Isaiah 52:13—53:12 Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 John 18:1—19:42 As I read John’s version of the Passion of our Lord, I am astonished at the narrative detail he offers me. He paints vivid pictures of the torchlit scene of Judas’ betrayal; the sharp-edged interrogation of Jesus by the high priests; the blatant and repeated betrayal by Peter; the frustration Pilate’s probing questions reveal; the brutality of the flogging and the mockery of the crown of thorns; the agonized plea in Jesus’ last words; and the rushed but respectful preparation of Jesus’ body for entombment. John offers his audience so much detail when he evokes these scenes that it has always surprised me to read this description of the ultimate scene so central to our faith: “ So they took Jesus, and, carrying the cross himself, he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull, in Hebrew, Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus in the middle.” Such starkness
Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 John 13:1-15 Each Sunday, we Catholics remember together that sacred meal when Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to his disciples. However, it is on Holy Thursday when we remember another sequence of events that happened that same night when Jesus rose from supper, took off his outer garments, tied a towel around his waist, poured water into a basin and began to wash the feet of his followers. It is this ritual act, so beautifully demonstrated in the liturgical tradition of the Visitation community that I will forever associate with one of the most moving faith experiences I’ve had. It happened at another sacred meal when my Catholic parish joined with a nearby Jewish synagogue for a Passover Seder. That night, at a Jewish celebration, the assembly witnessed the same ritual washing remembered in the Gospel of John. As we were planning our interfaith Seder, we discussed the various rituals associated