Welcome to this week’s Living Word! 

Our Word of the Week is Passion.

This week is the most important week in the whole liturgical calendar. We follow Jesus through the events of the last week of his life, including on Friday – Good Friday – his passion and death. We often think of ‘passion’ as a word used to describe a particular hobby or interest that we are particularly invested in, but the word actually comes from the Latin passio, meaning ‘to suffer’ or ‘to endure’ and that’s what it refers to in the context of Holy Week; Jesus’ suffering and death.

Section 1: Passion as Sacrifice (The Garden of Gethsemane)

We invite you to start with the Sign of the Cross.

Response: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew.

R./ Glory to you O Lord. +

Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.”  And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R./ Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

In churches around the world this Thursday (Maundy Thursday), Catholics will gather to remember the night on which Jesus celebrated his Last Supper with his friends. After sharing in this meal, Jesus and his disciples went to place called The Garden of Gethsemane where he prayed to God. He knew his life on Earth was drawing to a close.

On Maundy Thursday night, the church enters into a period of deep silence. After the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist is taken to an ‘Altar of Repose’ (in SSPP church it is moved into the Lady Chapel), and we are invited to sit in silent prayer and reflection and to ‘keep watch’, just as Jesus asked his disciples to do.

This tradition mirrors the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus wasn’t asking his disciples to fix his problems or to fight his enemies; he simply asked them to stay. He wanted their presence. Often, our passion for God or for our friends is tested most when things are boring, quiet or difficult. It’s easy to be a friend when things are fun, but it takes true passion to keep watch when someone is suffering. When we sit in the silence of the watch on Thursday night, we are telling Jesus: “I won’t walk away when things get heavy.”

Discussion Questions:

Jesus asked his friends to “remain… and watch,” but they fell asleep…

• When have you ‘checked out’ or looked away because someone else’s problems felt too heavy for you?
• What is one area of your life where you are struggling to let go of control and simply trust God’s plan?

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Section 2: Passion Quiz

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