Jesus to be scourged, handed him over to be crucified.

  The soldiers led him away to the inner part of the palace, that is, the Praetorium, and called the whole cohort together. They dressed him up in purple, twisted some thorns into a crown and put it on him. And they began saluting him,

C. Hail, king of the Jews!

N. They struck his head with a reed and spat on him; and they went down on their knees to do him homage. And when they had finished making fun of him, they took off the purple and dressed him in his own clothes.

  They enlisted a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, father of Alexander and Rufus, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross. They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha, which means the place of the skull.

  They offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he refused it. Then they crucified him, and shared out his clothing, casting lots to decide what each should get. It was the third hour when they crucified him. The inscription giving the charge against him read: ‘The King of the Jews.’ And they crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left.

  The passers-by jeered at him; they shook their heads and said,

C. Aha! So you would destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days! Then save yourself: come down from the cross!

N. The chief priests and the scribes mocked him among themselves in the same way. They said,

C. He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the king of Israel, come down from the cross now, for us to see it and believe.

N. Even those who were crucified with him taunted him.

  When the sixth hour came there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice,

✠ Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?

N. which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you deserted me?’ When some of those who stood by heard this, they said

C. Listen, he is calling on Elijah.

N. Someone ran and soaked a sponge in vinegar and, putting it on a reed, gave it him to drink, saying:

O. Wait and see if Elijah will come to take him down.

N. But Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.

  All kneel and pause for a moment.

  And the veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The centurion, who was standing in front of him, had seen how he had died, and he said,

O. In truth this man was a son of God.

N. There were some women watching from a distance. Among them were Mary of Magdala, Mary who was the mother of James the younger and Joset, and Salome. These used to follow him and look after him when he was in Galilee. And there were many other women there who had come up to Jerusalem with him.

  It was now evening, and since it was Preparation Day (that is, the vigil of the sabbath), there came Joseph of Arimathaea, a prominent member of the Council, who himself lived in the hope of seeing the kingdom of God, and he boldly went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate, astonished that he should have died so soon, summoned the centurion and enquired if he was already dead. Having been assured of this by the centurion, he granted the corpse to Joseph who bought a shroud, took Jesus down from the cross, wrapped him in the shroud and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock. He then rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb. Mary of Magdala and Mary the mother of Joset were watching and took note of where he was laid.

 

Holy Week – Palm Sunday (Year B)

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[i] Note well, all eucharistic theology notwithstanding; though God is present in all times and all places, and there is nowhere that God is not, Jesus is not present in the food that we eat, it is not his blood and his flesh that we consume when we celebrate the Mass.

 

The Feast of Patrick – Patron “Saint” of Ireland

Today is the feast of Saint Patrick; today we celebrate his sainthood, the ascendance to heaven of a Romano-Brit (a British man of Roman heritage), who lived sometime between the fourth and fifth centuries CE (if he lived at all).

 Patrick is one of Ireland’s “Patron Saints” though he was not Irish at all; he was a Roman of the Patrician class, from a family of rank and privilege, or so his hagiography lets us know. 

 Patrick (Patricius) is credited with converting the people of Erin to faith in the Universal and Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ; in so doing he separated the Celtic people from their Gaelic traditions, subordinating them to the Catholic Church in Rome. He won with the Word what could not be accomplished by sword and spear, by fire and blood, and war (though there was plenty of killing and burning for the saint to do) and for this he was named a Saint of the Church by popular acclaim.

 It should be noted however, that Patrick has never been canonized, or even beatified by any Pope, therefore Patrick is not officially a Saint of the Catholic Church; though he is recognized in the annals of the Saints of the Church of England, I hope that all my Irish kinfolk appreciate this irony…it is worthy of song.

 History tells us that Patrick was a humble man, a rare quality for those of rank. History also tells us that Patrick concocted the top-down model of spreading the faith by converting chieftains first, which subsequent to his success in Ireland became the model for proselytizing and missionary work throughout Northern Europe.

 Patrick was a politician of great skill. He spread the faith, established churches and earned the rank of Apostle by careful control manipulation of his narrative.

 History tells us that his mother was a relative of Saint Martin of Tours, the Patron Saint of Soldiers otherwise known as Saint Martin of the Sword, whose hagiography was written by Pope Saint Gregory the Great.

 History also tells us that Martin’s hagiography was a work of pure fiction; Saint Martin never lived, even so, his story gave license for Christians to serve under arms, and as such it brought the Roman legions into the arms of the Mother Church.

 Patrick was said to have had a “heroic piety,” praying day and night; in the mountains and in the woods, he prayed through the rain, he prayed through storms of snow and ice…if this were true he should be the patron saint of post men, but then again…all hagiographies are lies.

History tells us that Patrick spent six years as a captive and servant to a Celtic Chieftain, the Druid named Milchu in Dalriada, where he mastered the language of the common folk and learned all of their stories as well.

 If you appreciate history, and you assume that Patrick’s myth has a historical core, you will know that it is much more likely that he fled his home to wander abroad in order to escape the duties that were expected of him as the son of a nobleman. Such departures were common in his time, they were referred to as the “flight of the curiales,” and you may conclude that Patrick was no captive at all, he was just a boy running away from his responsibilities.

 Rather than being taken captive it is more likely that he paid for asylum in Milchu’s house. The Druids were great teachers and oral historians, this much we know is true. It is likely that while he was there, he paid for the services of tutors who helped him learn the language.

 The story of Patrick’s escape from servitude (if it was in fact an escape), and the journey that followed, are his own account. He cast the entire experience in dramatic, even biblical terms, which served both to cover up his crime of abnegation and to establish his fame when he returned home.

 Patrick tells us that he escaped from Milchu and then fled to the mainland of Europe where he entered the priesthood and became a missionary. On his return to Ireland however, the first place he went was to Dalriada where he had lived in Milchu’s house. After some period of conflict with his former captor (or patron) and the affectation of some miracles on Patrick’s part, Milchu is said to have immolated himself in order to make way for the upstart Patrick, throwing himself on a fire after burning the collected scrolls and mysteries of his people.

 Allow me to say this…something does not add up!

 These event may best be understood in metaphorical terms:

 The ritual destruction of the Celtic people in favor of the ascending Romano-British invaders, becomes reimagined when Milchu offers himself as a human sacrifice at the foundation of the Church in Ireland…this is how Patrick wrote it:

 On Easter Sunday, 433 a conflict of will ensued between Patrick and the Celtic Arch-Druid Lochru; historians mythologized it as a battle of divine forces like the contest between Moses and the Egyptians or Elijah and priests of Baal, ending with Patrick magically hurling Lochru into the air, before he broke the druid into pieces on a sharp rock, another ritual murder at the foundation of the Church in Ireland, another human sacrifice to be sure; there is no other way to read it, this was a good old-fashioned Roman slaughter.

 It should be noted the Saint Columbanus, the Patron Saint of Poetry, who was the most significant representative of the Irish Catholic Church after the Dark Ages, who lived and wrote and sent missionaries from Ireland to Continental Europe where they built Churches and founded religious communities, Saint Columbanus (otherwise known as Columba or Colmcille), who together with Saint Bridget is the true patron Saint of Ireland and the Irish people, makes no mention of Saint Patrick in his writing, not once, not anywhere; on the contrary Columbanus tells us that the Church in Ireland was founded by a man named Palladius.

 We may say with confidence that the entire legend of Saint Patrick is little more than a myth designed to subordinate the Irish heart to a British nobleman of Roman descent, and a fictitious one at that.

 Therefore be mindful when you celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day, the entire holiday is as much of a ruse as the good luck kisses plastered on the piss soaked stone at Blarney!