The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ

The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ refers not only to the Crucifixion, but to the entire chain of events, from the conspiracy against Jesus through the Crucifixion on Golgotha. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, “The sufferings of Our Lord, which culminated in His death upon the cross, seem to have been conceived of as one inseparable whole from a very early period.” From an early time these collective events were referred to by the Latin term passus, stemming from pati, patior and meaning “to suffer” or “to happen.” The anglicized term 'Passion' has been in use since the Middle Ages.

The Passion begins at Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22 and John 12 with the conspiracy against Jesus, which then unfolds:

• A meal a few days before Passover. A woman anoints Jesus. He says that for this she will always be remembered.

• In Jerusalem, the Last Supper shared by Jesus and his disciples. Jesus gives final instructions, predicts his betrayal, and tells them all to remember him.

• On the path to Gethsemane after the meal. Jesus tells them they will all fall away that night; after Peter protests he will not, Jesus says Peter will deny him three times before the cock crows.

• Gethsemane, later that night. As the disciples rest, Jesus prays; then a mob led by Judas Iscariot arrests Jesus, and all the others run away.

• The high priest’s palace, later that night. The mob brings Jesus to the Sanhedrin, the Jewish supreme court; they examine Jesus and determine he deserves to die. They send him to Pontius Pilate.

• The courtyard outside the high priest’s palace, the same time. Peter has followed Jesus and joined the mob awaiting Jesus’ fate; they suspect he is a sympathizer, so Peter denies he knows Jesus. Suddenly the cock crows and Peter remembers what Jesus had said.

• The governor’s palace, early morning. Pilate, the Roman governor, examines Jesus, decides he is innocent; the Jewish leaders and the crowd demand Jesus’ death; Pilate gives them the choice of saving Barabbas, a criminal, or saving Jesus. In response to the screaming mob Pilate sends Jesus out to be crucified. Judas, the betrayer, is filled with remorse and tries to return the money he was paid for betraying Jesus. When the high priests say that that is his affair, Judas throws the money into the temple, goes off, and hangs himself.

• Golgotha, a hill outside Jerusalem, later morning through mid afternoon. After being mocked and whipped, Jesus was made to carry his own cross to Golgotha. Here, Jesus is crucified and dies, and he is then carried to be laid in the tomb.

- Adapted From the Catholic Encyclopedia and Wikipedia.