Scripture Scribbles: April 10, 2022
the Gospel
Luke 23:1-49
The elders of the people, chief priests and scribes,
arose and brought Jesus before Pilate.
They brought charges against him, saying,
“We found this man misleading our people;
he opposes the payment of taxes to Caesar
and maintains that he is the Christ, a king.”
Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
He said to him in reply, “You say so.”
Pilate then addressed the chief priests and the crowds,
“I find this man not guilty.”
But they were adamant and said,
“He is inciting the people with his teaching throughout all Judea,
from Galilee where he began even to here.”
On hearing this Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean;
and upon learning that he was under Herod’s jurisdiction,
he sent him to Herod who was in Jerusalem at that time.
Herod was very glad to see Jesus;
he had been wanting to see him for a long time,
for he had heard about him
and had been hoping to see him perform some sign.
He questioned him at length,
but he gave him no answer.
The chief priests and scribes, meanwhile,
stood by accusing him harshly.
Herod and his soldiers treated him contemptuously and mocked him,
and after clothing him in resplendent garb,
he sent him back to Pilate.
Herod and Pilate became friends that very day,
even though they had been enemies formerly.
Pilate then summoned the chief priests, the rulers, and the people
and said to them, “You brought this man to me
and accused him of inciting the people to revolt.
I have conducted my investigation in your presence
and have not found this man guilty
of the charges you have brought against him,
nor did Herod, for he sent him back to us.
So no capital crime has been committed by him.
Therefore I shall have him flogged and then release him.”
But all together they shouted out,
“Away with this man!
Release Barabbas to us.”
— Now Barabbas had been imprisoned for a rebellion
that had taken place in the city and for murder. —
Again Pilate addressed them, still wishing to release Jesus,
but they continued their shouting,
“Crucify him! Crucify him!”
Pilate addressed them a third time,
“What evil has this man done?
I found him guilty of no capital crime.
Therefore I shall have him flogged and then release him.”
With loud shouts, however,
they persisted in calling for his crucifixion,
and their voices prevailed.
The verdict of Pilate was that their demand should be granted.
So he released the man who had been imprisoned
for rebellion and murder, for whom they asked,
and he handed Jesus over to them to deal with as they wished.
Click here to read the full Gospel for today.
the devotion
“Model your life after the mystery of the cross,” Fr. Casey advised.
Not the most comforting words. Undoubtedly, following Jesus to Calvary is the hardest aspect of my Christian faith. I fear suffering and try to escape it at all costs. Yet, it pursues me, regardless of my attempts to run or hide from it.
Last night, I was awakened at 2:30 am from my son’s laughter. He was watching a marathon of comedy videos. Though mildly entertaining, somehow, I knew that these morally questionable shows were not helping him become the best version of himself, but I felt powerless to do anything about it. It was just a symptom of a larger problem: the cross of seeing my family drifting away from their faith and immersing themselves in the world, despite my best efforts. This breaks my heart, and yet, this cross is just a splinter in comparison to the one our Savior bore.
There is no greater love than Christ’s total self-gift of dying on the cross. To show my love for Jesus and others, I need to imitate Him (true love itself): His pain, sacrifice, and suffering. To share in the glory of His resurrection, I need to share in the agony of His passion and death. Embracing the cross leads to intimacy with Jesus which will purify my heart and ultimately fill me with joy. So, I unite my suffering to Jesus, pray, trust, and keep seeking His guidance to facilitate the conversion of my family’s hearts towards Him.
Today’s devotion is written by Karen Molvar.
