It's very early Friday morning, pre-dawn. The disciples have scattered out of fear and confusion, and the trial of Jesus is getting underway. Outside the home of Caiaphas, Peter was trying to make himself scarce, hoping to find out what was happening with Jesus. But he is recognized; someone recognizes him. So begins the three predicted denials that would torment Peter for the rest of his life. Inside, the first in a series of unjust and unlawful trials is taking place. The longest day in the history of the world is beginning. Have you ever felt abandoned? Ever felt alone? Ever felt like you were dealt with unfairly, poorly treated? Think about that. Really go into one of those bad experiences in your life and then multiply that by infinity and take it to the depths of eternity, and you still have barely a glimpse of what Jesus is going to suffer today over the next few hours. Have you ever experienced the distortion of time, a moment that seems to drag on for five minutes? Imagine a whole day of moments like that. For Jesus and Mary and anyone with any compassion, they are about to experience one after another after another of those moments. The treachery and brutality of man is about to be on full display. The Sanhedrin take Jesus to Pilate because they wanted him dead, and they lacked the authority to put him to death. They needed a civil authority to approve their treachery. Pilate wants nothing to do with it at first. And yet, at the same time, he seems fascinated with Jesus.

This conversation yields one of the most famous lines in history: "What is truth?" That's the question Pilate asked Jesus. It's a question that every age struggles with, but a question that our age has decided not even to ask. It just assumes that there is no objective and universal truth. But why was Pilate asking the question? Was it sincere or full of sarcasm? He was asking the question because Jesus had said, "Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." And it seems fewer and fewer are on the side of truth in our own society today. Are you on the side of truth? Are you willing to suffer for the truth? It doesn't require too much imagination to arrive at the conclusion that we might soon be required to suffer once more for the truth in our culture. But Pilate doesn't want Jesus' blood on his hands. So he sends him to Herod Antipas, one of the three sons who had divided the territory of Herod the Great after his death. It was his father, Herod the Great, who had ordered all the firstborn children killed when Jesus was born. Imagine being so afraid of losing your power that you order all of these children to be killed. Herod, the son, like Pilate, was curious and eager to meet Jesus. Everyone had been talking about this man. And remember, Herod had many dealings with John the Baptist. Why didn't Herod convict Jesus? Why didn't Herod give the Jews what they wanted? Did he fear Jesus? We know that Herod feared and protected John the Baptist. We read that in Mark's Gospel. Although he did ultimately have John killed at the request of a spoiled girl, Salome, who had been prompted by her mother, Herodias, to ask for John the Baptist's head on a platter because John had condemned her marriage to Herod. Was it out of fear or cowardice or goodness that Herod refused to condemn Jesus? Was there perhaps some underlying political motive? Whatever it was, we're told in the Scriptures that arraying him in gorgeous apparel, Herod sent Jesus back to Pilate. Pilate tries to placate the crowd with what is known as the Pascal Pardon, which was the custom of releasing prisoners in Jerusalem at Passover.

Pilate offers the crowd Jesus or Barabbas. But the Pharisees had filled the crowd with surrogates and bribed and incited others to ask for Barabbas. Pilate then calls together the chief priests and the rulers of the people, and the Jewish leaders doubled down on their accusations. The Scriptures say, "We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Messiah, a king," they tell Pilate. The religious leaders are pretending that Jesus' crimes are a matter for the state. But remember, for three years, they'd been accusing him of all sorts of things, but none of those things are even mentioned to Pilate, not blasphemy, not claiming to be a god. Their accusations are civil accusations, and each attack Pilate's roles and responsibilities. They are essentially saying, "You aren't doing your job, Pilate." When Pilate continues to waver, they play their final political hand, accusing him of being no friend of Caesar. Pilate certainly didn't want that kind of rumor circulating. It could be career-ending. More than that, that kind of rumor could be life-ending. Self-interest is a powerful force. Do you govern your self-interest, or do you allow it to run amok? Pilate allows his self-interest to run amok. He sentences Jesus to death and hands him over to be crucified. Events now set in motion that will forever change human history and salvation history. Somewhere, somehow, Judas has found out that Jesus is going to be crucified and is beside himself with remorse and regret. I wonder what Judas thought they were going to do with Jesus. I wonder what the Pharisees told Judas that we're going to do with Jesus. Does Judas himself feel lied to and betrayed? And so he tries to return the money. But I can't imagine that assuaged his guilt and shame in any way. And so he decides to do something you can't undo and takes his own life. He gave up on God. He fell into despair. He was simply unable to comprehend God's mercy. He believed his sin was unforgivable.

Place no limits on what God can do for you. I say it again. Place no limits on what God can do for you. If this day teaches us anything, place no limits on what God can do for you. We all make this mistake from time to time, in large ways and small. Or perhaps it was ever so much more human than all of this. Maybe Judas couldn't stand the idea of facing his friends and family once they discovered what he had done. Perhaps he had political ambitions and had been promised something in return for betraying Jesus that he now knew was just a ruse. And perhaps it was even more depraved than that. What was Judas' understanding of Jesus? What was his worldview? If he wanted Jesus to be a worldly ruler and his worldview was one of power and greed, what would someone with that mindset fear? He probably feared Jesus would do to him what Judas himself would do if he had been betrayed. And what would a man like Judas do in such a situation? Seek revenge. Seek revenge. Was Judas afraid that Jesus would rise from the dead as he had predicted, hunt him down like an animal, and exact revenge? Was his conception of Jesus so deranged that it was capable of conceiving such a thing?

But returning to the course of events, the soldiers take Jesus out and they mock him. They tie him to a pillow and scourge him. They crown him with thorns This prelude would have been enough to kill most men. But Jesus rises up from the dirt, only to be laden with a wooden cross. We wear gold, silver, and crosses with diamonds around our necks. The crucifixes we hang on our walls are finely crafted and smooth to handle. But how many splinters do you think tore into Jesus' divine skin from carrying that wretched cross? You think about it like when you get a splinter, just a splinter, how annoying, how painful, and ongoingly souled. And it's just a splinter, one millionth of what Jesus is suffering today. And now begin to the way of the cross. Jesus falls the first time. Have you fallen spiritually? Get back up. Jesus meets His mother. Have you called your mom recently? Give her a call. Simon of Cyrene is made to bear the cross. This is a powerful holy moment. In what way are you being called to take up your cross today? Do the people who help you carry your cross know how appreciative you are? Veronica wipes Jesus' face. What a powerful holy moment in a day filled with so many unholy moments.

Do you realize the power you have to relieve other people's pain and suffering? Do you realize what is merely inconvenient to you may bring unimaginable comfort to someone in need? And now Jesus falls a second time. Are you quick to give up when you meet obstacles in the spiritual life? The women of Jerusalem weep over Jesus. Imagine the pain in the body, the anguish in His mind at this point. And yet, despite all of that, Jesus pauses to warn these women, to warn them. They are weeping at what they see Him enduring. But as He is enduring this barbaric cruelty, He is seeing all that will happen. Perhaps this is why He counsels the women of Jerusalem weeping for Him and says, "Weep not for me; weep for yourselves." You see, in less than 40 years, their temple would be destroyed for the second time at the end of the first Jewish-Roman War. And Jesus falls a third time. Are you tormented by persistent sin? Just keep getting back up. Just keep getting back up. Doesn't matter how many times, just keep getting back up. Jesus is stripped of his garments. In what way has your dignity been stripped from you? Jesus is nailed to the cross. Are you willing to make the connection between your own actions and what Jesus is experiencing today? do you have the courage to take responsibility? The soldiers played dice for his garments. They had no idea the power or importance of the relics they were taking home that day. Perhaps they didn't even take them home. Maybe they sold them for a few coins on the street. Things of unimaginable importance and value are trivialized and devalued every day. The thief is forgiven. God's mercy and goodness are at once constant and at the same time spontaneous and surprising. How would you like Jesus to forgive you today? Have you asked? All the thief said to Jesus was, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Simple, beautiful, innocent, childlike. And [in?] Jesus Christ, I thirst.

What could be more human than being thirsty? It is one last chance for humanity to show just an ounce of compassion. But no, our capacity to be cruel to each other knows no bounds. So they soak a sponge in vinegar wine and force it on the end of a stick into Jesus' mouth. That's spiteful. But more than spiteful, it's hateful. It would have been cruel to refuse Jesus water, but vinegar wine? That was an unholy moment. But let's consider what had happened to the soldier in his past. How had he been so dehumanized himself that he lacked all capacity for compassion? We forget this perspective.

Jesus surrenders now. Body and soul with these words, "Father, into your hands I commend my Spirit." Only in our Father's hands are our spirits safe. In what way are you being called to surrender to the will of God this holy week? Or have you surrendered your Spirit into someone else's hands and need the Father to rescue you? And then Jesus exclaims, "It is finished." Some moments are holy, some moments are unholy, and we get to decide. This was humanity's worst day. "It is finished," Jesus exclaims. "What is finished?" Well, there was nothing left to do. There was nothing left to give. There was nothing left to pay. Jesus had emptied Himself totally, completely, and absolutely in the most monumental act of self-donation the world has ever seen. He had loved totally, completely, absolutely. And he had taught us how to love. This was a masterclass in love. Have you learned how to love yet? Have you learned how to love? And now Jesus dies on the cross, and the world fell into darkness for three hours. This was considered to be a sign of God's displeasure. Some believe it to have been an eclipse, others a miracle. And Tertullian, the second-century author and apologist, referred to it as an omen and pointed out that an independent account of this was held in the Roman archives.

Next, a soldier pierces Jesus' side with a lance. It was common practice to break the legs of criminals who had been crucified. This would speed up death. Breaking their legs prevented the victim from pushing up with these legs to breathe. Deaths by asphyxiation would result in a matter of minutes. The criminals were taking too long to die. Their death was becoming inconvenient. The soldiers were impatient to get somewhere. When has your impatience caused someone else to suffer? When the soldiers approached Jesus to break his legs, they saw that he was already dead. But to be sure, one pierced his side with a spear. This fulfilled the prophecy that his bones will remain unbroken, which we read in Psalms 34. Jesus Christ had paid the price for our sins once and for all. The perfect and spotless sacrifice had been made on behalf of all humanity. Our eternal salvation had been secured. Peter wrote in his first epistle, "For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. And now Jesus is taken down from the cross.

This is another holy moment amidst the devastating darkness of the day. It was 3 o'clock and the Sabbath would begin in a couple of hours. Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the Jewish community, asked Pilate for permission to take Jesus' body away. Nicodemus brought with him 75 pounds of myrrh and aloe. Together, they took the body, wrapped it in linen and spices according to the burial customs of the Jews, and laid Jesus in a new tomb. How many times during this one day of Jesus' life have we wanted to look away? How often are we tempted to turn away from the sufferings of others?

This day is a profound invitation to meditate our way deep into the suffering of Jesus, so that by doing so, we will be better prepared to endure the unavoidable suffering of our own lives and become ever more compassionate to those around us who are suffering. For some reason, my grandmother keeps coming to mind today. The powerful and practical spirituality of my grandmother's generation could be summarized with three words: Offer it up. All manner of pain and suffering would come their way, and they would connect it to the sufferings of Jesus and offer it up. All manner of inconveniences would vex them, but they would reflect on Jesus' sufferings and offer it up. All manner of challenges and problems would come their way, and they would offer it up and draw inspiration from Jesus' perseverance in the midst of His suffering. Our own generation have lost touch with this powerful and practical spirituality of offering it up. We want to avoid it, complain about it, and blame someone for it. We expend so much energy avoiding, complaining, and blaming, and in the process, miss out on the fruits and graces of simply offering up our pain and suffering, our frustrations and inconveniences, our challenges and problems. Trust, surrender, believe, receive, and offer it up.

We're excited to announce a membership for children in the International Society of the Eucharist. This is the perfect gift for the children and grandchildren in your life, especially those preparing for first communion. Once every three months, we will send them a fabulous package teaching them about the genius of Catholicism and the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. It will include booklets, prayer cards, medals, prayer books, and lots of surprises to help them learn about the genius, the power, the beauty, the honor, the privilege of the Eucharist. Click the button below to learn more today.

Jesus, I believe

That you are truly present.

In the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist.

Every day, I long

For more of you.

I love you above all things.

And I desire to receive you into my soul.

Since I cannot receive you sacramentally at this moment--

I invite you to come and dwell in my heart.

May this spiritual communion

Increase my desire

For the Eucharist.

You are the healer of my soul.

Take the blindness from my eyes.

The deafness from my ears.

The darkness from my mind.

And the hardness from my heart.

Fill me with the grace, wisdom

And courage.

To do your will in all things.

My Lord and my God.

Draw me close to you.

Nearer than ever before.

Amen.