Jesus was crucified during the feast of Passover. Christians have always known this, and just in case anyone forgets, John slips a little reminder into his telling of the Passion: the priests were unwilling to enter the Praetorium lest they defile themselves and become unable to celebrate the Passover. At first sight, however, John does not seem to take up Passover themes in his Passion narrative, except perhaps at the very end, his remark that not a bone of Jesus was broken

In tonight’s Gospel, which is taken from John, and in our liturgy tonight, we join Jesus and the Apostles at the Last Supper. We know from the other Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, that the Lord also instituted the Eucharist at this meal. This act anticipated his Passion, where he, the perfect priest, offered himself, the perfect victim, on the altar of the cross, for the forgiveness of sins. It is this one perfect sacrifice which is re-presented at each and every Mass. Thu

As St Paul writes to the Philippians, the Passion is the great act of humility of Jesus, who is the Son of God, true God from true God. Jesus, carrying his Cross, takes on himself the role of the suffering servant of the Book of Isaiah, that of the lone psalmist apparently abandoned by God. But as Jesus goes to his Passion and death on the Cross, he doesn’t go alone. Jesus is with his disciples and sends his disciples to a certain man to borrow his donkeys. Thus, this man com