Texts taken from the Missal “On Your Word” March-April 2023

Paschal Triduum - Good Friday «Passion of the Lord»
proper

FIRST READING

From the book of the prophet Isaiah (Is 52:13 - 53:12)
Behold, my servant shall prosper, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. As many were astonished at him - so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of man - so shall he startle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him, for that which has not been told them they shall see, and that which they have not heard they shall understand. Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no form or comeliness that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain. When he makes himself an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see the light and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors. - The word of God.

Commentary on the first reading

In addition to the oracles that introduce and conclude the text, it is the community, of which the prophet is the voice, that speaks to us about the suffering servant, confessing the total incomprehension in which the servant's pain was consumed, while he remains silent. He does not attract attention with the splendor of his appearance, nor with the brilliance of his teaching: «Well acquainted with suffering». Silent in humiliation, oppression, condemnation to death, and even an infamous burial. Only when his sacrifice of expiation is completed does the community - purified by it - understand God's inconceivable plan. Punishment, as purifying suffering, presupposes guilt; but here, for the first time, something different is openly shown: the mystery of “vicarious suffering”. The sin is ours (we readily recognize ourselves in the text's «we»), but the one who suffers to atone for it is not us, but the innocent servant. This is God's will being fulfilled in the servant. It is divine justice that takes the name “mercy”. It is the promise of light and glorification, after darkness and humiliation.

SECOND READING

From the Letter to the Hebrews (Heb 4:14-16; 5:7-9)
Brothers and sisters, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our profession of faith. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace, to help in time of need. [Christ, indeed,] in the days of his earthly life, offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to God who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his complete surrender to him. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. - The word of God.

Commentary on the second reading

This passage, of central importance in the Letter to the Hebrews, invites us to consider the infinite value of Christ's sacrifice, which he offers as the great high priest, and which he himself is, as the true, pure, and holy victim. Christ's figure thus emerges in all its majesty. Yet this does not distance him into an inaccessible sphere. On the contrary, precisely because he shared all our trials, he knows how to sympathize with our weakness. He drew near to us so that we might draw near to the Father with complete confidence. God of mercy and grace, who gives us the help we need in every tribulation, so that every trial may become the place where his wise providence shines forth most brilliantly. Christ's painful adherence to the Father's plan thus obtains an answer that infinitely surpasses our horizons: his filial obedience, which led him to surrender himself to death, made him the “source of eternal salvation” for all who obey his word, thus becoming that vast offspring promised to the servant of YHWH: a new progeny of children of God, reborn from Christ's blood.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to John (Jn 18:1 - 19:42)
(Instructions for dialogued reading: ✠ = Jesus; C = Narrator; D = Disciples and friends; F = Crowd; A = Other characters).

C The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John

They arrested Jesus and bound him

C At that time, Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron Valley, where there was a garden, which he entered with his disciples. Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. So Judas went there, having procured a band of soldiers and some guards from the chief priests and Pharisees, with lanterns, torches, and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and said to them: ✠ «Whom do you seek?». C They answered him: F«Jesus of Nazareth». C Jesus said to them: ✠ «I am he». C Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When he said to them «I am he», they drew back and fell to the ground. Again he asked them: ✠ «Whom do you seek?». C They answered: F «Jesus of Nazareth». C Jesus answered:✠ «I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go», C so that the word might be fulfilled which he had spoken: «I have not lost one of those you gave me». Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. Jesus then said to Peter: ✠ «Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?».

They led him first to Annas

C So the soldiers, with their commander and the Jewish guards, arrested Jesus, bound him, and led him first to Annas; for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews: «It is better that one man should die for the people». Meanwhile Simon Peter followed Jesus with another disciple. That disciple was known to the high priest and entered with Jesus into the high priest's courtyard. Peter, however, stood outside near the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the maid who kept the door, and brought Peter in. The maid said to Peter: A «Are you not also one of this man's disciples?». C He answered: D «I am not». C Meanwhile, the servants and guards had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing around it and warming themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself. The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. Jesus answered him: ✠ «I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together, and I have said nothing secretly. Why do you question me? Ask those who have heard what I said to them; they know what I said». C When he had said this, one of the guards standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying: A «Is that how you answer the high priest?». C Jesus answered him: ✠ «If I have spoken wrongly, bear witness to the wrong; but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?». C Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

Are you not also one of his disciples? I am not!

C Meanwhile Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. They said to him: A «Are you not also one of his disciples?». C He denied it and said: D «I am not». C One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said: A «Did I not see you in the garden with him?». C Peter again denied it, and at once the cock crowed. 

My kingdom is not of this world

C Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the praetorium. It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the praetorium, so that they might not be defiled, but might eat the Passover. So Pilate went out to them and asked: A «What accusation do you bring against this man?». C They answered him: F «If this man were not an evildoer, we would not have handed him over to you». C Pilate said to them: A «Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law». C The Jews answered him: F «It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death». C This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken, to show by what death he was to die. Pilate then entered the praetorium again and called Jesus and said to him: A «Are you the King of the Jews?». C Jesus answered: ✠ «Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?». C Pilate answered: A «Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?». C Jesus answered: ✠ «My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have fought so that I might not be handed over to the Jews; but my kingdom is not from here». C Pilate said to him: A «So you are a king?». C Jesus answered: ✠ «You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world: to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice». C Pilate said to him: A «What is truth?». C After he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and told them: A «I find no guilt in him. But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?». C They cried out again: F «Not this man, but Barabbas!». C Now Barabbas was a bandit.

Hail, King of the Jews!

C Then Pilate took Jesus and scourged him. And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and arrayed him in a purple robe. They came up to him, saying: F «Hail, King of the Jews!». C And struck him with their hands. Pilate went out again and said to them: A «See, I am bringing him out to you, so that you may know that I find no guilt in him». C So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them: A «Behold the man!». C When the chief priests and the guards saw him, they cried out: F «Crucify him! Crucify him!». C Pilate said to them: A «Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him». C The Jews answered him: F «We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God». C When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid. He entered the praetorium again and said to Jesus: A «Where are you from?». C But Jesus gave him no answer. Pilate therefore said to him: A «Will you not speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you and power to crucify you?». C Jesus answered him: ✠ «You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin».

Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!

C From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out: F «If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend! Everyone who makes himself a king sets himself against Caesar». C When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called the Stone Pavement, and in Hebrew Gabbatha. It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon. Pilate said to the Jews: A «Behold your King!». C They cried out: F «Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!». C Pilate said to them: A «Shall I crucify your King?».C The chief priests answered: F «We have no king but Caesar». C Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.

They crucified him, and with him two others

C So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called the Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. Pilate also wrote a title and put it on the cross. It read: «Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews». Many of the Jews read this title, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. The chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate: F «Do not write, “The King of the Jews”, but rather, “This man said, I am the King of the Jews”». C Pilate answered: A «What I have written I have written».

They divided my garments among them

C When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. So they said to one another: «Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be». This was to fulfill the Scripture: «They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots». So the soldiers did these things.

Behold, your son! Behold, your mother!

C Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother: ✠ «Woman, behold, your son!». C Then he said to the disciple: ✠ «Behold, your mother!». C And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said, in order to fulfill the Scripture: ✠ «I thirst». C A jar full of sour wine stood there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said: ✠ «It is finished!». C And, bowing his head, he gave up his spirit.

(Here all genuflect and pause briefly)

And immediately blood and water came out

C Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath - for that Sabbath was a solemn day - the Jews asked Pilate to have their legs broken and have them taken away. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. He who saw this has testified, and his testimony is true; he knows that he tells the truth, so that you also may believe. For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: «Not one of his bones shall be broken». And again another passage of Scripture says: «They will look on him whom they have pierced».

They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with linen cloths along with spices

C After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took his body. Nicodemus also came - the man who earlier had come to Jesus by night - and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. They took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. - The word of the Lord.

Commentary on the Gospel of the day

Looking at Jesus on the cross today, we might be inclined to use a very common expression from our lives: «Who made you do this?». This risk or apparent failure, however, is the place where we meet Jesus, crucified also for us. He fills even those dark crevices where we often spend much of our lives. They are the gloomy corners of certain families, certain illnesses, certain stories, and certain circumstances. Jesus has brought about a radical change. What previously appeared to be a failure has today, on this Good Friday, become the place of his presence; and if we find the courage not to run away, not to abandon the hardship of that moment or those circumstances, then we can overcome, just as Jesus overcame death. But victory always passes through the prostration of defeat. Sometimes, out of fear of losing, we even avoid living. Jesus teaches us to have the courage to lose, but in his way: with trust, ultimately risking placing ourselves in the hands of a Father, even when at that moment he seems far away. We can do as Jesus did, feeling his absence yet saying: «Into your hands, Father, I commend my spirit».