0:00
Third reading from the book of Isaiah.
0:02
The Lord God has given me a well-trained
0:04
tongue that I might know how to speak to
0:06
the weary a word that will rouse them.
0:09
Morning after morning he opens my ear
0:11
that I may hear. And I have not
0:13
rebelled, have not turned back. I gave
0:16
my back to those who beat me, my cheeks
0:18
to those who plucked my beard. My face I
0:21
did not shield from buffets and
0:23
spitting. The Lord God is my help.
0:26
Therefore I am not disgraced. I have set
0:28
my face like flint, knowing that I shall
0:30
not be put to shame. The word of the
0:33
Lord. Thanks be to God.
0:43
Do a reading from the letter to the
0:45
Philippians. Christ Jesus, though he was
0:47
in the form of God, did not regard
0:49
equality with God something to be
0:51
grasped. Rather, he emptied himself,
0:55
taking the form of a slave, coming in
0:57
human likeness, and found human in
0:59
appearance. He humbled himself, becoming
1:01
obedient to the point of death, even
1:03
death on a cross. Because of this, God
1:07
greatly exalted him and bestowed on him
1:09
the name which is above every name, that
1:11
at the name of Jesus, every knee should
1:13
bend of those in heaven and on earth and
1:16
under the earth, and every tongue
1:18
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the
1:20
glory of God the Father. The word of the
1:23
Lord. Thanks be to God.
1:33
A reading from the Holy Gospel according
1:35
to Matthew. Glory to you, O Lord. Jesus
1:38
stood before the governor Ponteus Pilate
1:41
who questioned him, "Are you the king of
1:43
the Jews?" Jesus said, "You say so." And
1:47
when he was accused by the chief priests
1:49
and elders, he made no answer. Then
1:51
Pilate said to him, "Do you not hear how
1:54
many things they are testifying against
1:55
you?" But he did not answer him one
1:58
word, so that the governor was greatly
2:00
amazed. Now on the occasion of the
2:02
feast, the governor was accustomed to
2:04
release to the crowd one prisoner whom
2:06
they wished. And at that time they had a
2:09
notorious prisoner called Barabus. So
2:11
when they had assembled, Pilate said to
2:14
them, "Which one do you want me to
2:16
release to you, Barabus, or Jesus called
2:18
Christ?" For he knew that it was out of
2:21
envy that they had handed him over.
2:23
While he was still seated on the bench,
2:25
his wife sent him a message. Have
2:28
nothing to do with that righteous man. I
2:30
suffered much in a dream today because
2:32
of him. The chief priests and the elders
2:35
persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabus,
2:37
but to destroy Jesus. The governor said
2:40
to them in reply, "Which of the two do
2:43
you want me to release to you?" They
2:45
answered, "Barabus." Pilate said to
2:47
them, "Then what shall I do with Jesus
2:50
called Christ?" They all said, "Let him
2:52
be crucified." But he said, "Why? What
2:55
evil has he done?" They only shouted the
2:58
louder, "Let him be crucified." When
3:00
Pilate saw that he was not succeeding at
3:02
all, but that a riot was breaking out
3:04
instead, he took water and washed his
3:07
hands in the sight of the crowd, saying,
3:10
"I'm innocent of this man's blood. Look
3:12
to it [music] yourselves." And the whole
3:14
people said in reply, "His blood be upon
3:17
us and upon our children." Then he
3:19
released Barabus to them. But after he
3:21
had Jesus scourged, he handed him over
3:25
Then the soldiers of the governor took
3:27
Jesus inside the ptorium and gathered
3:30
the whole cohort around him. They
3:32
stripped off his clothes and threw a
3:33
scarlet military cloak about him.
3:36
Weaving a crown out of thorns, they
3:38
placed it on his head and a reed in his
3:40
right hand. And kneeling before him,
3:42
they mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of
3:44
the Jews." They spat upon him and took
3:47
the reed and kept striking him on the
3:49
head. And when they had mocked him, they
3:51
stripped him of the cloak, dressed him
3:52
in his own clothes, and led him off to
3:54
crucify him. As they were going out,
3:57
they met a Sirenian named Simon. This
4:00
man they pressed into service to carry
4:02
his cross. And when they came to a place
4:05
called Goltha, which means place of the
4:07
skull, they gave Jesus wine to drink,
4:10
mixed with Gaul. But when he had tasted
4:13
it, he refused to drink. After they had
4:17
crucified him, they divided his garments
4:19
by casting lots. Then they sat down and
4:22
kept watch over him there. And they
4:24
placed over his head the written charge
4:26
against him. This is Jesus, the king of
4:29
the Jews. Two revolutionaries were
4:31
crucified with him, one on his right and
4:33
the other on his left. Those passing by
4:36
reviled him, shaking their heads and
4:38
saying, "You who would destroy the
4:41
temple and rebuild it in 3 days. Save
4:43
yourself if you are the son of God and
4:45
come down from the cross." Likewise, the
4:48
chief priests with the scribes and
4:50
elders mocked him and said, "He saved
4:52
others. He cannot save himself. So, he
4:55
is the king of Israel. Let him come down
4:57
from the cross now, and we will believe
4:59
in him." He trusted in God. Let him
5:02
deliver him now if he wants him. for he
5:05
said, "I am the son of God." The
5:08
revolutionaries who were crucified with
5:10
him also kept abusing him in the same
5:12
way. From noon onward, darkness came
5:15
over the whole land until 3:00 in the
5:17
afternoon. And about 3:00, Jesus cried
5:21
out in a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, Layma
5:24
Sabakthani," which means, "My God, my
5:27
God, why have you forsaken me?" Some of
5:30
the bystanders who heard it said, "This
5:32
one is calling for Elijah." Immediately
5:34
one of them ran to get a sponge. He
5:36
soaked it in wine and putting it on a
5:38
reed gave it to him to drink. But the
5:41
rest said, "Wait, let us see if Elijah
5:43
comes to save him." [music] But Jesus
5:45
cried out again in a loud voice and gave
5:47
up his spirit. Here all kneel and paws
5:50
for a short time. And behold, the veil
5:53
of the sanctuary was torn in two from
5:55
top to bottom. The earth quaked, rocks
5:58
were split, tombs were opened, and the
6:00
bodies of many saints who had fallen
6:02
asleep were raised, and coming forth
6:05
from their tombs after his resurrection,
6:07
they entered the holy city and appeared
6:09
to many. The centurion and the men with
6:11
him who were keeping watch over Jesus,
6:14
feared greatly when they saw the
6:15
earthquake and all that was happening.
6:17
And they said, "Truly, this was the Son
6:19
of God." The Gospel of the Lord. Praise
6:23
to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
6:33
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
6:35
there is a silence that speaks louder
6:37
than a thousand words. There is a
6:39
surrender that is the greatest victory.
6:41
There is a weakness that demonstrates
6:43
supreme power. In the readings of this
6:46
solemn day, we are led to the heart of
6:49
the Christian mystery, the passion of
6:51
our Lord Jesus Christ, where all
6:53
paradoxes meet, where heaven and earth
6:56
touch through the cross. The prophet
6:58
Isaiah presents us centuries before
7:00
Christ with a disturbing and prophetic
7:02
image. I offered my back to those who
7:05
struck me and my cheeks to those who
7:07
plucked out my beard. I did not hide my
7:10
face from insults and spitting. What a
7:12
brutal description of suffering. But
7:15
note something fundamental. This is not
7:17
suffering imposed against the prophet's
7:19
will. He offered his back. He did not
7:21
hide his face. There is a deliberate
7:24
choice here, a conscious consent to
7:26
suffering. This image prepares us to
7:29
understand what we will see in the
7:30
gospel. Jesus was not a passive victim
7:33
of circumstances dragged against his
7:35
will to Calvary. He chose this path. He
7:38
freely offered himself. Like the
7:41
suffering servant of Isaiah, he made his
7:43
face like flint and went forward knowing
7:46
that he would not be put to shame. But
7:48
why this path of suffering? Why would
7:51
God choose to reveal his love through
7:53
the cross? Paul gives us the answer in
7:55
the letter to the Philippians in what is
7:58
considered one of the oldest and most
7:59
profound Christian hymns. Jesus Christ
8:03
emptied himself taking the form of a
8:05
servant. Reflect on this word emptied
8:08
himself. In the original Greek, it is
8:12
kinosis, a total complete emptying.
8:16
Christ who had everything, glory, power,
8:18
majesty, chose to have nothing. He who
8:21
created the galaxies with a word, who
8:23
sustains the universe with the breath of
8:25
his mouth, chose the vulnerability of a
8:27
baby in a manger and the powerlessness
8:29
of a condemned man on a cross. This is
8:32
God's way. Not the way of power that
8:34
dominates and subjugates, but the power
8:36
that gives itself and serves. Not the
8:39
force that destroys enemies, but the
8:41
love that gives itself for them. How
8:44
this contrast with the values of the
8:46
world. How this challenges our
8:48
understanding of success, power, and
8:50
victory. And then we come to the Gospel
8:52
of Matthew where we witness this divine
8:55
self-mping unfolding in painful detail.
8:58
Jesus stands before Pilate, the
9:00
representative of the greatest empire
9:02
the world has ever known. Pilate holds
9:04
all political and military power. Jesus
9:07
is imprisoned, scourged, humiliated.
9:10
But who truly holds the power in this
9:12
scene? Are you the king of the Jews?
9:14
Pilate asks. You say so, Jesus replies.
9:18
And after that, a profound silence.
9:21
Are you not going to answer? Pilate
9:23
insists. Do you see how many things they
9:25
accuse you of? But Jesus remains silent.
9:29
This silence of Jesus is not the
9:30
muteness of fear or defeat. It is the
9:33
silence of divine sovereignty. It is the
9:37
silence of one who does not need to
9:38
defend himself because he knows a deeper
9:41
truth. It is the fulfillment of Isaiah's
9:44
words. The Lord God helps me. Therefore,
9:49
Pilate is astonished by this silence. He
9:52
who is accustomed to making people speak
9:54
through threats and torture finds
9:56
himself before someone whom his power
9:58
cannot truly touch. Pilate can condemn
10:01
Jesus' body. But he cannot reach his
10:04
soul, his mission, his divine purpose.
10:08
And then comes the choice, Barabus or
10:10
Jesus, a violent criminal or the prince
10:13
of peace. The crowd incited by the
10:15
religious leaders chooses Barabbus. What
10:18
shall I do then with Jesus who is called
10:21
Christ? asks Pilate. Crucify him, they
10:24
shout. What a tragedy, what bitter
10:26
irony. The people are choosing violence
10:28
over peace, darkness over light, death
10:31
over life. But even in this terrible
10:34
choice, God's plan is unfolding.
10:37
Because it is precisely through this
10:39
rejection, through this crucifixion that
10:41
salvation will come. Pilate tries to
10:44
absolve himself of responsibility,
10:46
publicly washing his hands. I am
10:49
innocent of the blood of this righteous
10:51
man. He declares, "But there is no way
10:54
to wash away guilt when we have the
10:56
power to do what is right and choose not
10:58
to. Neutrality in the face of injustice
11:00
is in itself a form of complicity."
11:04
And here is a question we must ask
11:06
ourselves. How many times in our lives
11:08
do we wash our hands of injustice? How
11:11
many times do we see suffering,
11:12
oppression, evil, and choose not to get
11:15
involved, not to take a stand, not to
11:18
risk our reputation or comfort. Jesus
11:21
did not wash his hands. He stretched
11:22
them out on the cross. He took
11:24
responsibility not for his own sins, for
11:26
he had none, but for ours. He carried
11:30
the weight of all the evil, all the
11:31
pain, all the separation from God that
11:34
humanity has ever experienced or will
11:36
ever experience. The soldiers mock him,
11:39
placing a crown of thorns on his head
11:41
and a robe over his shoulders. "Hail,
11:44
King of the Jews!" they shout
11:46
sarcastically, striking him and spitting
11:48
on him. They don't realize that they are
11:50
ironically speaking the truth. This
11:54
bloodied and humiliated man is indeed a
11:56
king, but of a kingdom they cannot
11:58
comprehend. Because the kingdom of
12:00
Christ is not established through
12:02
military force or political domination.
12:04
It is established through sacrificial
12:07
love, abundant grace, and undeserved
12:10
forgiveness. Every blow Jesus suffers,
12:13
every drop of blood he sheds is a
12:15
demonstration of this incomprehensible
12:17
love. Simon ofSirene is forced to carry
12:21
Jesus's cross. This chance encounter
12:24
becomes a moment of profound
12:26
significance. Simon coming from the
12:28
countryside unknowingly becomes a model
12:31
of disciplehip because Jesus calls us
12:34
all to take up our cross and follow him.
12:38
Simon literally does this. Sometimes
12:41
carrying the cross is not a choice we
12:43
make deliberately. Sometimes like Simon,
12:46
we are compelled by life's
12:49
Illness we didn't ask for, loss we
12:51
didn't expect, [music] pain we don't
12:53
deserve. But even in these moments when
12:55
we carry our cross alongside Christ, a
12:58
mysterious grace is at work. A
13:00
transformation is taking place. And then
13:03
we arrive at Golgtha, the place of the
13:06
skull. There Jesus is crucified between
13:09
two thieves. Even in his death, he is
13:12
among the marginalized, the rejected,
13:14
the condemned. Passers by mock, "If you
13:17
are the son of God, come down from the
13:19
cross." The priests and scribes scoff.
13:22
He saved others, but he can't save
13:23
himself. What cruel mockery, but also
13:27
what a profoundly true statement, though
13:30
they didn't realize it. Jesus cannot
13:32
save himself precisely because he chose
13:34
to save us. He doesn't come down from
13:37
the cross because true love doesn't give
13:39
up, doesn't flee, doesn't abandon. Love
13:43
remains even unto death. Eli, Eli, lay
13:47
Sabakthani, my God, my God, why have you
13:49
forsaken me? Jesus cry echoes through
13:52
the centuries piercing our hearts. This
13:55
is the deepest moment of divine
13:56
self-mping. The son experiences
13:59
separation from the father bearing upon
14:02
himself the weight of all the sins that
14:04
separate us from God. But note that even
14:06
in this moment of extreme anguish, Jesus
14:09
still cries out, "My God." The
14:12
relationship is not broken, although it
14:14
seems to be. Trust remains [music] even
14:18
though it is tested to the limit. This
14:20
is the faith that saves us. Not the
14:22
absence of doubt or pain, but
14:24
perseverance through them. And then with
14:27
a loud cry, Jesus gives up his spirit.
14:30
[music] The veil of the temple is torn
14:32
in two from top to bottom. This is no
14:35
small detail. The veil separated the
14:37
holy of holies where the presence of God
14:40
dwelt from the rest of the temple. Only
14:42
the high priest could enter there and
14:44
only once a year. But now the veil is
14:47
torn. Access to God is open. No longer
14:50
through animal sacrifices or elaborate
14:52
rituals, but through Jesus Christ, the
14:55
only mediator between God and humanity.
14:58
The barrier is removed. The way is
15:01
clear. The earth trembles. The rocks
15:03
split. The tombs open. All of creation
15:07
shudders at what has just happened. The
15:09
creator died for his creatures. The
15:11
innocent one was condemned so that the
15:14
guilty could be freed. The son of God
15:16
became a curse so that we could become
15:19
children of God. The Roman centurion
15:22
witnessed to all this makes a startling
15:24
confession. Truly, [music] this was the
15:27
son of God, a gentile, a soldier of the
15:31
empire that crucified Jesus recognizes
15:34
what the religious leaders refuse to
15:35
see. The light shines in the darkness,
15:38
and even those who should be furthest
15:40
away are drawn to it. My dear brothers
15:43
and sisters, what do we do with this
15:45
story? How do we respond to this extreme
15:47
love to this complete sacrifice? First,
15:50
we must recognize that this is not just
15:52
an old story about a good man who died
15:55
unjustly. This is the story of our
15:57
salvation. Jesus died for you, for me,
16:00
for every person who has ever lived or
16:02
will ever live. Those nails that
16:04
fastened him to the cross were placed
16:05
there for our sins, for my pride, for my
16:08
greed, for my indifference to the
16:10
suffering of others.
16:12
Second, we are called to embrace the
16:14
path of self-mping that Paul describes
16:18
in a world that tells us to assert
16:20
ourselves, to promote ourselves, to
16:21
exalt ourselves. Jesus shows us a
16:24
different path. The path of humble
16:26
service, of sacrificial love, of total
16:29
surrender to God and neighbor. This does
16:32
not mean that we should seek suffering
16:33
for its own sake or remain in abusive
16:36
situations. But it means that we are
16:38
willing to put the needs of others above
16:40
our own conveniences to forgive even
16:43
when we have been deeply hurt. To love
16:46
even when it is not reciprocated.
16:48
Third, we must learn to remain in
16:50
trusting silence in the face of life's
16:53
accusations and injustices. Like Jesus
16:56
before Pilate, we don't always need to
16:58
defend or justify ourselves. There is
17:01
spiritual strength in knowing who we are
17:02
in Christ and standing firm in that
17:05
identity regardless of what others say
17:07
or do. Fourth, we are challenged to take
17:11
up our cross daily and follow Jesus.
17:15
This can mean different things for each
17:16
of us. For some, it may be caring for a
17:19
sick family member with patience and
17:21
love. For others, it may be remaining
17:24
faithful in a difficult marriage. For
17:27
still others, it may be defending
17:29
justice even when it costs us
17:30
friendships or opportunities.
17:33
Fifth, we must live with the awareness
17:35
that the veil has been torn. We have
17:38
direct access to God through Jesus
17:40
Christ. We don't need human
17:42
intermediaries to approach the father.
17:44
We can come confidently to the throne of
17:46
grace bringing our sorrows, our doubts,
17:49
our joys, our thanksgivings.
17:52
And finally, we must proclaim like the
17:53
Roman centurion, truly this is the son
17:56
of God. Our entire lives should be a
17:59
testimony to this truth, not just with
18:01
words, but through our actions, our
18:03
choices, our relationships, our
18:06
compassion for the marginalized, our
18:08
fight for justice, our love for our
18:09
enemies. The cross is not the end of the
18:12
story. We know that the resurrection is
18:14
coming. But today at this moment we
18:17
stand at the foot of the cross
18:19
contemplating the love that went so far
18:21
for us. Let this love transform you. Let
18:24
this sacrifice motivate you. Let this
18:27
grace renew you. Paul tells us that
18:30
because of his self-mping and obedience
18:32
unto death. God highly exalted him and
18:35
bestowed on him the name that is above
18:36
every name. The way down is the way up.
18:40
Death leads to life. The cross leads to
18:43
the crown. May we follow this same path
18:46
trusting that he who called us is
18:48
faithful. May we empty ourselves of our
18:51
selfishness and be filled with the love
18:52
of Christ. May we turn our backs on
18:55
life's difficulties knowing that we will
18:57
not be confounded. May we extend our
19:00
hands in love even when it costs us. And
19:02
may we at the end of our journey also
19:04
hear every tongue confess and every knee
19:06
bow before Jesus Christ the Lord to the
19:10
glory of God the Father. May the grace
19:12
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who loved us
19:15
and gave himself for us, be with you all
19:17
now and forever. Amen.
19:21
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in
19:24
battle. Be our protection against the
19:26
wickedness and snares of the devil. May
19:29
God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do
19:32
thou, O prince of the heavenly host, by
19:35
the power of God, cast into hell Satan
19:39
and all the evil spirits who prowl
19:41
throughout the world seeking the ruin of
