- Little Black Book, Diocese of Saginaw
Golgotha (Church of the Holy Sepulchre) By Иерей Максим Массалитин Camera location 31° 46′ 42.5″ N, 35° 13′ 45.92″ E View this and other nearby images on: OpenStreetMap - Google Earth 31.778471; 35.229421 (originally posted to Flickr as Голгофа) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons The place where Jesus was crucified was called the "Place of the Skull" - in Hebrew "Golgotha," in Latin "calvarium" (Calvary). The traditional site appears to have been an abandoned quarry just outside the city walls, with a rocky knoll in it (about 16 feet high) that resembled a human skull. Generally it is assumed that this why the site was named he "Place of the Skull."
- Little Black Book, Diocese of Saginaw So they took Jesus, and carrying the cross himself he went 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. - John 19:17-18
And now, the cross. It appears on stage for the first time. This is the first time the word is even mentioned in John's gospel. Just the sight of it sends a chill down one's spine. John describes the way of the cross in one sentence: "He went out to what is called the Place of the Skull." And then the crucifixion in three words: "They crucified him." It was all too horrible to describe ... so John doesn't. Instead, he stresses that Jesus carried the cross himself. In his portrait of the sovereign Jesus, there is no room for, no need for someone to help him. Jesus is not a reluctant savior. He knows full well that he was into this world to overcome suffering and death, that we might have life, and have it to the fullest. So he accepts death freely, with a heart full of love. "... this is my body which will be given up for you." "... this is the cup of my blood ... It will be shed for you." The "you" is you. - Little Black Book, Diocese of Saginaw Pilate said to the Jews, "Shall I crucify your king?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar." Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. - John 19:16
This was the moment of decision. Not for Pilate. He had already made up his mind. This was the moment of decision for the leaders standing before Jesus. "We have no king but Caesar." The decision was made. We have no king but the bottom line - profit, prestige, protecting our interests, financial gain, security in this world's terms, reputation ... This is the decision that people of all ages have to make. We stand before Jesus and decided: Shall we follow him or someone/something else? Earlier in John's Gospel, when Jesus spoke of himself as the bread of life, some of his disciples found this difficult to swallow: "As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him." Jesus turned to the Twelve and said, "Do you also want to leave?" It isn't a matter of liking Jesus. Of course you do. It's a matter of following him. This is the decision for which you cannot shift responsibility to others. It is yours to make, and only you can make it. Admirer? Or disciple? - Little Black Book, Diocese of Saginaw "Lord, let me live until I die. By that I mean I want to live, love, and serve fully until death comes. If that prayer is answered, if I am able to live until I die, how long really doesn't matter." - Sr. Thea Bowman, who died on this date in 1990 Jon Hassler was a contemporary Catholic novelist, whose fictional characters were often Catholics or lapsed Catholics struggling to find purposes in life. Born on this day in 1933, Hassler grew up in small-town Minnesota, and received his bachelor's degree from St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota, in 1955. For 10 years, he taught high school before moving to college teaching. He eventually returned to St. John's University where he became writer-in-residence from 1980 until his retirement in 1997. St. John's gave him the Coman Barry Award for Distinguished Contributions to Religion and Society in 2003. He had been scheduled to receive the Campion Award from the Jesuit magazine, "America," prior to his death. In 1994, he was diagnosed with a degenerative type of palsy (similar to Parkinson's disease). Despite vision and speech problems, and difficulty walking, he continued to write. He died March 20, 2008; his funeral Mass was held at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis. - Little Black Book, Diocese of Saginaw It was preparation day for Passover, and it was about noon. And Pilate said to the Jews, "Behold, your king!" They cried out, "Take him away, take him away! Crucify him!" - John 19:14-15 The high drama continues - Jesus on one side, the leaders on the other, and Pilate in the middle. Pilate has made up his mind, and is moments away from announcing his decision. "And it was about noon." John is not just glancing at the clock. This was (in John's account) the day when, in preparation for the Passover meal that evening, the people brought their lambs to the Temple to be ritually killed by the priests. And the killing of the lambs began at noon. At the time of the Exodus, just before the 10th plague, the Jewish people killed a Passover lamb and sprinkled its blood on the doorposts of their homes. The angel of death would then pass over those doors. Jesus is the new Passover lamb. He will die this day, as the Passover lambs are being killed. And he will "pass over" from death to new life, so that you can join with him and pass over from death to life. Death will no longer kill you. As the Jewish people passed through the waters of the Red Sea to freedom, you pass through the waters of baptism, no longer a slave to death. Ever think about death? Think about it now ... yours or someone else's ... and think about how Jesus made it a passing-over to life. - Little Black Book, Diocese of Saginaw "When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge's bench in the place called Stone Pavement, in Hebrew, Gabbtha." - John 19:13
John's reference to the place where Pilate at in judgment of Jesus is an Aramaic word. It refers to an elevated courtyard in front of Pilate's praetorium. Its Greek name Lithostrotos also refers to the place of Pilate's judgment bench but more specifically to the mosaic pavement area. Visitors to the Holy Land can see a pavement like that but it does not date back to the time of Jesus. Roman soldiers often played games of dice on the stone pavement that is now the basement of the Convent of the Sisters of Zion in Jerusalem. The pavement bears engravings of a dice game called "King Game." - Little Black Book, Diocese of Saginaw Consequently, Pilate tried to release Jesus; but the Jews cried out, "If you release him, you are not a Friend of Caesar. Everyone who makes himself a kind opposes Caesar." When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge's bench in the place called Stone Pavement, in Hebrew, Gabbatha. - John 19:12-13
Pilate has come outside again. All his back-and-forths are over, and his moment of decision has come. He sill wants to release Jesus, but the leaders go to the heart of the matter - that is, the heart of the matter for Pilate - his own reputation. "Friend of Caesar" appears to have been a title given to Roman leaders who performed excellent service for the emperor. It may be that Pilate had received that title. If so, the thought of losing it would be terrifying. Having heard this threat, Pilate finally makes up his mind. He brings Jesus out, sits on the judge's bench, and prepares to announce his final decision. John wrote this scene in a way that places us in Pilate's shoes. On the one side, there is Jesus. On the other side, there are those who want to do away with him. Pilate has to make a choice: for Jesus or against Jesus. We know we're we stand ... in theory. We're for Jesus. But we can get around that by leaving Jesus out of some real-life issues. Reality check. Pick an issue - personal or otherwise, large or small. Put Jesus, and that he taught and did, in the middle of that issue. Are you for Jesus or against Jesus? - Little Black Book, Diocese of Saginaw In the minds of many people, Pilate is thought to have been a high-ranking Roman ruler. After all, his name even today is known all over the world. The truth is, Pilate was one of many governors in the Roman Empire, assigned to a relatively small, non-prestigious post far, far from Rome. his power did not even extend over the whole of Israel - he governed only the southern part. Had it not been for his involvement in the crucifixion of Jesus, Pilate would be an obscure and unknown figure in world history. For example, who knows the name of his predecessor? (For the record, it was Valerius Gratus.) As it is, "Pilate" is now a household word. Every time the Nicene or Apostles Creed is said, his name is mentioned. - Little Black Book, Diocese of Saginaw Pilate went back into the praetorium and said to Jesus, "Where are you from?" Jesus did not answer him. So Pilate said to him, "Do you not speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you and I have power to crucify you?" Jesus answered him, "You would have no power over me if it had not been given to you from above. For this reason the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin." - John 19:9-11
Pilate goes back inside. he has brought Jesus with him. (This is Pilate's sixth move back and forth, outside and inside.) Pilate asks Jesus, "Where are you from?" We hear the question with different ears. Where is Jesus from? John told us in the opening words of his Gospel: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God." But sometimes we take Jesus for granted. We need to remind ourselves that he is the Son of God. Trouble is, sometimes we take God for granted. Today's quiet time with the Lord might be spent simply taking in the wonder and awe of the fact that this infinite ... almighty ... holy God is with you. Loves you. - Little Black Book, Diocese of Saginaw "(L)et us savour the magnificent prayer, commonly attributed to Blessed Oscar Arnulfo Romero, but pronounced for the first time by Cardinal John Dearden ..." - Pope Francis on December 21, 2015, during his Christmas greetings to the Roman Curia A prayer frequently used at conferences and prayer services is referred to as the "Romero Prayer." It reads in part: It helps now and then to step back and take the long view. The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is beyond our vision. We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work. Romero experts have been unable to find this text in any of his writings. That's because they are actually the words of Bishop Ken Untener of Saginaw, Michigan (who died on this day in 2004), written not as a prayer but as part of a homily Cardinal John Dearden gave in 1979 at the annual Mass for deceased priests in the Archdiocese of Detroit, Michigan. It's not known how these words were mistakenly ascribed to Archbishop Romero.
- Little Black Book, Diocese of Saginaw |
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