(Lesson 6 – Apl 15,
2025)
Passion Reading (Lk 22:1–23:56)
The Conspiracy
against Jesus (Lk 22:1–6)
The chief priests and
scribes plot to kill Jesus.
Judas agrees to betray Him
for money.
Preparation for
the Last Supper (Lk 22:7–38)
Jesus celebrates the
Passover with His disciples. He institutes the Lord’s Supper, giving the bread
and wine as His body and blood. He foretells His betrayal. He teaches
them about servant leadership and foretells Peter’s denial.
19-20: Jesus gives new meaning to the Passover meal, offering Himself as
the sacrificial Lamb. This sacrament invites believers to remember His death,
celebrate His resurrection, and anticipate His return.
Jesus Prays on
the Mount of Olives (Lk 22:39–46)
Jesus prays in anguish,
asking the Father to remove the cup of suffering, yet submits to God's will. His
sweat becomes like drops of blood. The disciples fall asleep.
The Agony in
the Garden (Lk 22:39–46) “Father, if you are willing, take this cup
from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”
St. Ambrose: “He took upon Himself not only the death of humanity but also the sorrow
of death, that He might sanctify our suffering by His own anguish.”
Reflection: Jesus' agony reveals both his true humanity and his perfect obedience.
The Church Fathers emphasize that his struggle was real, but his submission to
the Father was redemptive. When we wrestle in prayer, we are not alone—Christ
has gone before us.
22:42: Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane shows total submission to God’s will, even in
the face of immense suffering. It’s a model for believers on surrendering our
own will in trust and obedience.
The Arrest of
Jesus (Lk 22:47–53) Judas
betrays Jesus with a kiss. Jesus is arrested peacefully despite resistance. “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a
kiss?”
St. Cyril of
Alexandria: “It was not ignorance but love that moved Christ to
address Judas. He speaks with the pain of a wounded friend, not the wrath of a
judge.”
Reflection: Jesus’ response to betrayal was not vengeance, but sorrowful compassion.
The Fathers saw in this moment a profound teaching: even in betrayal, Jesus
extends love. Are we willing to meet sin with grace?
Peter Denies
Jesus (Lk 22:54–62) Peter denies knowing Jesus three times. He
weeps bitterly when the rooster crows. “Before the rooster crows today, you
will deny three times that you know me.”
St.
Augustine: “Peter fell, not because he was weak, but because he
trusted in his own strength. His tears are the baptism of a broken heart.”
Reflection: Peter’s denial and repentance remind us that even the greatest can
fall—but also rise again through humility and tears. The Church Fathers often
paired Peter's fall with his future leadership to emphasize God’s mercy and
power to restore.
Jesus Is Mocked
and Tried (Lk 22:63 – 23:25) Jesus is mocked and beaten.
He is brought before the
Sanhedrin, then to Pilate, then Herod, and back to Pilate.
Though declared innocent,
Jesus is sentenced to death due to the crowd’s pressure.
Barabbas is released
instead of Jesus. “I find no basis for a charge against this man.”
Origen: “Pilate judges the Judge of all, but it is Christ who truly judges
Pilate.”
Reflection: The silence and humility of Jesus before unjust rulers reveal a kingdom
not of this world. The Fathers saw Christ’s trials as the defeat of pride and
the exaltation of meekness.
The Crucifixion (Lk 23:26–49) Jesus is led to Golgotha, carrying His cross with help from
Simon of Cyrene. He forgives those crucifying him: “Father, forgive them…”
Two criminals are crucified
with Him. One repents and is promised paradise.
Darkness falls, the
curtain of the temple tears, and Jesus dies, saying: “Father, into your hands I
commit my spirit.”
St. John
Chrysostom: “Even as He is nailed to the cross, He opens paradise.
He gives more in death than others give in life.”
Reflection: The Fathers saw the cross not just as a place of suffering, but of
victory. Jesus forgives, saves the repentant thief, and completes His mission.
The cross becomes the new Tree of Life.
The Burial (Lk 23:50–56) Joseph of Arimathea takes Jesus’ body and lays it in a tomb.
The women prepare spices
but rest on the Sabbath. “They took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and
placed it in a tomb cut in the rock.”
St. Ephrem
the Syrian: “He who was laid in a tomb sanctified the grave, so
that death would no longer be a prison, but a passage.”
Reflection: The burial of Jesus is not the end—it is a seed sown in the earth. The
Fathers often used this imagery to show that from Christ’s death, new life
springs forth.
Marcus
Aurelius the great Roman Emperor and Stoic saint, used to say to
himself every morning, “Today you will meet all kinds of unpleasant people;
they will hurt you, and injure you, and insult you; but you cannot live like
that; you know better, for you are a man in whom the spirit of God dwells.”
