The Politics of Jesus
Jesus and politics? Today “politics” is a negative word: a “politician,” my dictionary says, is “a person experienced in the art or science of government.... a person primarily interested in political offices from selfish or other narrow interests....” This definition is so far from our understanding of Jesus’ goals and actions that we find it difficult to see him as active in “politics” or even interested in the political system. Yet although Jesus’ goals, his teaching and his actions, were obviously spiritual, they had great political impact in his own culture – and they still have implications for our political life today.
Jesus’ passion for the kingdom? We have seen that Jesus’ passion was for the kingdom of God. As The Last Week reminds us, Jesus came to incarnate the justice of God by demanding for all a fair share of a world belonging to and ruled by the covenantal God of Israel. But “kingdom” is a very political word – it has to do with how a society organizes itself, how it is governed, and who does the governing. When Jesus spoke of “the kingdom of God,” therefore, he was using a word with great political meaning.
The two processions: Borg and Crossan help us see the political struggle in which Jesus was involved by contrasting two processions into Jerusalem. The first procession – one we are very familiar with – was Jesus’ procession into Jerusalem on what we call “Palm Sunday.” The second procession – one we may not have known about – was a Roman procession into the city. In the same week that Jesus and his disciples entered Jerusalem (and possibly even on the same day) Pilate and his legions also came to take up temporary residence in the Governor’s Palace. Pilate’s procession was designed to impress the citizens of Jerusalem with the power of Rome (a power very necessary at Passover, when throngs of people came to Jerusalem to sacrifice and to protest). Mark’s gospel (Mark 11:1-11) shows us that Jesus planned his own procession into Jerusalem; that is, it was a political act, and it made a deliberate contrast to the very political act of the Roman governor and his legions.
Roman imperial theology: Pilate’s procession also conveyed Roman imperial theology: the Roman Emperor was called the “son of God,” “Lord and Savior” who brought “peace on earth” through conquering and subjugating the warring peoples around the Mediterranean Sea. The Galilean who entered the city on a humble donkey would also be proclaimed as “Son of God, “Lord and Savior”, whose goal was to bring “peace on earth” – not through warfare and oppression, but through the liberating Spirit of God. So, when the first Christians called Jesus “Son of God” and “Lord and Savior” they were proclaiming their allegiance to an alternate Lord and their true guide to “peace on earth.”
Domination systems: Borg and Crossan use the phrase “domination system” to describe the most common way that societies were organized in pre-modern times. Ancient agricultural societies had three major features: political oppression – the many were ruled by the few; economic exploitation – the laws and customs guaranteed that a high proportion of society’s wealth went to a very few; and religious legitimization – the religious leaders, beliefs and customs supported the political oppression and economic exploitation. (We might question whether the “domination system” is not still alive and well in the 21st century.)
Sin: What is “sin” in a domination system? Is sin a personal failure, or personal refusal to follow God’s laws? Or is sin also corporate failure, and corporate denial of God’s laws – by cooperating with the domination system? Borg and Crossan write, As individuals, the wealthy and powerful can be good people – responsible, honest, hard-working, faithful to family and friends, interesting, charming, and good-hearted. The issue is not their individual virtue or wickedness, but the role they played in the domination system. They shaped it, enforced it, and benefited from it.
Again, we may question whether the “domination system” is not still alive and well today:
* Where in our world today are the many still ruled by the few?
* Where in our world today do the few still receive the benefits of wealth?
* Where in our world today do religious leaders and religious systems continue to justify political oppression and economic exploitation?
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
The Passion of Jesus
I’m now inviting readers of Living Mark’s Story to reflect more deeply on Mark’s gospel, using ‘The Last Week,’ by Marcus Borg and Dominic Crossan, as a springboard for our reflections.* In this small but powerful book, the authors examine Mark’s story of Jesus to help us understand his passion for God's justice – his commitment to what he called ‘the Kingdom of God.’
In the preface to their book, Borg and Crossan begin by reflecting on a movie produced by Mel Gibson in 2006:
The movie... reinforced a widespread but much too narrow understanding of the ‘passion’ of Jesus. Mel Gibson called his film “The Passion of the Christ”... understanding the term ‘passion’ in the context of its traditional Roman Catholic and broader Christian background. ‘Passion’ is from the Latin noun passio, meaning ‘suffering.’ But in everyday English we also use ‘passion’ for any consuming interest, dedicated enthusiasm, or concentrated commitment. In this sense, a person’s passion is what she or he is passionate about. In this book we are deliberately playing those two meanings against one another.
The first passion of Jesus was the kingdom of God, namely, to incarnate the justice of God by demanding for all a fair share of a world belonging to and ruled by the covenantal God of Israel. It was that first passion for God’s justice that led inevitably to the second passion by Pilate’s justice. Before Jesus, after Jesus, and, for Christians, archetypically in Jesus, those who live for nonviolent justice die all too often from violent injustice. To narrow the passion of Jesus to his last twelve hours – arrest, trial, torture, and crucifixion – is to ignore the connection between his life and his death.
For many centuries, Christians around the world have participated in Holy Week liturgies and prayers designed to help them experience the second passion of Jesus – his suffering and death. Christian pilgrims still travel to Jerusalem to walk the Way of the Cross, to cathedrals and holy places in their own countries, and to their own local parishes to share in the liturgies of Holy Week.
Those of us who participate in Holy Week liturgies today know that our observance helps us identify with Jesus in his suffering; and our prayerful participation also helps us understand that the Living Christ, still alive, is present with us and shares our sufferings with us.
But what about the first passion of Jesus? How do we identify with his greatest passion?
How could we more fully understand what Jesus meant when he said, ‘The Kingdom of God has come near’ (Mark 1:15)?
How could we so fully understand Jesus’ passion that we might be moved not just to sorrow but to take up his cause? (‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.’ Mark 8:34)
The first passion of Jesus has called many Christians to take up his cause, and to draw others to join them in their ministries. It is no accident that those acknowledged as the most influential of Jesus’ followers through the centuries – from the first disciples to Francis of Assisi, Teresa of Calcutta, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King Jr. and so many others – were men and women who understood Jesus’ passion for the Kingdom. They shared his passion by taking up his cause – working with the poor and the dispossessed, the enslaved and the imprisoned, and the outcasts and oppressed, serving people everywhere who yearned for justice.
Can we, like them, be so filled with Jesus’ first passion that we, too, can move beyond understanding to sharing his ministry? As we do this together, may we all learn more from Mark about living in – and living for – the Kingdom of God.
As I have before, I’ll post my comments here early each week at http://livingmarksstory.blogspot.com/. And, as before, I hope you’ll add your own thoughts and reflections to the blog as we go along.
* A note on the book: Marcus Borg, who grew up Lutheran, and Dominic Crossan, who grew up Catholic, both taught in separate universities for many years. Twenty years ago, they met as participants in the ‘Jesus Seminar,’ and have grown in friendship ever since. As co-authors of a number of books, they write, Our passion for Jesus has always been more than academic. We have been, and are, passionate about the meaning of Jesus (and of the Bible as a whole) for Christian life today. Our involvement with the sacred texts of our tradition has always been about, “What does then have to do with now?
If you want to have your own copy of ‘The Last Week’ go to Amazon.com – copies are available there for under $5.
I’m now inviting readers of Living Mark’s Story to reflect more deeply on Mark’s gospel, using ‘The Last Week,’ by Marcus Borg and Dominic Crossan, as a springboard for our reflections.* In this small but powerful book, the authors examine Mark’s story of Jesus to help us understand his passion for God's justice – his commitment to what he called ‘the Kingdom of God.’
In the preface to their book, Borg and Crossan begin by reflecting on a movie produced by Mel Gibson in 2006:
The movie... reinforced a widespread but much too narrow understanding of the ‘passion’ of Jesus. Mel Gibson called his film “The Passion of the Christ”... understanding the term ‘passion’ in the context of its traditional Roman Catholic and broader Christian background. ‘Passion’ is from the Latin noun passio, meaning ‘suffering.’ But in everyday English we also use ‘passion’ for any consuming interest, dedicated enthusiasm, or concentrated commitment. In this sense, a person’s passion is what she or he is passionate about. In this book we are deliberately playing those two meanings against one another.
The first passion of Jesus was the kingdom of God, namely, to incarnate the justice of God by demanding for all a fair share of a world belonging to and ruled by the covenantal God of Israel. It was that first passion for God’s justice that led inevitably to the second passion by Pilate’s justice. Before Jesus, after Jesus, and, for Christians, archetypically in Jesus, those who live for nonviolent justice die all too often from violent injustice. To narrow the passion of Jesus to his last twelve hours – arrest, trial, torture, and crucifixion – is to ignore the connection between his life and his death.
For many centuries, Christians around the world have participated in Holy Week liturgies and prayers designed to help them experience the second passion of Jesus – his suffering and death. Christian pilgrims still travel to Jerusalem to walk the Way of the Cross, to cathedrals and holy places in their own countries, and to their own local parishes to share in the liturgies of Holy Week.
Those of us who participate in Holy Week liturgies today know that our observance helps us identify with Jesus in his suffering; and our prayerful participation also helps us understand that the Living Christ, still alive, is present with us and shares our sufferings with us.
But what about the first passion of Jesus? How do we identify with his greatest passion?
How could we more fully understand what Jesus meant when he said, ‘The Kingdom of God has come near’ (Mark 1:15)?
How could we so fully understand Jesus’ passion that we might be moved not just to sorrow but to take up his cause? (‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.’ Mark 8:34)
The first passion of Jesus has called many Christians to take up his cause, and to draw others to join them in their ministries. It is no accident that those acknowledged as the most influential of Jesus’ followers through the centuries – from the first disciples to Francis of Assisi, Teresa of Calcutta, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King Jr. and so many others – were men and women who understood Jesus’ passion for the Kingdom. They shared his passion by taking up his cause – working with the poor and the dispossessed, the enslaved and the imprisoned, and the outcasts and oppressed, serving people everywhere who yearned for justice.
Can we, like them, be so filled with Jesus’ first passion that we, too, can move beyond understanding to sharing his ministry? As we do this together, may we all learn more from Mark about living in – and living for – the Kingdom of God.
As I have before, I’ll post my comments here early each week at http://livingmarksstory.blogspot.com/. And, as before, I hope you’ll add your own thoughts and reflections to the blog as we go along.
* A note on the book: Marcus Borg, who grew up Lutheran, and Dominic Crossan, who grew up Catholic, both taught in separate universities for many years. Twenty years ago, they met as participants in the ‘Jesus Seminar,’ and have grown in friendship ever since. As co-authors of a number of books, they write, Our passion for Jesus has always been more than academic. We have been, and are, passionate about the meaning of Jesus (and of the Bible as a whole) for Christian life today. Our involvement with the sacred texts of our tradition has always been about, “What does then have to do with now?
If you want to have your own copy of ‘The Last Week’ go to Amazon.com – copies are available there for under $5.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
The Gospel according to Mark – Easter Week
A note as Mark’s story concludes: The end of Mark’s gospel tells the first story of Easter day. For those of us who grew hearing the Easter story, Mark’s narrative surprises us: it is very brief (only 8 verses long); the disciples do not see the Risen Jesus (they see only a young man – an angel? – seated beside the tomb); and the story ends very abruptly (“They said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid”). As early as the second century, other writers added to Mark’s story, using incidents taken from the gospels of Matthew and Luke. But what follows is the earliest ending we have from the writer of Mark:
When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?’ When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back.
As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.’
So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
Living Mark’s Story: We, along with Christians as far back as the second century, find Mark’s original ending very unsatisfactory: if the women had really “said nothing to anyone”, then Mark’s story would never have been told! Mark also says that the women at the tomb heard these words: “Go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” The disciples are being told to go back to the beginning, to the place where they first met Jesus.
If we go back to the very beginning of Mark’s gospel, we read these words: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight...” and “Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe the good news.’”
All along, Mark’s story has been about the Way – the Way of the Kingdom. From your own reading of Mark’s story, how would you describe that Way?
Like the women at the tomb on Easter morning, I’m now going back to the beginning – of Mark’s story, of the gospel of Jesus Christ – to try to understand on a deeper level what it means to seek the Kingdom, and what it might mean to live according to the Kingdom’s values.
A note as Mark’s story concludes: The end of Mark’s gospel tells the first story of Easter day. For those of us who grew hearing the Easter story, Mark’s narrative surprises us: it is very brief (only 8 verses long); the disciples do not see the Risen Jesus (they see only a young man – an angel? – seated beside the tomb); and the story ends very abruptly (“They said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid”). As early as the second century, other writers added to Mark’s story, using incidents taken from the gospels of Matthew and Luke. But what follows is the earliest ending we have from the writer of Mark:
When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?’ When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back.
As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.’
So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
Living Mark’s Story: We, along with Christians as far back as the second century, find Mark’s original ending very unsatisfactory: if the women had really “said nothing to anyone”, then Mark’s story would never have been told! Mark also says that the women at the tomb heard these words: “Go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” The disciples are being told to go back to the beginning, to the place where they first met Jesus.
If we go back to the very beginning of Mark’s gospel, we read these words: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight...” and “Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe the good news.’”
All along, Mark’s story has been about the Way – the Way of the Kingdom. From your own reading of Mark’s story, how would you describe that Way?
Like the women at the tomb on Easter morning, I’m now going back to the beginning – of Mark’s story, of the gospel of Jesus Christ – to try to understand on a deeper level what it means to seek the Kingdom, and what it might mean to live according to the Kingdom’s values.
Monday, April 6, 2009
The Gospel according to Mark – Holy Week
A note as Mark’s story continues: This week we walk the Way of the Cross in the footsteps of Jesus – and of Mark, the writer of the earliest surviving gospel of Jesus Christ.
+ Jesus is condemned to death
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you:
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
As soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. Pilate asked him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ He answered him, ‘You say so.’ Then the chief priests accused him of many things. Pilate asked him again, ‘Have you no answer? See how many charges they bring against you.’ But Jesus made no further reply, so that Pilate was amazed. Now at the festival he used to release a prisoner for them, anyone for whom they asked. Now a man called Barabbas was in prison with the rebels who had committed murder during the insurrection. So the crowd came and began to ask Pilate to do for them according to his custom. Then he answered them, ‘Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?’ For he realized that it was out of jealousy that the chief priests had handed him over. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas for them instead. Pilate spoke to them again, ‘Then what do you wish me to do with the man you call the King of the Jews?’ They shouted back, ‘Crucify him!’ Pilate asked them, ‘Why, what evil has he done?’ But they shouted all the more, ‘Crucify him!’ So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.
+ Jesus takes up his Cross
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you:
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
Then the soldiers led him into the courtyard of the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters); and they called together the whole cohort. And they clothed him in a purple cloak; and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on him. And they began saluting him, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ They struck his head with a reed, spat upon him, and knelt down in homage to him. After mocking him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
+ The Cross is laid on Simon of Cyrene
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you:
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
They compelled a passer-by, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross; it was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus.
+ Jesus is nailed to the Cross
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you:
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
Then they brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of a skull). And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh; but he did not take it. And they crucified him, and divided his clothes among them, casting lots to decide what each should take. It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. The inscription of the charge against him read, ‘The King of the Jews.’ And with him they crucified two bandits, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, ‘Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!’ In the same way the chief priests, along with the scribes, were also mocking him among themselves and saying, ‘He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down from the cross now, so that we may see and believe.’ Those who were crucified with him also taunted him.
+ Jesus dies on the Cross
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you:
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’ which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, ‘Listen, he is calling for Elijah.’ And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, ‘Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.’ Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was God’s Son!’
+ Jesus is laid in the tomb
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you:
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
There were also women looking on from a distance; among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. These used to follow him and provided for him when he was in Galilee; and there were many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem. When evening had come, and since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate wondered if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had been dead for some time. When he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the body to Joseph. Then Joseph bought a linen cloth, and taking down the body, wrapped it in the linen cloth, and laid it in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock. He then rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where the body was laid.
Living Mark’s Story: On Good Friday, from noon to 3 p.m. – the hours that Mark tells us Jesus hung on the cross – St. Benedict’s will observe the events recorded in Mark’s gospel. At each hour and half hour, there will be a brief reflection, followed by a time of personal prayer and meditation. At 2:30 p.m., we will observe the Way of Cross – symbolically walking in the footsteps of Jesus and all of his followers, from the first to the twenty-first century. You are welcome to come and go as you wish during the three hours.
A note as Mark’s story continues: This week we walk the Way of the Cross in the footsteps of Jesus – and of Mark, the writer of the earliest surviving gospel of Jesus Christ.
+ Jesus is condemned to death
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you:
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
As soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. Pilate asked him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ He answered him, ‘You say so.’ Then the chief priests accused him of many things. Pilate asked him again, ‘Have you no answer? See how many charges they bring against you.’ But Jesus made no further reply, so that Pilate was amazed. Now at the festival he used to release a prisoner for them, anyone for whom they asked. Now a man called Barabbas was in prison with the rebels who had committed murder during the insurrection. So the crowd came and began to ask Pilate to do for them according to his custom. Then he answered them, ‘Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?’ For he realized that it was out of jealousy that the chief priests had handed him over. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas for them instead. Pilate spoke to them again, ‘Then what do you wish me to do with the man you call the King of the Jews?’ They shouted back, ‘Crucify him!’ Pilate asked them, ‘Why, what evil has he done?’ But they shouted all the more, ‘Crucify him!’ So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.
+ Jesus takes up his Cross
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you:
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
Then the soldiers led him into the courtyard of the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters); and they called together the whole cohort. And they clothed him in a purple cloak; and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on him. And they began saluting him, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ They struck his head with a reed, spat upon him, and knelt down in homage to him. After mocking him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
+ The Cross is laid on Simon of Cyrene
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you:
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
They compelled a passer-by, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross; it was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus.
+ Jesus is nailed to the Cross
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you:
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
Then they brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of a skull). And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh; but he did not take it. And they crucified him, and divided his clothes among them, casting lots to decide what each should take. It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. The inscription of the charge against him read, ‘The King of the Jews.’ And with him they crucified two bandits, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, ‘Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!’ In the same way the chief priests, along with the scribes, were also mocking him among themselves and saying, ‘He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down from the cross now, so that we may see and believe.’ Those who were crucified with him also taunted him.
+ Jesus dies on the Cross
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you:
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’ which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, ‘Listen, he is calling for Elijah.’ And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, ‘Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.’ Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was God’s Son!’
+ Jesus is laid in the tomb
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you:
Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
There were also women looking on from a distance; among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. These used to follow him and provided for him when he was in Galilee; and there were many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem. When evening had come, and since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate wondered if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had been dead for some time. When he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the body to Joseph. Then Joseph bought a linen cloth, and taking down the body, wrapped it in the linen cloth, and laid it in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock. He then rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where the body was laid.
Living Mark’s Story: On Good Friday, from noon to 3 p.m. – the hours that Mark tells us Jesus hung on the cross – St. Benedict’s will observe the events recorded in Mark’s gospel. At each hour and half hour, there will be a brief reflection, followed by a time of personal prayer and meditation. At 2:30 p.m., we will observe the Way of Cross – symbolically walking in the footsteps of Jesus and all of his followers, from the first to the twenty-first century. You are welcome to come and go as you wish during the three hours.
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