CATHOLIC WORLD NEWS: FRI. APRIL 2, 2010: HEADLINES-
VATICAN: POPE: WAY OF THE CROSS WITH FAITHFUL
VATICAN: POPE: WAY OF THE CROSS WITH FAITHFUL
EUROPE: ENGLAND: SISTER CAMILLA OBERDING TAKES HER FINAL VOWS-
AMERICA: USA: HISTORY CHANNEL REVEALS 3D IMAGE BASED ON SHROUD-
ASIA: CHINA: 21 MINERS DIE BY UNDERGROUND EXPLOSIONS-
AFRICA: UGANDA: JOINT CHRISTIAN STATEMENT ON CHALLENGES-
AFRICA: UGANDA: JOINT CHRISTIAN STATEMENT ON CHALLENGES-
AUSTRALIA: JULIE GOODWIN: MASTERCHEF ON FAITH-
VATICAN
POPE: WAY OF THE CROSS WITH FAITHFUL
Asia News report: At the end of the Via Crucis, Benedict XVI urged the faithful to convert, to turn to the cross keeping in mind the Resurrection, which “envelops everything, transforming betrayal in friendship, and hatred in love.” The Pope’s preacher quotes a Jewish friend who compares recent violent attacks against the Church to the most shameful aspects of anti-Semitism.
Rome (AsiaNews) – Good Friday is the “day of greatest hope, unfolding on the cross, as Jesus lay dying.” His death became a “source of life,” so that “our disappointments and bitter experiences could be brightened by hope”, by the “shining light of the Resurrection”, which “envelops everything, transforming betrayal in friendship, and hatred in love.”
This year’s Via Crucis, which fell on the fifth anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II, was, in the words Pope Benedict XVI’s spoke tonight at the Colosseum, more than ever about the Resurrection, and this despite “the passion in the life of the Church” and “of the world, because we actually know that the source of salvation, liberation and peace lies in the suffering on the cross.” Thus, in a spring evening, the Pope brought to an end the Way of the Cross, which he followed from a balcony across from the Colosseum, surrounded by thousands of people.
“Free us from the somewhat ridiculous presumption that we are self-sufficient” and help “acknowledge without hypocrisy that evil is within us,” the Pope said in a prayer with which he began the ceremony.
These issues were mentioned several times during the Meditations, written this year by Card Camillo Ruini, Vicar General Emeritus of Rome. At the first station, the cardinal warned, “It is to ourselves, then, that we must look: to the evil and the sin which dwell within us and which all too often we pretend to ignore. Yet all the more should we turn our eyes to the God who is rich in mercy, and who has called us his friends (cf Jn, 15:15). Thus the Way of the Cross and the entire journey of our life becomes a way of penance, pain and conversion, but also of gratitude, faith and joy.”
Coming to the ninth station, he said, “The real reason why Christ fell repeatedly was not simply his physical sufferings, or human betrayal, but the will of the Father. That mysterious will, humanly incomprehensible, yet infinitely good and generous, whereby Jesus became ‘sin for us’. All the sins of humanity were placed upon him and that mysterious exchange took place whereby we sinners became ‘the righteousness of God’.”.
During the Meditations or the Pope’s address, no word was said about the “crosses” the Church is bearing these days. However, Fr Raniero Cantalamessa did refer to them during the celebration of the Passion of the Lord. “I received this week a letter from a Jewish friend,” he said. “[W]ith his permission; I share some of it with you.” In it, the friend said, “I am following with indignation the violent and concentric attacks against the Church, the Pope and all the faithful by the whole world. The use of stereotypes, the passing from personal responsibility and guilt to a collective guilt remind me of the more shameful aspects of anti-Semitism. Therefore, I desire to express to you personally, to the Pope and to the whole Church my solidarity as Jew of dialogue and of all those that in the Jewish world (and there are many) share these sentiments of brotherhood.”
“In the silence of a night that embraces Holy Saturday, we live waiting for the dawn of the third day, the dawn of the victory of God’s love,” Benedict XVI said at the end of the Via Crucis. http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Good-Friday,-the-day-of-greatest-hope,-Pope-says-18055.html
Asia News report: At the end of the Via Crucis, Benedict XVI urged the faithful to convert, to turn to the cross keeping in mind the Resurrection, which “envelops everything, transforming betrayal in friendship, and hatred in love.” The Pope’s preacher quotes a Jewish friend who compares recent violent attacks against the Church to the most shameful aspects of anti-Semitism.
Rome (AsiaNews) – Good Friday is the “day of greatest hope, unfolding on the cross, as Jesus lay dying.” His death became a “source of life,” so that “our disappointments and bitter experiences could be brightened by hope”, by the “shining light of the Resurrection”, which “envelops everything, transforming betrayal in friendship, and hatred in love.”
This year’s Via Crucis, which fell on the fifth anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II, was, in the words Pope Benedict XVI’s spoke tonight at the Colosseum, more than ever about the Resurrection, and this despite “the passion in the life of the Church” and “of the world, because we actually know that the source of salvation, liberation and peace lies in the suffering on the cross.” Thus, in a spring evening, the Pope brought to an end the Way of the Cross, which he followed from a balcony across from the Colosseum, surrounded by thousands of people.
“Free us from the somewhat ridiculous presumption that we are self-sufficient” and help “acknowledge without hypocrisy that evil is within us,” the Pope said in a prayer with which he began the ceremony.
These issues were mentioned several times during the Meditations, written this year by Card Camillo Ruini, Vicar General Emeritus of Rome. At the first station, the cardinal warned, “It is to ourselves, then, that we must look: to the evil and the sin which dwell within us and which all too often we pretend to ignore. Yet all the more should we turn our eyes to the God who is rich in mercy, and who has called us his friends (cf Jn, 15:15). Thus the Way of the Cross and the entire journey of our life becomes a way of penance, pain and conversion, but also of gratitude, faith and joy.”
Coming to the ninth station, he said, “The real reason why Christ fell repeatedly was not simply his physical sufferings, or human betrayal, but the will of the Father. That mysterious will, humanly incomprehensible, yet infinitely good and generous, whereby Jesus became ‘sin for us’. All the sins of humanity were placed upon him and that mysterious exchange took place whereby we sinners became ‘the righteousness of God’.”.
During the Meditations or the Pope’s address, no word was said about the “crosses” the Church is bearing these days. However, Fr Raniero Cantalamessa did refer to them during the celebration of the Passion of the Lord. “I received this week a letter from a Jewish friend,” he said. “[W]ith his permission; I share some of it with you.” In it, the friend said, “I am following with indignation the violent and concentric attacks against the Church, the Pope and all the faithful by the whole world. The use of stereotypes, the passing from personal responsibility and guilt to a collective guilt remind me of the more shameful aspects of anti-Semitism. Therefore, I desire to express to you personally, to the Pope and to the whole Church my solidarity as Jew of dialogue and of all those that in the Jewish world (and there are many) share these sentiments of brotherhood.”
“In the silence of a night that embraces Holy Saturday, we live waiting for the dawn of the third day, the dawn of the victory of God’s love,” Benedict XVI said at the end of the Via Crucis. http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Good-Friday,-the-day-of-greatest-hope,-Pope-says-18055.html
EUROPE
ENGLAND: SISTER CAMILLA OBERDING TAKES HER FINAL VOWS
Catholic Herald report: More than 400 worshippers, including family members, friends from around the world and local parishioners, attended the solem
n profession of Sister Camilla Oberding in Kensington, west London, last Wednesday, the vigil of the Feast of the Annunciation. Mgr Christopher Brooks, accompanied by 20 priests, presided at the two-hour Mass in the Carmelite church of Our Lady and St Simon Stock. Sister Camilla's 85-year-old mother, Magda, was a prominent figure among the guests, along with her other three daughters, Aunt Trudy and friends from Germany, Italy and Slovakia.Sister Camilla chose the Carmelite church as the venue for her final vows because it was there that she was enrolled at the age of 15 in the Confraternity of the Scapula of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.Now Sister Camilla devotes all her energies to the Community of Our Lady of Walsingham. Based at Abbotswick House in Essex, the six-strong community was founded in January 2004 and is the most recent addition to the Diocese of Brentwood. Members of the community based at Abbotswick - the first Catholic mixed community in England since the Reformation - formed part of the choir at the celebratory Mass in Kensington which was followed by a reception for guests. Sister Camilla told guests of the sentence she had written in her diary years ago: "The only love worthwhile is the love that lasts forever." She said: "I was able to reflect on it during my time of retreat recently and my final profession of vows is a testimony to the truth of this fact and something I am personally experiencing at an ever deeper level." Sister Camilla took her first vows in an Italian community 23 years ago. She added: "By taking the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience I have chosen to follow Christ more closely in a religious life, to make my whole being an offering of praise and thanksgiving to the glory of the Holy Trinity." http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/life/cl0000736.shtml
n profession of Sister Camilla Oberding in Kensington, west London, last Wednesday, the vigil of the Feast of the Annunciation. Mgr Christopher Brooks, accompanied by 20 priests, presided at the two-hour Mass in the Carmelite church of Our Lady and St Simon Stock. Sister Camilla's 85-year-old mother, Magda, was a prominent figure among the guests, along with her other three daughters, Aunt Trudy and friends from Germany, Italy and Slovakia.Sister Camilla chose the Carmelite church as the venue for her final vows because it was there that she was enrolled at the age of 15 in the Confraternity of the Scapula of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.Now Sister Camilla devotes all her energies to the Community of Our Lady of Walsingham. Based at Abbotswick House in Essex, the six-strong community was founded in January 2004 and is the most recent addition to the Diocese of Brentwood. Members of the community based at Abbotswick - the first Catholic mixed community in England since the Reformation - formed part of the choir at the celebratory Mass in Kensington which was followed by a reception for guests. Sister Camilla told guests of the sentence she had written in her diary years ago: "The only love worthwhile is the love that lasts forever." She said: "I was able to reflect on it during my time of retreat recently and my final profession of vows is a testimony to the truth of this fact and something I am personally experiencing at an ever deeper level." Sister Camilla took her first vows in an Italian community 23 years ago. She added: "By taking the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience I have chosen to follow Christ more closely in a religious life, to make my whole being an offering of praise and thanksgiving to the glory of the Holy Trinity." http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/life/cl0000736.shtmlAMERICA
USA: HISTORY CHANNEL REVEALS 3D IMAGE BASED ON SHROUD
ABC news report: The History Channel unveils a new image based on studies of the Shroud of Turin.
Artists and scientists studied the Shroud of Turin, a cloth that some say was wrapped around Jesus' face when he died, to develop the image.
"If you want to re-create the face of Jesus and you want to get the actual face of Jesus, you have only one object and that's the shroud," said computer artist Ray Downing of Studio Macbeth in New York City, which specializes in digital illustration and animation.
While some people said the image was "realistic" and what they imagined Christ looked like, others were not as certain."I find it questionable," one man told ABC News. "I don't think there should be any one face," a woman said.
Another man questioned whether the Shroud of Turin was real.
"I believe it is an accurate image of whoever the shroud belongs to, but it's unclear if that shroud belongs to Jesus Christ," he said.
Others said they felt a spiritual connection to the image.
"I see love. I see compassion. I see my savior," said one woman who was at the Vatican when she saw the image.
The drive to create the image and the intense response to it are examples of the profound role that Jesus plays in so many lives.
"There's a long tradition in Christian theology and Christian history of seeking the face of Christ, of wanting to know what he was like as a man," said the Rev. Jonathan Morris, a Catholic priest and author in New York City.
Finding Jesus' Face
The centuries-old shroud contains a faint impression of the front and back of a human body, along with blood, dirt and water stains from its age.
Cutting-edge modern skills were required to pull an accurate flesh and blood face from a piece of fabric so old.
The year-long project culminated with a team of graphic artists using the newest technology to create a computer-generated image.
"I have a lot of information about that face and my estimation is we're pretty darn close to what this man looked like," Downing, the lead artist, said. Ancient Shroud Provides Clues
One of the main problems -- the condition of the shroud -- provided key clues. The team realized there were distortions in the image on the shroud because the fabric had been wrapped around the body.
"The solution was to realize that the shroud wasn't hanging on the wall, it was wrapping a corpse," said Downing, who has also used computers to create images of Abrahma Lincoln. "That's the crux of the problem, the face is hidden in there."
"By imitating those distortions, we could take the image and put it back into that shape and figure out what the face looked like … it gave us a blueprint," he said.
After forming the blueprint, the computer artists started the recreation. Of course, there were limitations to what they could do with what they had.
"Inevitably, you do run out of information," Downing said. "You can't see the pores in a linen fabric. There are no eyebrows. It doesn't take a lot of guesswork to assign pores and skin texture to a model, to know that the man did have eyebrows and to provide them. At some point, you do have to leave the realm of actual information and use experience."
Artists and scientists studied the Shroud of Turin, a cloth that some say was wrapped around Jesus' face when he died, to develop the image.
"If you want to re-create the face of Jesus and you want to get the actual face of Jesus, you have only one object and that's the shroud," said computer artist Ray Downing of Studio Macbeth in New York City, which specializes in digital illustration and animation.
While some people said the image was "realistic" and what they imagined Christ looked like, others were not as certain."I find it questionable," one man told ABC News. "I don't think there should be any one face," a woman said.
Another man questioned whether the Shroud of Turin was real.
"I believe it is an accurate image of whoever the shroud belongs to, but it's unclear if that shroud belongs to Jesus Christ," he said.
Others said they felt a spiritual connection to the image.
"I see love. I see compassion. I see my savior," said one woman who was at the Vatican when she saw the image.
The drive to create the image and the intense response to it are examples of the profound role that Jesus plays in so many lives.
"There's a long tradition in Christian theology and Christian history of seeking the face of Christ, of wanting to know what he was like as a man," said the Rev. Jonathan Morris, a Catholic priest and author in New York City.
Finding Jesus' Face
The centuries-old shroud contains a faint impression of the front and back of a human body, along with blood, dirt and water stains from its age.
Cutting-edge modern skills were required to pull an accurate flesh and blood face from a piece of fabric so old.
The year-long project culminated with a team of graphic artists using the newest technology to create a computer-generated image.
"I have a lot of information about that face and my estimation is we're pretty darn close to what this man looked like," Downing, the lead artist, said. Ancient Shroud Provides Clues
One of the main problems -- the condition of the shroud -- provided key clues. The team realized there were distortions in the image on the shroud because the fabric had been wrapped around the body.
"The solution was to realize that the shroud wasn't hanging on the wall, it was wrapping a corpse," said Downing, who has also used computers to create images of Abrahma Lincoln. "That's the crux of the problem, the face is hidden in there."
"By imitating those distortions, we could take the image and put it back into that shape and figure out what the face looked like … it gave us a blueprint," he said.
After forming the blueprint, the computer artists started the recreation. Of course, there were limitations to what they could do with what they had.
"Inevitably, you do run out of information," Downing said. "You can't see the pores in a linen fabric. There are no eyebrows. It doesn't take a lot of guesswork to assign pores and skin texture to a model, to know that the man did have eyebrows and to provide them. At some point, you do have to leave the realm of actual information and use experience."
ASIA
CHINA: 21 MINERS DIE BY UNDERGROUND EXPLOSIONS
Asia News report: The deaths - 21 and 32 workers trapped underground – caused yet again by 
underground explosions. The mine in Henan was private and illegal and was supposed to have been closed last May. No hope for 153 miners trapped in flooded tunnel in Xiangning (Shanxi). The mine was state owned.
Beijing (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Nine miners were killed and one wounded in an explosion in an underground coal mine in Shaanxi. The fatal accident occurred yesterday evening towards 7 pm, in Quanzigou mine, Hancheng (Longmen). Of the 27 miners who working in the tunnel, only 17 were rescued.
Two days ago, on March 31 12 miners were killed and 32 were trapped underground in a coal mine in Henan by another gas explosion. The accident occurred in the evening around 7:20 pm in Yichuan County (Luoyang). The mine belongs to private company, Guoming, and was operating illegally, digging a tunnel where about 90 miners were at work. Only 51 of them reached safety. It is difficult to determine the exact number of people trapped underground because the blast destroyed the list of miners at work. The provincial government ordered the closure of the mine last May, after another incident.
Meanwhile, three days have passed since yet another mining disaster in a state-owned coal mine in Xiangning, Wangjialing (Shanxi), where 153 miners were buried in a tunnel flooded and where now hopes of bringing them to safety are almost nil.
For years, China has held the record of the world's highest number of fatal accidents in mines, a consequence of the nation’s hunger for energy that results in mines being kept open. Facilities managers, both governmental and public, push for intensive exploitation, reducing security measures to increase profits.
Unofficial sources say the victims from mining accidents in China are at least 20 thousand a year. Over the past three years the government has approved regulations on mine safety, but their application is very vague. Thanks to corruption, local government and mine owners can avoid closure, often hiding accidents and fatalities. http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Massacre-of-miners-in-Shaanxi,-Henan,-Shanxi-18050.html
underground explosions. The mine in Henan was private and illegal and was supposed to have been closed last May. No hope for 153 miners trapped in flooded tunnel in Xiangning (Shanxi). The mine was state owned. Beijing (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Nine miners were killed and one wounded in an explosion in an underground coal mine in Shaanxi. The fatal accident occurred yesterday evening towards 7 pm, in Quanzigou mine, Hancheng (Longmen). Of the 27 miners who working in the tunnel, only 17 were rescued.
Two days ago, on March 31 12 miners were killed and 32 were trapped underground in a coal mine in Henan by another gas explosion. The accident occurred in the evening around 7:20 pm in Yichuan County (Luoyang). The mine belongs to private company, Guoming, and was operating illegally, digging a tunnel where about 90 miners were at work. Only 51 of them reached safety. It is difficult to determine the exact number of people trapped underground because the blast destroyed the list of miners at work. The provincial government ordered the closure of the mine last May, after another incident.
Meanwhile, three days have passed since yet another mining disaster in a state-owned coal mine in Xiangning, Wangjialing (Shanxi), where 153 miners were buried in a tunnel flooded and where now hopes of bringing them to safety are almost nil.
For years, China has held the record of the world's highest number of fatal accidents in mines, a consequence of the nation’s hunger for energy that results in mines being kept open. Facilities managers, both governmental and public, push for intensive exploitation, reducing security measures to increase profits.
Unofficial sources say the victims from mining accidents in China are at least 20 thousand a year. Over the past three years the government has approved regulations on mine safety, but their application is very vague. Thanks to corruption, local government and mine owners can avoid closure, often hiding accidents and fatalities. http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Massacre-of-miners-in-Shaanxi,-Henan,-Shanxi-18050.html
AFRICA
UGANDA: JOINT CHRISTIAN STATEMENT ON CHALLENGES
All Africa report: Christians across Uganda will today mark the Good Friday holiday in memory of the death of Jesus Christ before celebrating Easter, on Sunday, in memory of his resurrection.
While there is a lot for Christians to celebrate, church leaders say they are concerned about the state of affairs in the country.
In a statement jointly released through the Uganda Joint Christian Council (UJCC) yesterday, leaders of the Anglican, Catholic and Orthodox churches said they are "greatly concerned" about the current challenges facing the country and "saddened" by the poor state of social services like schools and hospitals.
"We are witnessing growing levels of moral decadence in our society that is manifested with cases of human and child murders, child neglect, rampant corruption in public institutions, and degradation of the environment," the church leaders said in a statement signed by Rev. Dr Silvester Arinaitwe Rwomukubwe, UJCC's executive secretary.
The statement noted that the recent landslide in Bududa that claimed hundreds of lives is a "grim reminder" of the need for urgent action on the effect of climate change.
"We urge all Ugandans to avoid cutting down trees. Instead plant trees and dispose off waste such as [plastic bags] responsibly."
To lead by example, the council pledged to plant trees at every starting station of the routes for the public way of the cross, the symbolic procession with a cross.
Corruption fight
"Corruption," the religious leaders noted, "is an evil that is slowly eating away our society. Poor quality of education is being offered to our children, there is lack of medicine in our hospitals, and the bad roads are all a result of corruption. The fight against corruption should begin with each and everyone. We would therefore like to appeal to all Ugandans to stand up and be counted in the fight against corruption."
The statement also called for free and fair elections next year, tolerance, as well as freedom of expression and assembly. It also condemned child sacrifice and child abuse.
In a show of unity, the leaders of the various churches will lead their believers in processions carrying symbolic crosses from several points to a final congregation and prayer celebrations at Nakivubo Stadium.
Police has marked out various routes that will be closed to traffic.
The Christians, according to Rev. Fr. Arinaitwe, will converge at different stations at 8am where they shall walk to Nakivubo Stadium.
The different stations are Mbuya Catholic Church, St Jude and St. Peter's Church Naguru, All Saints Church Nakasero, Christ the King Church and Mulago Catholic Church.
Others are Makerere University Freedom Square, Mulago Hospital, Mulago Hospital Catholic Chaplaincy, St. Nicholas Orthodox Church Namungoona, Namirembe Cathedral, Rubaga Cathedral, Nsambya Parish and Uganda Martyrs Church of Uganda.
AUSTRALIA
JULIE GOODWIN: MASTERCHEF ON FAITH
Cath News report: Julie Goodwin never expected MasterChef Australia to change her life. And in fact, despite winning the three-month televised cooking contest, after which she stepped back into the world to find she’d become a minor celebrity, she confesses to Australian Catholics that th
ings haven’t really changed that much at all.
‘The fundamentals, the really important stuff, hasn’t changed’, Julie says. ‘My priority is still my family. I’ve got everything I had before: a beautiful strong marriage, great kids and great friends. We still do the kinds of things we did socially and in the community.’
That said, Julie’s schedule does look quite different. Prior to MasterChef, she worked with her husband, Mick, on their IT business. They fitted this around their three sons’ school and social lives. ‘It was a very happy, blessed sort of life’, Julie says.
It still is, although these days Julie has had to step away from the IT business in order to free up time for writing and cooking engagements, and the other responsibilities that go along with being Australia’s first MasterChef.
‘I’ve got a whole lot of projects that I didn’t anticipate’, she says. ‘I’ve got to meet a heap of new people.’ She’s also written a cookbook, Our Family Table, built around her own family recipes and based on an idea that she first pitched to food stylist, author and magazine editor Donna Hay as part of the MasterChef competition.
‘To write a book is a dream come true for me’, says Julie. ‘Now I am earning a living cooking and writing, which are two of my favourite things to do.’
Julie is a Catholic, and says that her faith has always played a significant role in her life. She was particularly grateful for her faith during her time on MasterChef.
ings haven’t really changed that much at all.‘The fundamentals, the really important stuff, hasn’t changed’, Julie says. ‘My priority is still my family. I’ve got everything I had before: a beautiful strong marriage, great kids and great friends. We still do the kinds of things we did socially and in the community.’
That said, Julie’s schedule does look quite different. Prior to MasterChef, she worked with her husband, Mick, on their IT business. They fitted this around their three sons’ school and social lives. ‘It was a very happy, blessed sort of life’, Julie says.
It still is, although these days Julie has had to step away from the IT business in order to free up time for writing and cooking engagements, and the other responsibilities that go along with being Australia’s first MasterChef.
‘I’ve got a whole lot of projects that I didn’t anticipate’, she says. ‘I’ve got to meet a heap of new people.’ She’s also written a cookbook, Our Family Table, built around her own family recipes and based on an idea that she first pitched to food stylist, author and magazine editor Donna Hay as part of the MasterChef competition.
‘To write a book is a dream come true for me’, says Julie. ‘Now I am earning a living cooking and writing, which are two of my favourite things to do.’
Julie is a Catholic, and says that her faith has always played a significant role in her life. She was particularly grateful for her faith during her time on MasterChef.
TODAY'S SAINT
St. Mary of Egypt
HERMITESS
Feast: April 2
In
formation:
Feast Day:
April 2
Born:
344, Egypt
Died:
421, Trans-Jordan desert, Palestine
Patron of:
Chastity; Demons (deliverance from); Fever; Skin diseases
Born probably about 344; died about 421. At the early age of twelve Mary left her home and came to Alexandria, where for upwards of seventeen years she led a life of public prostitution. At the end of that time, on the occasion of a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, she embarked for Palestine, not however with the intention of making the pilgrimage, but in the hope that life on board ship would afford her new and abundant opportunities of gratifying an insatiable lust. Arrived in Jerusalem she persisted in her shameless life, and on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross joined the crowds towards the church where the sacred relic was venerated, hoping to meet in the gathering some new victims whom she might allure into sin. And now came the turning-point in her career. When she reached the church door, she suddenly felt herself repelled by some secret force, and having vainly attempted three or four times to enter, she retired to a corner of the churchyard, and was struck with remorse for her wicked life, which she recognized as the cause of her exclusion from the church. Bursting into bitter tears and beating her breast, she began to bewail her sins. Just then her eyes fell upon a statue of the Blessed Virgin above the spot where she was standing, and in deep faith and humility of heart she besought Our Lady for help, and permission to enter the church and venerate the sacred wood on which Jesus had suffered, promising that if her request were granted, she would then renounce forever the world and its ways, and forthwith depart whithersoever Our Lady might lead her. Encouraged by prayer and counting on the mercy of the Mother of God, she once more approached the door of the church, and this time succeeded in entering without the slightest difficulty. Having adored the Holy Cross and kissed the pavement of the church, she returned to Our Lady's statue, and while praying there for guidance as to her future course, she seemed to hear a voice from afar telling her that if she crossed the Jordan, she would find rest. That same evening Mary reached the Jordan and received Holy Communion in a church dedicated to the Baptist, and the day following crossed the river and wandered eastward into the desert that stretches towards Arabia.
Here she had lived absolutely alone for forty-seven years, subsisting apparently on herbs, when a priest and monk, named Zosimus, who after the custom of his brethren had come out from his monastery to spend Lent in the desert, met her and learned from her own lips the strange and romantic story of her life. As soon as they met, she called Zosimus by his name and recognized him as a priest. After they had conversed and prayed together, she begged Zosimus to promise to meet her at the Jordan on Holy Thursday evening of the following year and bring with him the Blessed Sacrament. When the appointed evening arrived, Zosimus, we are told, put into a small chalice a portion of the undefiled Body and the precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ (P. L. LXXIII, 686; "Mittens in modico calice intemerati corporis portionem et pretioso sanguinis D.N.J.C." But the reference to both species is less clear in Acta SS., IX, 82: "Accipiens parvum poculum intemerati corporis ac venerandi sanguinis Christi Dei nostri"), and came to the spot that had been indicated. After some time Mary appeared on the eastern bank of the river, and having made the sign of the cross, walked upon the waters to the western side. Having received Holy Communion, she raised her hands towards heaven, and cried aloud in the words of Simeon: "Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word in peace, because my eyes have seen thy salvation". She then charged Zosimus to come in the course of a year to the spot where he had first met her in the desert, adding that he would find her then in what condition God might ordain. He came, but only to find the poor saint's corpse, and written beside it on the ground a request that he should bury her, and a statement that she had died a year before, on the very night on which he had given her Holy Communion, far away by the Jordan's banks. Aided, we are told, by a lion, he prepared her grave and buried her, and having commended himself and the Church to her prayers, he returned to his monastery, where now for the first time he recounted the wondrous story of her life.
The saint's life was written not very long after her death by one who states that he learned the details from the monks of the monastery to which Zosimus had belonged. Many authorities mention St. Sophronius, who became Patriarch of Jerusalem in 635, as the author; but as the Bollandists give good reasons for believing that the Life was written before 500, we may conclude that it is from some other hand. The date of the saint is somewhat uncertain. The Bollandists place her death on 1 April, 421, while many other authorities put it a century later. The Greek Church celebrates her feast on 1 April, while the Roman Martyrology assigns it to 2 April, and the Roman Calendar to 3 April. The Greek date is more likely to be correct; the others may be due to the fact that on those days portions of her relics reached the West. Relics of the saint are venerated at Rome, Naples, Cremona, Antwerp, and some other places.
http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/M/stmaryofegypt.asp
St. Mary of Egypt
HERMITESS
Feast: April 2
In
formation:Feast Day:
April 2
Born:
344, Egypt
Died:
421, Trans-Jordan desert, Palestine
Patron of:
Chastity; Demons (deliverance from); Fever; Skin diseases
Born probably about 344; died about 421. At the early age of twelve Mary left her home and came to Alexandria, where for upwards of seventeen years she led a life of public prostitution. At the end of that time, on the occasion of a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, she embarked for Palestine, not however with the intention of making the pilgrimage, but in the hope that life on board ship would afford her new and abundant opportunities of gratifying an insatiable lust. Arrived in Jerusalem she persisted in her shameless life, and on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross joined the crowds towards the church where the sacred relic was venerated, hoping to meet in the gathering some new victims whom she might allure into sin. And now came the turning-point in her career. When she reached the church door, she suddenly felt herself repelled by some secret force, and having vainly attempted three or four times to enter, she retired to a corner of the churchyard, and was struck with remorse for her wicked life, which she recognized as the cause of her exclusion from the church. Bursting into bitter tears and beating her breast, she began to bewail her sins. Just then her eyes fell upon a statue of the Blessed Virgin above the spot where she was standing, and in deep faith and humility of heart she besought Our Lady for help, and permission to enter the church and venerate the sacred wood on which Jesus had suffered, promising that if her request were granted, she would then renounce forever the world and its ways, and forthwith depart whithersoever Our Lady might lead her. Encouraged by prayer and counting on the mercy of the Mother of God, she once more approached the door of the church, and this time succeeded in entering without the slightest difficulty. Having adored the Holy Cross and kissed the pavement of the church, she returned to Our Lady's statue, and while praying there for guidance as to her future course, she seemed to hear a voice from afar telling her that if she crossed the Jordan, she would find rest. That same evening Mary reached the Jordan and received Holy Communion in a church dedicated to the Baptist, and the day following crossed the river and wandered eastward into the desert that stretches towards Arabia.
Here she had lived absolutely alone for forty-seven years, subsisting apparently on herbs, when a priest and monk, named Zosimus, who after the custom of his brethren had come out from his monastery to spend Lent in the desert, met her and learned from her own lips the strange and romantic story of her life. As soon as they met, she called Zosimus by his name and recognized him as a priest. After they had conversed and prayed together, she begged Zosimus to promise to meet her at the Jordan on Holy Thursday evening of the following year and bring with him the Blessed Sacrament. When the appointed evening arrived, Zosimus, we are told, put into a small chalice a portion of the undefiled Body and the precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ (P. L. LXXIII, 686; "Mittens in modico calice intemerati corporis portionem et pretioso sanguinis D.N.J.C." But the reference to both species is less clear in Acta SS., IX, 82: "Accipiens parvum poculum intemerati corporis ac venerandi sanguinis Christi Dei nostri"), and came to the spot that had been indicated. After some time Mary appeared on the eastern bank of the river, and having made the sign of the cross, walked upon the waters to the western side. Having received Holy Communion, she raised her hands towards heaven, and cried aloud in the words of Simeon: "Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word in peace, because my eyes have seen thy salvation". She then charged Zosimus to come in the course of a year to the spot where he had first met her in the desert, adding that he would find her then in what condition God might ordain. He came, but only to find the poor saint's corpse, and written beside it on the ground a request that he should bury her, and a statement that she had died a year before, on the very night on which he had given her Holy Communion, far away by the Jordan's banks. Aided, we are told, by a lion, he prepared her grave and buried her, and having commended himself and the Church to her prayers, he returned to his monastery, where now for the first time he recounted the wondrous story of her life.
The saint's life was written not very long after her death by one who states that he learned the details from the monks of the monastery to which Zosimus had belonged. Many authorities mention St. Sophronius, who became Patriarch of Jerusalem in 635, as the author; but as the Bollandists give good reasons for believing that the Life was written before 500, we may conclude that it is from some other hand. The date of the saint is somewhat uncertain. The Bollandists place her death on 1 April, 421, while many other authorities put it a century later. The Greek Church celebrates her feast on 1 April, while the Roman Martyrology assigns it to 2 April, and the Roman Calendar to 3 April. The Greek date is more likely to be correct; the others may be due to the fact that on those days portions of her relics reached the West. Relics of the saint are venerated at Rome, Naples, Cremona, Antwerp, and some other places.
http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/M/stmaryofegypt.asp
St. Francis of Paola
FOUNDER OF THE ORDER OF MINIMS
Feast: April 2
Information:
Feast Day:
April 2
Born:
1416 at Paola, Calabria, Italy
Died:
2 April 1507 at Plessis, France
Canonized:
1512 by Pope Julius II
Founder of the Order of Minims; b. in 1416, at Paula, in Calabria, Italy; d. 2 April, 1507, at Plessis, France. His parents were remarkable for the holiness of their lives. Remaining childless for some years after their marriage they had recourse to prayer, especially commending themselves to the intercession of St. Francis of Assisi. Three children were eventually born to them, eldest of whom was Francis. When still in the cradle he suffered from a swelling which endangered the sight of one of his eyes. His parents again had recourse to Francis of Assisi, and made a vow that their son should pass an entire year in the "little habit" of St Francis in one of the convents of his order, a not uncommon practice in the Middle Ages. The child was immediately cured. From his early years Francis showed signs of extraordinary sanctity, and at the age of thirteen, being admonished by a vision of a Franciscan friar, he entered a convent of the Franciscan Order in order to fulfil the vow made by his parents. Here he gave great edification by his love of prayer and mortification, his profound humility, and his prompt obedience. At the completion of the year he went with his parents on a pilgrimage to Assisi, Rome, and other places of devotion. Returning to Paula he selected a retired spot on his father's estate, and there lived in solitude; but later on he found a more retired dwelling in a cave on the sea coast. Here he remained alone for about six years giving himself to prayer and mortification.
In 1435 two companions joined him in his retreat, and to accommodate them Francis caused three cells and a chapel to be built: in this way the new order was begun. The number of his disciples gradually increased, and about 1454, with the permission of Pyrrhus, Archbishop of Cosenza, Francis built a large monastery and church. The building of this monastery was the occasion of a great outburst of enthusiasm and devotion on the part of the people towards Francis: even the nobles carried stones and joined in the work. Their devotion was increased by the many miracles which the saint wrought in answer to their prayers. The rule of life adopted by Francis and his religious was one of extraordinary severity. They observed perpetual abstinence and lived in great poverty, but the distinguishing mark of the order was humility. They were to seek to live unknown and hidden from the world. To express this character which he would have his disciples cultivate, Francis eventually obtained from the Holy See that they should be styled Minims, the least of all religious. In 1474 Sixtus IV gave him permission to write a rule for his community, and to assume the title of Hermits of St. Francis: this rule was formally approved by Alexander VI, who, however, changed their title into that of Minims. After the approbation of the order, Francis founded several new monasteries in Calabria and Sicily. He also established convents of nuns, and a third order for people living in the world, after the example of St. Francis of Assisi.
He had an extraordinary gift of prophecy: thus he foretold the capture of Otranto by the Turks in 1480, and its subsequent recovery by the King of Naples. Also he was gifted with discernment of consciences. He was no respecter of persons of whatever rank or position. He rebuked the King of Naples for his ill-doing and in consequence suffered much persecution. When Louis XI was in his last illness he sent an embassy to Calabria to beg the saint to visit him. Francis refused to come nor could he be prevailed upon until the pope ordered him to go. He then went to the king at Plessis-les-Tours and was with him at his death. Charles VIII, Louis's successor, much admired the saint and during his reign kept him near the court and frequently consulted him. This king built a monastery for Minims at Plessis and another at Rome on the Pincian Hill. The regard in which Charles VIII held the saint was shared by Louis XII, who succeeded to the throne in 1498. Francis was now anxious to return to Italy, but the king would not permit him, not wishing to lose his counsels and direction. The last three mouths of his life he spent in entire solitude, preparing for death. On Maundy Thursday he gathered his community around him and exhorted them especially to have mutual charity amongst themselves and to maintain the rigour of their life and in particular perpetual abstinence. The next day, Good Friday, he again called them together and gave them his last instructions and appointed a vicar-general. He then received the last sacraments and asked to have the Passion according to St. John read out to him, and whilst this was being read, his soul passed away. Leo X canonized him in 1019. In 1562 the Huguenots broke open his tomb and found his body incorrupt. They dragged it forth and burnt it, but some of the bones were preserved by the Catholics and enshrined in various churches of his order. The Order of Minims does not seem at any time to have been very extensive, but they had houses in many countries. The definitive rule was approved in 1506 by Julius II, who also approved a rule for the nuns of the order. The feast of St. Francis of Paula is kept by the universal Church on 2 April, the day on which he died.http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/F/stfrancisofpaola.asp
TODAY'S GOSPEL
John 18: 1 - 40
1
When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples across the Kidron valley, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered.
2
Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place; for Jesus often met there with his disciples.
3
So Judas, procuring a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons.
4
Then Jesus, knowing all that was to befall him, came forward and said to them, "Whom do you seek?"
5
They answered him, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus said to them, "I am he." Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them.
6
When he said to them, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground.
7
Again he asked them, "Whom do you seek?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth."
8
Jesus answered, "I told you that I am he; so, if you seek me, let these men go."
9
This was to fulfil the word which he had spoken, "Of those whom thou gavest me I lost not one."
10
Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's slave and cut off his right ear. The slave's name was Malchus.
11
Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup which the Father has given me?"
12
So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews seized Jesus and bound him.
13
First they led him to Annas; for he was the father-in-law of Ca'iaphas, who was high priest that year.
14
It was Ca'iaphas who had given counsel to the Jews that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.
15
Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. As this disciple was known to the high priest, he entered the court of the high priest along with Jesus,
16
while Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the maid who kept the door, and brought Peter in.
17
The maid who kept the door said to Peter, "Are not you also one of this man's disciples?" He said, "I am not."
18
Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves; Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.
19
The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.
20
Jesus answered him, "I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together; I have said nothing secretly.
21
Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me, what I said to them; they know what I said."
22
When he had said this, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, "Is that how you answer the high priest?"
23
Jesus answered him, "If I have spoken wrongly, bear witness to the wrong; but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?"
24
Annas then sent him bound to Ca'iaphas the high priest.
25
Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said to him, "Are not you also one of his disciples?" He denied it and said, "I am not."
26
One of the servants of the high priest, a kinsman of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, "Did I not see you in the garden with him?"
27
Peter again denied it; and at once the cock crowed.
28
Then they led Jesus from the house of Ca'iaphas to the praetorium. It was early. They themselves did not enter the praetorium, so that they might not be defiled, but might eat the passover.
29
So Pilate went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this man?"
30
They answered him, "If this man were not an evildoer, we would not have handed him over."
31
Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law." The Jews said to him, "It is not lawful for us to put any man to death."
32
This was to fulfil the word which Jesus had spoken to show by what death he was to die.
33
Pilate entered the praetorium again and called Jesus, and said to him, "Are you the King of the Jews?"
34
Jesus answered, "Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?"
35
Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me; what have you done?"
36
Jesus answered, "My kingship is not of this world; if my kingship were of this world, my servants would fight, that I might not be handed over to the Jews; but my kingship is not from the world."
37
Pilate said to him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice."
38
Pilate said to him, "What is truth?" After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again, and told them, "I find no crime in him.
39
But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover; will you have me release for you the King of the Jews?"
40
They cried out again, "Not this man, but Barab'bas!" Now Barab'bas was a robber.
John 19: 1 - 42
1
Then Pilate took Jesus and scourged him.
2
And the soldiers plaited a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and arrayed him in a purple robe;
3
they came up to him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" and struck him with their hands.
4
Pilate went out again, and said to them, "See, I am bringing him out to you, that you may know that I find no crime in him."
5
So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, "Behold the man!"
6
When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, "Crucify him, crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no crime in him."
7
The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and by that law he ought to die, because he has made himself the Son of God."
8
When Pilate heard these words, he was the more afraid;
9
he entered the praetorium again and said to Jesus, "Where are you from?" But Jesus gave no answer.
10
Pilate therefore said to him, "You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?"
11
Jesus answered him, "You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore he who delivered me to you has the greater sin."
12
Upon this Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, "If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend; every one who makes himself a king sets himself against Caesar."
13
When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, and in Hebrew, Gab'batha.
14
Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, "Behold your King!"
15
They cried out, "Away with him, away with him, crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar."
16
Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.
17
So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Gol'gotha.
18
There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them.
19
Pilate also wrote a title and put it on the cross; it read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews."
20
Many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek.
21
The chief priests of the Jews then said to Pilate, "Do not write, `The King of the Jews,' but, `This man said, I am King of the Jews.'"
22
Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written."
23
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus they took his garments and made four parts, one for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was without seam, woven from top to bottom;
24
so they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be." This was to fulfil the scripture, "They parted my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots."
25
So the soldiers did this. But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Mag'dalene.
26
When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son!"
27
Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.
28
After this Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfil the scripture), "I thirst."
29
A bowl full of vinegar stood there; so they put a sponge full of the vinegar on hyssop and held it to his mouth.
30
When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, "It is finished"; and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
31
Since it was the day of Preparation, in order to prevent the bodies from remaining on the cross on the sabbath (for that sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
32
So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him;
33
but when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.
34
But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.
35
He who saw it has borne witness -- his testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth -- that you also may believe.
36
For these things took place that the scripture might be fulfilled, "Not a bone of him shall be broken."
37
And again another scripture says, "They shall look on him whom they have pierced."
38
After this Joseph of Arimathe'a, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him leave. So he came and took away his body.
39
Nicode'mus also, who had at first come to him by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds' weight.
40
They took the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.
41
Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb where no one had ever been laid.
42
So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, as the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.
One of the servants of the high priest, a kinsman of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, "Did I not see you in the garden with him?"
27
Peter again denied it; and at once the cock crowed.
28
Then they led Jesus from the house of Ca'iaphas to the praetorium. It was early. They themselves did not enter the praetorium, so that they might not be defiled, but might eat the passover.
29
So Pilate went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this man?"
30
They answered him, "If this man were not an evildoer, we would not have handed him over."
31
Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law." The Jews said to him, "It is not lawful for us to put any man to death."
32
This was to fulfil the word which Jesus had spoken to show by what death he was to die.
33
Pilate entered the praetorium again and called Jesus, and said to him, "Are you the King of the Jews?"
34
Jesus answered, "Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?"
35
Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me; what have you done?"
36
Jesus answered, "My kingship is not of this world; if my kingship were of this world, my servants would fight, that I might not be handed over to the Jews; but my kingship is not from the world."
37
Pilate said to him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice."
38
Pilate said to him, "What is truth?" After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again, and told them, "I find no crime in him.
39
But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover; will you have me release for you the King of the Jews?"
40
They cried out again, "Not this man, but Barab'bas!" Now Barab'bas was a robber.
John 19: 1 - 42
1
Then Pilate took Jesus and scourged him.
2
And the soldiers plaited a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and arrayed him in a purple robe;
3
they came up to him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" and struck him with their hands.
4
Pilate went out again, and said to them, "See, I am bringing him out to you, that you may know that I find no crime in him."
5
So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, "Behold the man!"
6
When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, "Crucify him, crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no crime in him."
7
The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and by that law he ought to die, because he has made himself the Son of God."
8
When Pilate heard these words, he was the more afraid;
9
he entered the praetorium again and said to Jesus, "Where are you from?" But Jesus gave no answer.
10
Pilate therefore said to him, "You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?"
11
Jesus answered him, "You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore he who delivered me to you has the greater sin."
12
Upon this Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, "If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend; every one who makes himself a king sets himself against Caesar."
13
When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, and in Hebrew, Gab'batha.
14
Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, "Behold your King!"
15
They cried out, "Away with him, away with him, crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar."
16
Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.
17
So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Gol'gotha.
18
There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them.
19
Pilate also wrote a title and put it on the cross; it read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews."
20
Many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek.
21
The chief priests of the Jews then said to Pilate, "Do not write, `The King of the Jews,' but, `This man said, I am King of the Jews.'"
22
Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written."
23
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus they took his garments and made four parts, one for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was without seam, woven from top to bottom;
24
so they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be." This was to fulfil the scripture, "They parted my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots."
25
So the soldiers did this. But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Mag'dalene.
26
When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son!"
27
Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.
28
After this Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfil the scripture), "I thirst."
29
A bowl full of vinegar stood there; so they put a sponge full of the vinegar on hyssop and held it to his mouth.
30
When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, "It is finished"; and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
31
Since it was the day of Preparation, in order to prevent the bodies from remaining on the cross on the sabbath (for that sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
32
So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him;
33
but when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.
34
But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.
35
He who saw it has borne witness -- his testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth -- that you also may believe.
36
For these things took place that the scripture might be fulfilled, "Not a bone of him shall be broken."
37
And again another scripture says, "They shall look on him whom they have pierced."
38
After this Joseph of Arimathe'a, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him leave. So he came and took away his body.
39
Nicode'mus also, who had at first come to him by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds' weight.
40
They took the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.
41
Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb where no one had ever been laid.
42
So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, as the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.
