Today’s Readings – Good Friday

Commentary on Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9; John 18:1—19:42

On Good Friday, let us contemplate these two scenes:

God in Jesus, battered and naked on the Cross, is made accessible to all. We still need discerning eyes to see this, but even a pagan soldier could see it (see Mark 15:39).

The veil of the Temple is torn in two. The Holy of Holies is thrown open (Matt 27:51) and God is no longer hidden behind a veil, inaccessible except to the High Priest, and then only once a year. He is available to all of us—at any time and in any place.

All early cultures sacrificed blood to their gods. Blood was associated with the life principle—we can bleed to death. The most precious offering to God was blood, and the most precious blood of all was human blood.

Histor … Continue

Yesterday’s Readings – Maundy (Holy) Thursday

Commentary on Exodus 12:1-8,11-14; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Today’s Scripture readings cover the whole sweep of what today’s feast means. The First Reading is a description of the Jewish Passover Meal. It is a sacramental re-enactment of the meal taken by the Israelites before … Continue