PASSION SUNDAY 2008

“Jesus said, ‘Which of you convicteth me of sin?’ … ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am’.” Of those assembled here today, there may be some who remember the Canadian 1918 version of the Book of Common Prayer. In it, and in almost every other version of the Prayer Book, historic and current around the world, the Gospel passage for today is from John Chapter 8, part of which, the beginning and very near the end, I have quoted. In using that passage, Anglicanism was simply remaining consistent with the other catholic bodies that follow the Collect, Epistle, Gospel format in their week by week readings at the Holy Eucharist.

Our Canadian 1962 is therefore out of step, not just with the rest of the Anglican world, but with most of catholic Christendom. Indeed, if anyone joined in the praying of Mattins this morning, we surely should have remarked somewhat quizzically that the second Lesson at Mattins, which we heard about 20 minutes ago, is exactly the same episode, from the Gospel according to St. Mark, as is our Gospel reading from St. Matthew.

We must grant that there are indeed at least two phrases in this reading that are appropriate to the theme of our Lord’s Passion – that our Lord’s followers “shall indeed drink of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with;” and, “the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Indeed, our bulletin cover today is a wordless reminder that for those who would drink of our Lord’s cup, we must also take up our own crosses. Which is to say, by our Lord’s own words, we cannot expect to share in the glory of His Resurrection with the attendant promise of eternal life unless we also share in His suffering and Passion.

Still, the two issues of our being out of step, and of repetitive redundancy, are worthy of a passing comment. Most people acknowledge that Fr. Roland Palmer, first Dean of the ACCC, was the primary editor of the 1962 Prayer Book, and that he was as traditional as they come; no mean liturgist also. So why would he have committed such an apparently glaring faux pas? In fact, he didn’t. There were others on the revision committee that promulgated the ’62 book, and for the sake of consensus and maintaining the peace, Fr. Palmer occasionally found it expedient and charitable to acquiesce to certain compromises. As mentioned, this one would not have been particularly onerous in the sense that the reading in our ’62 book does lend itself well to the theme of our Lord’s Passion; however, it does stick out somewhat like a sore thumb for the aforementioned reasons.

In fact, Fr. Palmer did leave notes for any future revisions, and among those notes – which are in our possession with Bp. Wilkinson – is a simple and direct note stating, “Change the Gospel back to John Ch. 8 on Passion Sunday.”

But that’s not what I should like us to consider today, Passion Sunday. If the purpose of our observing Lent year by year is mentally and spiritually to prepare ourselves for the events of Holy Week and Easter, not least by accompanying (sic) our Lord on His last journey to Jerusalem, then these last two weeks - Passiontide - are surely meant for us to ponder more deeply His all sufficient offering of Himself on the Cross of Calvary; and, not just to think about that, but also to recognize the necessity for us to share in partaking of that cup that was not to pass Him by.

Among several calendar insertions that Bps de Catanzaro and Wilkinson have brought back into our yearly Ordo, there is one on the Friday after Passion Sunday, when we are encouraged to observe a day called St. Mary in Passiontide. And thinking of Mary may be quite helpful in assisting us to contemplate more profoundly our Lord’s Passion.

Mary and our Lord’s Passion. Among the many wonderful depictions of the Nativity scene is one painted by Lotto that we used for our Christmas bulletin this Church year. Lotto painted it just about the time of the Reformation, and, in addition to showing Jesus in the crib with Mary and Joseph adoring Him, there are cherubs floating around the roof of the stable, and, on the wall, a depiction of the Crucifixion.

Mary may not have been aware of her blessed Son’s ultimate fate at the hands of men at that very moment; but what would she have been thinking when some shepherds came rushing breathlessly to the stable telling Mary and Joseph that an angel had appeared to them with the words, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” We are told that when the shepherds left, “Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

What must she have thought when some impressive Gentiles appeared bearing expensive gifts and who bowed down and worshipped her Baby? And what must she have been thinking when Joseph told her immediately after that visit that they must now flee to Egypt for the Child’s safety? And what must she have been thinking forty days after her child’s birth when she and Joseph took him to the Temple where blessed Simeon scooped up the baby Jesus in his arms and uttered the Nunc Dimittis? “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant die in peace … for mine eyes have seen thy salvation.” And if those words weren’t shocking enough, Simeon went on to say, “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall not be spoken against;” and then to Mary, “yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also.”

Twelve years later, on another visit to Jerusalem, the child Jesus missed the departure of the entire entourage from Galilee as they left to return to Nazareth. When Mary and Joseph found Him lecturing the scribes and other learned men in the Temple, His response, “Wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business,” to their query as to His “missing the train” set Mary further to “pondering these things in her heart.”

Mary must surely have been aware of the controversy and sometimes outright hatred that had begun to follow Jesus in His public ministry some 18 years later as He and his band of 12 chosen men found their way around Palestine. And when the end finally came, where were those 12 to be found? Only John suggests in the Gospel that bears his name that he alone among the 12 was devoted enough to follow Jesus to Calvary. And who else was there? The “handmaid of the Lord.” As the nails sliced through our Blessed Lord’s flesh, surely a sword of unimaginable grief was indeed piercing her heart.

It is most assuredly appropriate to set aside a day in Passiontide to ponder Mary’s faithfulness, and, yes, her grief.

Sobering thoughts to ponder about the “second Eve,” the most blessèd mortal who ever walked among us. We do not know if Mary was aware beforehand of her Son’s impending death; we have no record of His having told her. It would not be unreasonable to surmise that He may have, as He certainly told his thick-headed disciples that He was going up to Jerusalem where He would be betrayed and die at the hands of wicked men.

Now, as we do every year, and with the benefit of knowing that our Lord’s Passion was necessary, as it served a purpose and ultimately resulted in triumph, we are called upon nonetheless during Passiontide to meditate upon the events that led up to His Crucifixion. Not least should we, each of us as individuals, remind ourselves that it was my sins that caused Him to have to ascend that Tree, my sins that drove those nails through His precious Body into the Cross.

Yes, Easter is but two weeks away, and there is a tendency to want to rush through those two weeks, as there is no doubt that pondering our Lord’s Passion with any kind of steadfast devotion can be emotionally draining. However, there can be no Easter without Good Friday.

May we therefore, together with Mary and all the Saints throughout history who have taken up their crosses and followed Him to Calvary, pray that He will make us worthy followers with them, not least through the merits of His most precious Blood, shed upon the Cross in His glorious and life-giving Passion, and to Whom, with the Father and the Holy Spirit be all honour, glory and power henceforth for evermore. Amen.

ANNUNCIATION OTTAWA 2008 +CR