Jesus had announced several times to His Apostles that one day His enemies would arrest Him and inflict the most cruel torments on Him. They would judge Him unjustly and then condemn Him to death. Jesus told His Apostles that He desired all these sufferings and even death to show us how much He loved us! It is through His passion and death that Jesus redeemed us and opened the gates of Heaven, closed by sin.
One day, Jesus went with His Apostles to Jerusalem. When He arrived at the Mount of Olives, He said to two of His disciples:
“Go to Bethphage, and there you will find a donkey bound and a colt with her. Untie her and bring them both. If the owner asks you for an explanation, all you have to do is say, ‘The Lord needs them.’ ”
Everything happens as Jesus had foretold. The donkey owner, hearing that it was for Jesus, willingly lends his animals.
Our Lord Jesus Christ mounts the colt and enters the city of Jerusalem. Many people follow Him and acclaim Him as their king. Branches are cut from the trees and placed in His path. The children run around the procession and wave palm branches, shouting their joy. It is this remembrance that is celebrated on Palm Sunday.
As Jesus approaches the city, He looks at Jerusalem and weeps over it, saying, “The days will come when enemies will make trenches all around you, attack you, kill your inhabitants and destroy you.” Jesus grieves immensely as He sees the wicked stubbornly persisting in their sins.
The chief priests were powerful and evil men who are always attacking Jesus. They pursue Him everywhere and seek to deceive Him in order to kill Him. They should have known that Jesus came from God, for many miracles had already proved it. But they persist in their evil purpose because their hearts are filled with pride and wickedness.
The hour of the Passion that Jesus has announced so many times is approaching…
On Holy Thursday, Jesus comes with His Apostles to a large room, called the Cenacle, which is decorated for the Passover meal. On that day, a special dinner is to be held in memory of the deliverance of the Hebrews from their captivity in Egypt.
When they sit down to eat, the Apostles argue, as they so often do, about who among them will take the place of honor next to Our Lord in His kingdom.
Then, to teach them a lesson in humility, Jesus removes His cloak, takes a towel, pours water into a basin, and begins to wash the feet of His disciples.
Confused, Peter wants to decline, but Our Lord orders him to let Him do so, then He says:
“I am your Master and your Lord, but I wanted to give you an example, so that you would treat one another with humility and charity.”
During the meal, Jesus suddenly says, “You are pure… but not all of you.”
And He adds: “Truly, one of you will betray Me.”
The Apostles are very saddened to hear these dreadful words. They begin to say, one after the other: “Is it I, Lord?”
Jesus says: “One of those who eat with Me will betray Me. But woe unto him! It would have been better for him if he had not come into the world”.
Judas, the traitor, also asks with the most shameful hypocrisy: “Is it I, Master, who will betray You?”
And Jesus answers quietly, “You have said it.”
Then Saint John, who is near Jesus, leans towards Him and asks Him who the traitor is.
Our Lord answers: “It is the one to whom I will offer a piece of dipped bread.” He takes some bread, dips it and offers it to Judas. Almost immediately, he leaves the room to go and accomplish his diabolical plan.
At the end of the supper, Jesus takes some bread, blesses it, breaks it and gives it to His apostles, saying: “Take and eat, for this is My Body.”
In like manner, taking the chalice and giving it to them, He said: “Take and drink ye all of this. For this is the chalice of My Blood, shed for you and for many unto the remission of sins. As often as you shall do this, do it in remembrance of Me.”
It is at this moment that Jesus instituted the Eucharist: it is the great mystery of Jesus who becomes bread to nourish our soul. He loves us so much that He does not want to abandon us when He leaves the earth. For more than 2000 years, He has dwelt with us in His tabernacle. At the same time, Jesus consecrates His first priests. The priest continues the work of Jesus Christ on earth.
Jesus repeatedly says to His disciples: “Love one another as I have loved you”.
During the supper, Jesus addresses Peter in a special way: “I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail.”
Peter exclaims: “Even if all would forsake You, I will not! Jesus, I would give my life for You! I will follow You into prison and even to death!”
And Jesus answers, “Amen I say to you, this very night, before the cock has crowed twice, you will have denied Me three times.”
But Peter repeats more loudly, “No, no, I will never abandon You. I will not deny You.” And the others say the same.
After singing a hymn, Jesus leaves the Upper Room to go with the Apostles to the Garden of Olives.
Seeing vines along the road, Jesus said to His Apostles, “I am the true vine and you are the branches.” That is, you live by My life, as the branches live by the sap they receive from the trunk.
Jesus adds, “He who remains united to Me bears much fruit, but without Me you can do nothing.”
Then Our Lord prays to His Father for His Apostles and for us, saying: “Father, protect them, so that they may remain united and become one, as You and I are one. As You sent Me into the world, so do I send them.”
Followed by the Eleven, for Judas had disappeared, Jesus arrives at the Garden of Olives. It is a quiet area where He often comes to pray during the night. That evening, Jesus leaves eight of His Apostles at the entrance and takes only Peter, James and John with Him.
Then He begins to feel an immense sorrow and mortal anguish. He says to His three friends: “My soul is sorrowful unto death! Stay here and watch with Me.”
The garden is bathed in moonlight, and Our Lord comes forward in the shade of the olive trees. He kneels down and prays thus: “My God, if it is possible, let this cup depart from Me… But no, not My will but Thine be done.”
At this moment, He clearly sees before Him, on the one hand, sinners with their crimes, on the other hand, the possibly useless sufferings that await Him, because many wicked people will refuse His grace.
At this thought, He falls into such dejection that the extreme suffering makes Him sweat drops of blood. Three times He comes to His Apostles, hoping to find comfort from them. But poor Jesus! He finds them asleep!
He wakes them up and says kindly to Peter: “So, you were not able to watch with Me for an hour? Watch and pray, that you may not fall into temptation.”
He goes away again and repeats the same prayer, “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass far from Me!”
Then an Angel comes from Heaven to comfort Him, showing Him that His sufferings will not be lost for everyone. Certainly, at that moment, Jesus saw in advance the generous children who, by their sacrifices, their acts of obedience, their prayers well done, will also seek to console the good Jesus who loves them so much.
Around midnight, lights appear behind the dark trees. Jesus returns to His disciples and finds them sleeping again.“Rise now,” He says, “for the one who is to betray Me is coming.”
Indeed, Roman soldiers and Jews, armed with swords and sticks, enter the garden, led by a man whose evil glare darts in every direction: it is Judas. He had said to his companions: “The one I will kiss, that is He; seize Him.”
And immediately, drawing near to Jesus, he says to Him: “Hail, Master.” And he kisses Him. Jesus says to him: “My friend, why have you come? Judas, you betray Me with a kiss!”
Then Jesus goes before the soldiers and says to them, “Whom do you seek?”
They answer Him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus says to them, “It is I.”
As soon as He says this, Judas and the soldiers step back and fall to the ground before Him. He asks them again, “Whom do you seek” And they answer, “Jesus of Nazareth.”
Jesus says again: “I have already told you: it is I. So I am the One you seek, let these men go.”
And He points to His disciples, forbidding the soldiers to do them any harm. Then the soldiers set hands on Jesus to secure Him.
“Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” cries His dear Peter. And without waiting for an answer, He draws His sword, strikes the servant of the high priest and cuts off his right ear.
But Jesus says to Peter, “Put your sword back in its sheath and be still, for so it must be.” And having touched the man’s ear, Jesus healed him.
Jesus says to the soldiers and the Jews: “You have come to arrest Me as a thief. And yet, I was among you every day in the Temple and you did not arrest Me. If you arrest Me today, it is because I am willing and in order to fulfill what has been foretold about Me by the prophets.”
And Jesus lets Himself be chained and led away by these wretches.
The Apostles, seeing what is happening, are afraid of being arrested also. Taking advantage of the fact that the soldiers are all gathered around Jesus, they cowardly abandon Him and flee in terror.
A great commotion occurs at the palace of the high priest when the soldiers bring the Divine Prisoner there. At that time, the Jews were under Roman occupation and Caiphas was the high priest. Annas, his father-in-law, had been the high priest before him. He is a treacherous and cruel old man, one of the main authors of the plot against our Lord. When Jesus is dragged into his presence, he takes great pleasure in seeing Him in chains.
Annas asks the Saviour about His disciples and His doctrine, hoping to find in His answers some words useful for condemning Him.
But Jesus answers that He has always taught publicly in the Temple, and that all they have to do is ask those who heard Him.
At these words, one of Annas’ servants, seeking to please his master, slaps Jesus and shouts, “Is this how You answer the high priest?”
Jesus replies with His unalterable meekness, “If I have spoken wrongly, show what I have said wrongly; but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike Me?”
But they come to warn Annas that the Sanhedrin is assembled and awaits the prisoner to judge Him. The Sanhedrin was the great Council of the Jews that judged all important judicial matters. It had the right to condemn to death, but could not execute its sentences without authorization from the Roman governor.
Caiphas, the president, is sitting on a platform when Our Lord is brought in by the guards in order to be interrogated. But it is impossible to find in the holy life of Jesus the slightest appearance of an act that merits the death sentence. False witnesses are brought in. Their statements do not agree.
Jesus hears all this and remains silent.
In the end, Caiphas, moved with anger, rises and cries out, “Do You answer nothing to what these men are testifying against You?”
But Jesus still remains silent.
Then Caiphas questions Him again, “If You are the Son of God, tell us.”
“I am,” Jesus replies, “and henceforth the Son of Man will sit at the right hand of God Almighty, and one day He will come on the clouds of Heaven to judge you.”
The high priest, at the height of indignation, rends his garments.
“He has blasphemed,” he cries, “what need have we of further testimony?! Behold, you have just heard a blasphemy from His own mouth. What do you think of it?”
And all respond with a shout, “He is deserving of death!”
While Jesus is appearing before the Sanhedrin, what are the Apostles doing?
Most of them have fled, but Peter and John, after a moment’s hesitation, have retraced their steps, and from a distance they are following the procession of soldiers who have arrested their Master.
Saint John, who knows the steward of the house of Annas, is able to enter with Peter. Then, surely in order to inform the Blessed Virgin of what is happening, he sets off, leaving Peter alone in the middle of the courtyard.
It is cold. The servants and soldiers await the end of the trial, warming themselves around a fire.
Peter approaches timidly. His face is visible in the light of the fire, and the servant woman, somewhat worried about having let someone enter who is not from the house, can now examine him at leisure. Suddenly she says to him, “You too were with Jesus of Galilee.”
Peter, trembling at being recognized, denies it in front of everyone, saying, “I do not know what you are saying.”
And in the courtyard, a cock begins to crow.
Soon afterwards, another servant girl notices Peter and says to the others, “This one was also with Jesus of Nazareth.
Peter again denies it, swearing, “I do not know that man.”
When the servants heard that a Galilean had come and mingled with their group, they approached Peter and said to him, “Surely you are one of these people, for you have an accent that gives you away.”
In fact, Galileans had a different pronunciation from people from other regions.
The poor disciple, increasingly terrified, begins to shout and even swear that he does not know this man they are speaking of.
At the same moment, the cock crows and Jesus crosses the courtyard in chains, suffering cruelly under the blows of the executioners, but suffering even more painfully in His Heart from the triple denial of His Apostle Peter.
Nevertheless, His gaze expresses more pity than indignation towards this unfortunate man who has followed Him to this point and exposed himself to danger for love of Him.
Jesus turns to the Apostle and their gazes meet.
Peter then remembers what his Master had told him, “Before the cock crows twice, you will have denied Me three times.”
He goes out and weeps bitterly for his great sin.
When Judas learns that Jesus has been condemned to death, he understands the full horror of his crime. So he decides to give back to the Jews the thirty coins he had received as the price of his betrayal. He goes to them and says, “I have sinned by delivering the blood of the Just.” And he hands them the money.
But the others answer him wickedly: “What is that to us? That is your business!”
Desperate, he throws his money into the Temple and goes to hang himself from a tree. He would have done better to go and hang himself around Jesus’ neck and ask Him for forgiveness. Jesus would have forgiven him, cleansed his soul and granted him salvation.
The Jews bring Jesus before Pilate, the Roman Governor, to have Him sentenced to death.
Pilate soon realizes that Jesus is innocent, but he does not know how to get rid of the screaming crowd that has invaded his palace.
He too asks Jesus, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
“Yes, I am King,” answers Our Lord, “but My Kingdom is not of this world. I have come into this world to bear witness to the Truth.”
“What have You to say on the charges brought against You?” asks Pilate.
But Jesus remains silent.
Then Pilate, addressing the crowd, says, “I see nothing in this prisoner that is deserving of death.” The Jews shout louder and louder, “He is revolutionizing the people with His teaching, beginning in Galilee and coming all the way here.”
Learning that Jesus is a Galilean, Pilate, wanting to end the matter, sends Him off to King Herod, who is in Jerusalem precisely at that moment.
Herod manifests a sadistic joy at the sight of Jesus, for he hopes to be amused by seeing Him perform some miracle.
So he questions Him, but Jesus answers nothing to this treacherous prince who had put Saint John the Baptist to death.
Herod, offended by Jesus’ silence, takes revenge by having Him decked out in the loose white robe of fools. The people in the palace ridicule Jesus, and Herod sends Him back to Pilate.
Jesus accepts this humiliation to atone for the pride of humanity, including our own.
When He leaves Herod’s palace, Jesus is greeted by the coarse mockery of the crowd that escorts Him to Pontius Pilate, shouting and insulting Him.
The governor knows that his duty is to deliver Jesus, but he is weak and cowardly. Above all, he fears that he may lose the Roman emperor’s favor if he does not succeed in calming the agitation of the Jews.
Now, at the time of the Passover, it was customary to free a prisoner designated by the people. In prison at that time was a famous criminal named Barrabas. Thinking he has found a way to free Jesus, Pilate says to the Jews, “Which of the two do you want me to release: Jesus or Barrabas?”
At that moment, his wife Claudia sends a messenger to tell him to release Jesus, whom she reveres as a just man.
Taking advantage of this interruption, the leaders of the Jews persuade the crowd to ask for the release of Barrabas instead; and when, for the second time, the governor asks, “Whom do you want me to release to you, Barrabas or Jesus?” a great clamor resounds, “Release Barrabas!”
“But then,” says Pilate, “what shall I do with Jesus, whom you call the King of the Jews?”
And they all shout even louder, “Crucify Him!”
“But what evil has He done? I find nothing in Him that is deserving of death. I am willing to have Him punished, and then I will let Him go.”
Out of cowardice, Pilate has Jesus scourged, hoping to appease the crowd.
The soldiers brutally seize Jesus and lead Him into an inner courtyard. There they bind His hands to a pillar. The executioners begin to beat Him mercilessly with their horrible whips made of straps with hooks and lead balls.
Blood gushes out abundantly, pieces of skin are torn off. His poor shredded body is soon nothing more than a wound.
When the soldiers are tired, they untie Jesus. Then, in order to mock Him, they throw an old red woolen cloak over His shoulders. They put a reed in His hand as a scepter and a plaited crown of thorns on His head. They beat on the crown with rods. The long thorns pierce His skull and come out through His eyes. Blood runs down His hair and face onto the ground.
Then the soldiers parade themselves before Him, laughing and mocking. Each one bends the knee as they pass and says, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
For a long time they continue to beat and insult Him in every way.
The soldiers finally bring Jesus before Pilate. The governor himself is impressed to see the sad state that the Saviour is in. He has Jesus brought to the balcony of the palace, hoping to stir up the crowd gathered at the gates of the court.
“Behold the Man!” cries Pilate, “I bring Him before you so you may know that I find no cause for condemnation in Him.”
Cries of rage arise: “Crucify Him! Crucify Him! He must die, because He called Himself the Son of God!”
At these words, Pilate is even more frightened. He starts questioning Jesus again: “Where are You from?” Jesus gives him no answer.
“Do You not say anything? Do You not realize that I have the power to crucify You and the power to release You?”
Jesus calmly replies: “You would have no power over Me if it had not been given to you.”
The Jews insist, “If you have Jesus delivered, you are no friend of Caesar’s!”
This name of Caesar takes away from the fearful governor what little courage he has left. He has a basin of water brought to him and washes his hands, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just man.”
But the crowd responds by shouting, “His blood be upon us and upon our children!”
Then Pilate hands Jesus over to His furious enemies to be crucified.
The executioners put a cross made of two large wooden beams on His shoulders. The condemned man must carry it himself to the place of torture.
It is very difficult and painful for Our Lord to walk with this burden, for He is already exhausted from the scourging and crowning with thorns that He has just undergone. So He falls a first time.
The Blessed Virgin, in great sorrow, follows the procession; in spite of the crowd, She tries to be as close as possible to Her Divine Son Jesus, in order to support Him. At a certain moment, She arrives in front of Him. The Son and the Mother say not a word, but what infinite sorrow They undergo! The sorrowful gaze of the Virgin Mary tells Jesus that She accepts the Will of God and desires to suffer with Him in order to help Him save our souls.
Jesus is so weak that the executioners see He will die of exhaustion beneath the heavy cross before they reach the place of execution. So they stop a man passing by – a worker named Simon of Cyrene – and force him to carry the cross with our Saviour.
A woman who has been following Jesus in tears manages, in spite of the executioners and the crowd, to get close to Him. To comfort Him, she wipes His face, all stained with blood, tears and mud, with a white cloth. Her name is Veronica.
To reward her for her charity, Jesus leaves the imprint of His face upon the cloth. This imprint is known as the Holy Face.
Jesus falls a second time beneath the weight of His cross. He rises again courageously. and it is then that the women of Jerusalem, seeing Him so overwhelmed with suffering, cry out with loud moans. Jesus says to them, “Do not weep for Me, but weep rather for yourselves and your children;, for behold, terrible days are coming!”
By this, the Saviour wants us to understand that the great misfortune is our sins, for they are the cause of His most bitter sufferings.
Jesus falls again and again on the way, so exhausted is His strength and so heavy is His cross. Each time He weakens, the executioners strike Him brutally until He rises again.
And always, out of love for us, Jesus takes up His cross once more and goes up to Calvary.
Finally the summit of Calvary is reached; it is a mound outside the walls of Jerusalem. The executioners violently tear off the tunic of Jesus. All His wounds are opened again. It is like a second scourging.
Then the executioners brutally lay Him on the cross and drive huge nails into His hands and feet. The crucifixion is such an excruciating torture for Jesus that it cannot be measured. But, instead of complaining or taking revenge, Jesus says with His infinite meekness: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”.
He remains nailed to that cross for three hours, hanging by the gaping wounds in His hands and feet, and silently enduring torments that surpass anything we can imagine.
The Blessed Virgin, Saint John, Mary Magdalen and a few faithful friends remain standing at the foot of the cross. Nearly dying, Jesus says to His Mother, indicating Saint John: “Behold Thy son,” and to the Apostle: “Behold thy Mother,” Since that solemn moment, the Blessed Virgin Mary has adopted us all as Her children. She watches over us constantly. She shows us Her love and Her power every time we turn to Her.
Two thieves are crucified with Jesus: one on His left, the other on His right. At the start, the two criminals cover Jesus with mockery and insults. But then one of them, named Dismas, is soon touched by Jesus’ love, while the other one joins the crowd in insulting Him: “If You are the Christ, save Yourself, and us with You!” But Dismas, moved by Jesus’ patience and mercy, prays to Him, saying, “Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom.” And Jesus answers him, “This very day you will be with Me in Paradise.”
Then Jesus makes a heartbreaking appeal to God His Father: “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?
He says again, “I thirst.” And one of the soldiers offers Him a sponge soaked in vinegar at the tip of his lance. Jesus takes the vinegar and says, “All is consummated!” With these words, Jesus affirms that He has perfectly accomplished the great mission for which He came down to earth: He has worked out our Redemption.
Then He cries out with a loud voice: “Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit.”
And He breathes His last.
(Let us keep a moment of silence to tell Jesus how we regret all our sins that caused His sufferings, and to thank Him for saving us by His death.)
Soon afterwards, a soldier comes and breaks the legs of the two thieves. When he reaches Jesus, he sees that He is already dead and thrusts a lance into His side. His Divine Heart is pierced, and drops of blood and water flow from this new wound.
In the evening, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, two friends of Jesus, take Him down from the cross and give His body to the Blessed Virgin.
Then they carry Him to a small cave nearby, and the cave is closed by rolling a large stone in front of the opening.