Download #CelebratingAtHome for #PassionSunday at https://carmelites.org.au/celebratingathome The Passion of #Jesus according to Matthew Matthew presents the passion, not as a gruesome act, but as the means of #salvation. The cross is part of God’s plan, not a tragic mistake. Jesus was brought before #PontiusPilate, the governor, who asked him: ‘Are you the #KingoftheJews?’ ‘It is you who say it’... At festival time it was the governor’s practice to release a prisoner for the people, anyone they chose... The chief priests and the elders had persuaded the crowd to demand the release of Barabbas and the execution of Jesus... Above his head was placed the charge against him: it read ‘This is Jesus, the King of the Jews’. At the same time, two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. From the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani!’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you deserted me!’ When some of those who stood there heard this, they said, ‘The man is calling on #Elijah,’ and one of them quickly ran to get a sponge which he dipped in vinegar and putting it on a reed, gave it to him to drink. ‘Wait!’ said the rest of them ‘and see if Elijah will come to save him’. But Jesus again crying out in a loud voice, yielded up his spirit. [All pause for a moment] At that, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; the earth quaked; the rocks were split; the tombs opened and the bodies of many holy people rose from the dead, and these, after his #resurrection, came out of the tombs, entered the Holy City and appeared to a number of people. Meanwhile the centurion, together with the others guarding Jesus, had seen the earthquake and all that was taking place, and they were terrified and said, ‘In truth this was a son of God’.