We just heard the great Passion according to St. Matthew. All four Gospels contain an account of the passion of Jesus –the events leading up to and including his suffering and death on the Cross. There are similarities between each of the Gospel accounts. But like any event described by different authors, each Passion account contains the evangelists' unique perspective.
St. Mark’s passion, is the shortest. It is fast-paced and concise, written for the Roman Christians already being persecuted by an empire working to destroy the Church. Mark emphasizes Jesus’ suffering, his agony, likely to embolden the Christians who were already being persecuted for his name.
St. Luke’s Passion highlights the Lord’s compassion, forgiveness, and universal love. St. Luke recorded the merciful words of Jesus on the Cross: “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”
We read St. John’s Passion every year on Good Friday, which focuses on Jesus’ divine nature, his fulfillment of His Father’s plan. “It is finished”, the Lord says, as he accomplishes the salivific mission for which he was sent.
St. Matthew’s original audience were the Jewish converts—those who came to believe that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah. And so, Matthew’s Passion, as we heard contained explanations of how Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament Messianic prophecies. St. Matthew even recorded Jesus from the cross quoting one of the Psalms in Hebrew: “"Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?"which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
To quote the famous biblical scholar Raymond Brown: “Matthew emphasizes Jesus as the fulfiller of Old Testament prophecies, Mark emphasizes Jesus’ abandonment and the scandal of the cross, Luke emphasizes Jesus’ compassion, and John emphasizes Jesus’ sovereignty and control over events.”
Again, each of the Gospel writers narrate the Passion from unique perspectives. What about yours? What does the Passion of the Lord mean to you, at this particular moment in your life, at the beginning of Holy Week 2026.
For our Catechumens, perhaps this is the first time they’ve ever heard the entire Passion. Christ’s journey to the cross parallels their own journey to the Sacraments at Easter. As they prepare to die and rise with Christ in Baptism, they are reminded that to belong to Jesus is not simply to admire him, but to follow him—to pass with him through suffering, surrender, and death into new life.
But what about the rest of us? What does the Passion mean to us?
For those who are undergoing illness and suffering, the Passion means that suffering is no longer meaningless. The Son of God has entered into pain, weakness, humiliation, and agony. He knows what it is to suffer in the body, to feel abandoned, to endure suffering patiently and out of love. And so your suffering, united to his, can become a participation in his redeeming love—in God’s very life.
For those who are struggling with faith, the Passion shows us, what? That even in darkness, confusion, and fear, God is present. Jesus, united even to the portion of humanity which feels forsaken by God, showed us the importance of persevering in crying out to God, having faith even when God is difficult to see. If your faith feels weak, if prayer feels dry, if God seems silent, look at the crucified Jesus and know that he has entered even that darkness, and he has not abandoned you.
What does the Passion mean, for young people discerning what God is calling them to do with their life? The Passion reveals that the purpose of our life is discovered not in seeking our own will, but God’s. Jesus embraces the will of the Father, even when it is costly—and teaches us to seek how God is calling us to love, to sacrifice, to trust, and give of ourselves for the kingdom.
What does the Passion mean for married people raising a family? The Passion reveals the shape of authentic love. Love is not merely a feeling; it is sacrifice, perseverance, forgiveness, patience, and fidelity. To love your spouse, to care for your children, to provide, to endure the daily dying to self that family life requires—this too, when done with faith, is a sharing in the cross of Christ, and therefore in its fruitfulness.
What does the Passion mean for those who are advanced in the Spiritual life? The Passion is an invitation to accompany Jesus not only in consolation but in desolation. Deep prayer always draws us more deeply into the mystery of Christ crucified.
What about those struggling to overcome sin? The Passion reveals both the seriousness of sin and God’s mercy—sins remedy. Our sins are not small things; they led to the crucifixion of the innocent Lamb. And yet Christ’s response is not vengeance, but love poured out to the end. Holy Week is the time not to hide our sins like Adam and Eve hiding in the Garden, but to humbly repent of them, bringing them to the crucified Lord who blood is our deliverance from sin.
What about those who like the Lord betrayed by Judas have been betrayed by a trusted friend or family member? The Passion reminds you that Jesus knows that pain, too. He knows what it is to be wounded not just by enemies, but by one close to him. If your heart has been pierced by betrayal, bring that wound to the Lord, who will help you to forgive and to know peace.
Maybe the Passion is a reminder to some of us, who acted like the chief priests with the scribes and elders mocked Jesus, or like Peter denied Jesus before others. For us the Passion is humbling, but also cause for such great gratitude, that contempt and cowardice have been replaced with faith and Love.
The Passion means something a little different to each of us, depending on where we are standing at this moment in our life. And yet in every case, it means this: that Jesus Christ loved us to the end. He entered suffering, betrayal, injustice, humiliation, and death itself in order to save us. And so, whatever our particular walk of life may be at the beginning of this Holy Week, we do not stand outside this story. We are somewhere in it.
I invite you to read through the various Passion stories this week—and to consider what the Lord is saying to you at this moment in your life—in the concrete details of your life. How is the Lord calling you to follow Him more faithfully, with greater gratitude for his self-sacrifice, with greater faith, hope, and love for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.
