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IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE PASSION AND DEATH OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
Introit (Saint Paul to the Galatians 6, 14)
Reading of the Holy Gospel
The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ
(kneeling)
IX - Jesus before the Sanhedrin
(St. Matthew 27:1; St. Mark 15:1; St. Luke 22:66-71)
At daybreak, the members of the Sanhedrin – the High Priests, the Chief Priests without exception, the Scribes and the Elders of the people – full of hatred against Jesus, assembled in great haste with the intention of condemning Him to death. They summoned Him before their assembly and said to Him, “Tell us if You are the Christ!”
“If I tell you, you will not believe Me,” Jesus answered. “If I in turn question you, you will not answer Me, nor will you set Me free. Yet henceforth the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the Power of God.”
And together they all said, “Are You, then, the Son of God?”
“You yourselves say that I am!” answered Jesus.
Then they cried out, “What further need do we have of witness? We have just heard it from His own mouth!”
X - Remorse and suicide of the traitor
(St. Matthew 27:3-10)
When he saw that Jesus was condemned, Judas the traitor, driven by remorse, brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the Chief Priests and the Elders.
“I have sinned in betraying the blood of the Just Man!” he said.
“What is that to us? See to it yourself!”
Thereupon, Judas flung the pieces of silver into the Temple, went away and hanged himself.
The Chief Priests picked up the pieces of silver.
“It is not lawful to put them into the Treasury,” they said, “because it is the price of blood.”
Later, after having consulted together about it, with this sum they bought the potter’s field as a burial place for strangers. For this reason, that field has been called in their language Haceldama, that is, the Field of Blood, a name that has remained even to this day.
Thus were the words of the Prophet fulfilled: “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of Him who was priced, upon whom the children of Israel set a price. And they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord showed me.”
XI - Jesus before Pilate
(St. Matthew 27:2, 11-14; St. Mark 15:1-5; St. Luke 23:1-4; St. John 18:28-38)
As soon as Jesus had declared that He was the Son of God, all the members of the Council rose together; and after having Him bound, they led Him away to deliver Him to Pontius Pilate the Governor.
It was still early morning. The Jews did not enter the praetorium, for fear that they might contract a legal defilement and not be able to eat the Passover.
Pilate therefore went outside to them on the threshold of his praetorium; he asked them, “What accusation do you bring against this man?”
They answered, “If He were not a criminal, we would not have handed Him over to you.”
“Take Him yourselves, then,” Pilate said, “and judge Him according to your Law.”
“It is no longer lawful for us to impose the death penalty on anyone,” retorted the Jews.
This was in fulfillment of what Jesus had said, predicting the manner of His death.
And the Jews began formulating their accusations, saying, “We have found this man disrupting our nation, forbidding the payment of taxes to Caesar, and attributing to Himself the title of Christ the King!”
Pilate went back into the praetorium and summoned Jesus, who stood before him.
“Are You the King of the Jews?” he asked Him.
“Do you say this of yourself,” Jesus said to him, “or according to what others have told you of Me?”
“Am I a Jew?” replied Pilate. “Your own people and Your priests have brought You before my court. What have You done?”
“My kingship does not come from this world,” answered Jesus. “If My kingship came from this world, My men would surely have fought to keep Me from falling into the hands of the Jews. No, for the present, My Kingdom is not from here.”
“You are a King, then?” asked Pilate.
“You have said it, I am a King! I was born, I have come into the world, to bear witness to the Truth. Whoever is on the side of the Truth hears My voice.”
“What is Truth?” said the Governor.
And with that question, he returned outside to the Chief Priests and the crowd of Jews, and said to them, “I find no cause for condemnation in this man.”
Then the Chief Priests and the Elders multiplied their accusations; Jesus remained silent.
“Do You not hear how many testimonies they are accumulating against You?” exclaimed Pilate. “Have You no answer to make?”
But Jesus did not speak a single word to him, which caused the Governor great astonishment.
XII - Jesus before Herod
(St. Luke 23:5-12)
Meanwhile, the Jews persisted forcefully, crying out, “He is stirring up the people with the doctrines He is spreading, from Galilee where He began, throughout all Judea, and even to this place!”
But Pilate, hearing the name of Galilee, asked whether the man was a Galilean. As soon as he learned that Jesus belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to that king, who was in Jerusalem at the time.
When Herod saw Jesus, he was deeply gratified. For a long time he had been wishing to meet Him, because of all he had been told about Him, and because he was hoping to see Him perform some wonder.
He therefore began asking Him many questions.
Jesus gave him no answer.
Now, the Chief Priests and Scribes were standing by, tirelessly accusing Him.
Herod and his guards covered Jesus with contempt. He had Him arrayed in a white robe and mocked Him. Then he sent Him back to Pilate.
And from that day on, Herod and Pilate became friends, whereas previously they had been enemies.
XIII - Barabbas
(St. Matthew 27:15-23, 26; St. Mark 15:6-15; St. Luke 23:13-25; St. John 18:39-40)
Pilate summoned the Chief Priests, the rulers and the people, and he spoke these words to them:
“You have brought this Man before me as someone who is stirring up the people; yet, I have examined Him in your presence, and I have found in Him no grounds for condemnation on the charges you lay against Him. Herod, to whom I sent you, has found nothing either. Therefore, nothing deserving of death has been established against Him. For that reason, I will have a chastisement inflicted upon Him and then release Him.”
Now, on the day of the feast, it was the custom for the Governor to grant them the release of a prisoner of their choice. A notorious criminal called Barabbas was in prison at the time. He was in chains with some rioters, for having killed a man during an uprising.
At that moment, the crowd came to the praetorium and began to ask for the favor that the Governor always granted.
Having the crowd come near, Pilate addressed them, saying, “You have a custom that I should release a prisoner to you at the Passover. Do you want me to release the King of the Jews?… Which one do you want: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?”
Indeed, he knew very well that the Chief Priests had handed Him over only out of envy.
In the meantime, his wife sent word to him while he was sitting on the judgment seat: “Have nothing to do with the case of that Just Man, for today I have suffered strangely in a dream concerning Him.”
But the High Priests, the Chief Priests and the Elders had stirred up the crowds and incited them to demand the release of Barabbas and the death of Jesus.
So when the Governor renewed his question, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” the whole mob burst out unanimously, “Barabbas! Not this Man, but Barabbas! Away with this Man, and give us Barabbas!”
“But what am I to do with Jesus, this King of the Jews who is called Christ?” retorted Pilate.
They all cried louder than ever, “Let Him be crucified!”
“But what evil has He done?” insisted the Governor.
The Jews kept crying out the more, “Let Him be crucified!”
Pilate was determined to release Jesus. He spoke to them again. But the outcry grew more and more violent:
“Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”
He said to them a third time, “What evil has He done? I find nothing deserving of death in Him; I will therefore chastise Him and then release Him.”
But they were relentless and demanded with loud cries that He should be crucified, and their shouts grew more and more threatening.
So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas, whom they were asking for, and who had been cast into prison for murder and sedition, and delivered Jesus to their mercy.
Hymn on Charity
by saint Louis Marie de Montfort
1.
I believe it, I have to love
God hidden in my neighbor,
And God hidden in myself,
Both are all my good.
I love and I say anathema
To the heart that isn’t filled with it.
CHORUS:
I believe it, I must love
God hidden in my neighbor.
2.
When one loves, one knows all things;
Without love, one does nothing,
It’s the only necessity,
It’s the summary of every good,
It’s the divine character,
It’s the essence of being a Christian.
3.
When that love is visible,
Sincere and from the heart’s depths,
He is the infallible mark
Of the love for the Creator.
One without the other is impossible,
Who denies it is a liar.
5.
My neighbor has God as Father,
He’s bearing all His features.
He has Jesus Christ as a Brother,
He has all His charms.
He is the fruit of His Calvary,
He is the object of His blessings.
6.
When my fellow man offends me
Or is playing a bad trick on me,
Though he may be indifferent
Even though he’d show no gratitude,
I love him patiently,
I redouble my love.
7.
May he be holy, may he be guilty,
Let him be small, let him be king,
Let him be tough, let him be affable,
Whether he’s for me or against me.
He’s no less lovable,
When I see him through faith.
15.
Let us love, let us love our brothers
After our Saviour’s example,
Despite all their miseries,
Despite their bad moods,
And let’s strive by our prayers
To win their hearts to God.
16.
Let’s relieve the wretches,
Let’s protect the orphans,
Let’s convert the culprits,
Let’s repress deceitful people;
Let’s comfort the incurables,
And to all let’s lend a hand.
17.
But most of all, let us help the souls
Who are falling into hell,
Let’s try to extinguish their flames,
Let’s try to break their bonds
Through all the blame
And in spite of the whole universe.
18.
Listen to Jesus calling out:
Let the children come,
By My words of life
Teach the ignorant!
Without forgetting, I beg you,
The poor convalescents!
19
Great God, who can defend himself
From the laws of charity,
Since it brought You down
Down to our humanity?
It’s decided, I want to surrender
To its sweet authority.
