SUNDAY MARCH 28, 2021 📖GOSPEL The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ A Reading From The Holy Gospel According To Mark (14, 1 - 15, 47)

SUNDAY MARCH 28, 2021 

📖GOSPEL 

The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ 

A Reading From The Holy Gospel According To Mark (14, 1 - 15, 47) 

The feast of the Passover and Unleavened Bread would take place two days later. The high priests and the scribes were looking for a way to stop Jesus by trickery, to put him to death. Because they said to themselves: "Not in the middle of a feast, to avoid trouble among the people." Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper. While he was at table, a woman entered with an alabaster flask containing a very pure and valuable perfume. Breaking the bottle, she poured the perfume on his head. However, for their part, some were indignant: "What is the use of wasting this perfume?" We could have sold it for more than three hundred pieces of silver, which we would have given to the poor. And they bullied her. But Jesus said to them, “Leave her alone! Why torment her? It is beautiful, the gesture she made towards me. Poor people, you will always have them with you, and, when you want, you can do them good; but me, you don't have me forever. What she could do, she did. In advance she perfumed my body for my burial. Amen, I tell you: wherever the Gospel will be proclaimed - in the whole world -, we will tell, in remembrance of her, what she has just done. " 

Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the high priests to deliver Jesus to them. At this news, they rejoiced and promised to give him money. And Judas was looking for a way to deliver him at the right time.

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when the Paschal Lamb was sacrificed, Jesus' disciples said to him: "Where do you want us to go to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?" "He sends two of his disciples saying to them:" Go into the city; a man carrying a jug of water will come to meet you. Follow him, and where he will enter, say to the owner: “The Master makes you say: Where is the room where I can eat the Passover with my disciples?” He will indicate to you, on the floor, a large room arranged and ready for a meal. Make the preparations there for us. The disciples left, went to the city; they found everything as Jesus had told them, and they prepared the Passover. 

In the evening, Jesus arrives with the Twelve. While they were at the table and eating, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you: one of you who eats with me is going to deliver me. They became very sad and, one after the other, they asked him: "Could it be me? He said to them, "This is one of the Twelve, the one who is helping himself with me in the dish. The Son of man is going, as it is written about him; but unhappy the one by whom

the Son of man is delivered! It would be better for him if he hadn't been born, that man! During the meal, Jesus, having taken bread and pronounced the blessing, broke it, gave it to them, and said: "Take, this is my body. Then, taking a cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, “This is my blood, the blood of the Covenant, shed for many. Truly, I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine any more until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God. " 

After singing the psalms, they set out for the Mount of Olives. Jesus said to them, “You are all going to be at risk of falling, for it is written, I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered. But, once risen, I will go before you into Galilee. "Pierre then said to him:" Even if they all fall, I will not fall. "Jesus answered him:" Amen, I say it to you: you, today, this very night, before the cock crows twice, you will have denied me three times. "But he resumed all the more:" Even if I have to die with you, I will not deny you. And all said the same.

They come to an area called Gethsemane. Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I go to pray. »Then he takes Pierre, Jacques and Jean with him, and begins to feel fear and anguish. He said to them: “My soul is sad to die for. Stay here and watch. Going a little further, he fell to the ground and prayed that, if possible, that hour would pass away from him. He said, “Abba… Father, anything is possible for you. Take this cup away from me. However, not what I want, but what you want! Then he returns and finds the disciples asleep. He said to Peter: “Simon, you are sleeping! Didn't you have the strength to stay awake for only an hour? Watch and pray, so as not to enter into temptation; the spirit is eager, but the flesh is weak. Again he walked away and prayed, repeating the same words. And again he came to the disciples whom he found sleeping, for their eyes were heavy with sleep. And they did not know what to answer him. A third time he comes back and says to them, “Now you can sleep and rest. It is done ; the hour has come: behold, the Son of man is delivered into the hand of sinners. Stand up ! Let's go ! Here is near, the one who delivers me. " 

Jesus was still speaking when Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived and with him a crowd armed with swords and staves, sent by the high priests, scribes and elders. Now, the one who delivered him up had given them an agreed sign: "He whom I will kiss, it is he: arrest him, and take him under guard." As soon as he arrived, Judas, approaching Jesus, said to him: "Rabbi! And he kissed her. The others put their hands on him and stopped him. Now one of those who were there drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. Then Jesus said to them, "Am I then a thief, that you have come and seized me with swords and staves?" Every day I was with you in the Temple teaching, and you didn't stop me. But that's for the Scriptures to be fulfilled. The disciples abandoned him and all fled. Now a young man was following Jesus; all he had was a sheet. We tried to stop him. But he, dropping the sheet, fled naked. 

They took Jesus to the high priest. They all gathered, the high priests, the elders and the scribes. Peter had followed Jesus at a distance, to the interior of the palace of the high priest, and there, seated with the guards, he warmed himself by the fire. The high priests and all the Supreme Council were looking for a testimony against Jesus to have him put to death, and they could not find any. In fact, many bore false testimonies against Jesus, and these testimonies did not match. Some rose up to bear this false witness against him: “We have heard him say: 'I will destroy this sanctuary made with hands, and in three days I will build another one that is not made with hands. of a man. ” And even on this point, their testimonies were not consistent. Then having risen, the high priest, in front of all, asked Jesus: "You are not answering anything? What do you say about the testimonies they bring against you? But he kept silent and didn't answer. The high priest questioned him again: “Are you the Christ, the Son of the blessed God? "Jesus said to him," I am. And you will see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of the Almighty, and coming among the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest tears his clothes and says: "Why do we still need witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think ? They all said he deserved death. Some began to spit on him, covered his face with a veil, and slapped him, saying, “Be a prophet! And the guards kicked him. "You're not answering anything? What do you say about the testimonies they bring against you? But he kept silent and didn't answer. The high priest questioned him again: “Are you the Christ, the Son of the blessed God? "Jesus said to him," I am. And you will see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of the Almighty, and coming among the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest tears his clothes and says: "Why do we still need witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think ? They all said he deserved death. Some began to spit on him, covered his face with a veil, and slapped him, saying, “Be a prophet! And the guards kicked him. "You're not answering anything? What do you say about the testimonies they bring against you? But he kept silent and didn't answer. The high priest questioned him again: “Are you the Christ, the Son of the blessed God? "Jesus said to him," I am. And you will see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of the Almighty, and coming among the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest tears his clothes and says: "Why do we still need witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think ? They all said he deserved death. Some began to spit on him, covered his face with a veil, and slapped him, saying, “Be a prophet! And the guards kicked him. And you will see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of the Almighty, and coming among the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest tears his clothes and says: "Why do we still need witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think ? They all said he deserved death. Some began to spit on him, covered his face with a veil, and slapped him, saying, “Be a prophet! And the guards kicked him. And you will see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of the Almighty, and coming among the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest tears his clothes and says: "Why do we still need witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think ? They all said he deserved death. Some began to spit on him, covered his face with a veil, and slapped him, saying, “Be a prophet! And the guards kicked him. saying: "Be a prophet!" And the guards kicked him. saying: "Be a prophet!" And the guards kicked him.

As Peter was downstairs in the courtyard, one of the high priest's young servants arrives. She sees Peter warming himself, stares at him and says: “You too were with Jesus of Nazareth! "Pierre denied it:" I don't know, I don't understand what you're talking about. Then he went out into the hall, outside. Then a rooster crowed. The servant, having seen Peter, began again to say to those who were there: "This is one of them!" Again, Pierre denied it. Shortly after, those who were there said to him in turn: "Surely you are one of them!" Besides, you are Galilean. Then he began to protest violently and swear, "I don't know this man you are talking about." And immediately, for the second time, a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered this word Jesus had said to him: "Before the rooster crows twice, you will have denied me three times." And he burst into tears.

In the morning, the high priests summoned the elders and the scribes, and the whole Supreme Council. Then, having tied Jesus up, they led him away and delivered him to Pilate. The latter asked him: "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered: "It is you who say it yourself. The high priests multiplied the accusations against him. Pilate asked him again: "You are not answering? See all the accusations they bring against you. But Jesus did not answer any more, so that Pilate was astonished. 

At each party, he released a prisoner to them, the one they requested. However, there was in prison a man named Barabbas, arrested with rioters for a murder they had committed during the riot. So the crowd went up to Pilate and began to ask what he usually granted them. Pilate answered them, "Do you want me to release the King of the Jews to you?" He was well aware that it was out of jealousy that the high priests had handed him over. The latter stirred up the crowd to let him release Barabbas instead. And as Pilate continued: "What then do you want me to do with him whom you call the King of the Jews?" Again they shouted: "Crucify him!" Pilate would say to them, "What then has he done wrong?" But they shouted even louder: "Crucify him!" Pilate, wanting to please the crowd, released Barabbas and, after having flogged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. The soldiers took him inside the palace, that is to say in the Praetorium. So they assemble the whole guard, and clothe him in purple, and put on his head a crown of thorns which they have plaited. Then they began to greet him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews! They would hit him on the head with a reed, spit on him, and kneel to pay homage to him. When they had made fun of him, they took off his purple cloak and put his clothes back on him. and put on his head a crown of thorns which they have plaited. Then they began to greet him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews! They would hit him on the head with a reed, spit on him, and kneel to pay homage to him. When they had made fun of him, they took off his purple cloak and put his clothes back on him. and put on his head a crown of thorns which they have plaited. Then they began to greet him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews! They would hit him on the head with a reed, spit on him, and kneel to pay homage to him. When they had made fun of him, they took off his purple cloak and put his clothes back on him. 

Then, from there, they take him to crucify him, and they requisition, to carry his cross, a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, who was returning from the fields. And they bring Jesus to the place called Golgotha, which translates to: Place-du-Skull (or Calvary). They gave him wine flavored with myrrh; but he did not take any. So they crucify him, then divide his clothes among themselves, drawing lots to find out the share of each. It was the third hour (that is, nine o'clock in the morning) when he was crucified. The inscription indicating the reason for his condemnation bore these words: "The King of the Jews." With him they crucify two bandits, one on his right, the other on his left. Passers-by insulted him, nodding their heads; they were like, “Hey! you who destroy the Sanctuary and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, come down from the cross! Likewise, the high priests mocked him with the scribes, saying among themselves: "He saved others, and he cannot save himself!" Let him come down now from the cross, Christ, the King of Israel; then we will see and we will believe. Even those who were crucified with him insulted him. 

When the sixth hour came (that is, noon), darkness fell over all the earth until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice: "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabactani?" ", Which translates:" My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Having heard this, some of those who were there said: "There he is calling the prophet Elijah!" One of them ran to dip a sponge in a vinegar drink, he put it at the end of a reed, and he gave him a drink, saying: "Wait!" We will see if Elijah comes down from there! But Jesus, uttering a loud cry, expired.

(Here we bend the knee and stop for a moment) 

The curtain of the Sanctuary tore in two, from top to bottom. The centurion who was there in front of Jesus, seeing how he had expired, said, “Truly, this man was the Son of God! " 

There were also women, who watched from afar, and among them, Mary Magdalene, Mary, mother of James the Little and José, and Salome, who followed Jesus and served him when he was in Galilee, and still many others, who had gone up with him to Jerusalem. It was already getting late; now, as it was the day of Preparation, which precedes the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea intervened. He was an influential man, a member of the Council, and he too awaited the reign of God. He had the audacity to go to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus. Pilate was astonished that he was already dead; he summoned the centurion, and questioned him whether Jesus was long dead. On the centurion's report, he allowed Joseph to take the body. So Joseph bought a shroud, he took Jesus down from the cross, wrapped it in the shroud and placed it in a tomb that was carved into the rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb.

However, Marie Madeleine and Marie, José's mother, observed the place where it had been placed.