Oblate News

Each Friday

An Essay by Fr Michael Morrissey OMI

On many Fridays I am drawn to the mystery revealed on mount Calvary. Our God, Yahweh, frequently chooses mountains as the place where he reveals his mysterious relationship with us humans. We are his creatures and unlike the rest of creation he has freely chosen to enter into a personal relationship with us. This already is part of this mystery that unfolds in all its beauty and wonder on Calvary. In any authentic interpersonal relationship this encounter cannot begin, grow and flourish without the free cooperation of each party.

And so, Lord, I ask you to free me from whatever it is about my ego that might be a hindrance to entering fully into this interpersonal relationship. I behold the bruised, tortured, blood-spattered body of the man Jesus crucified as a public criminal. This spectacle cannot but evoke horror, revulsion, a sight from which I want to turn away my gaze.  My faith calls me to transcend these repulsive physical consequences of human torture, there is something more here than what meets the eye. Gospel accounts of the events surrounding this public execution give us a picture of the different people who were present to witness it.

The Roman soldiers who carried out the execution most likely were the least involved at a human level. They were carrying out, one more, an execution of a criminal who was condemned for what ever reason and did so in a way that would be a deterrent to others who might be tempted to imitate him. The more cruel and torturous the act of execution the more it might be a deterrent to others.

The group that the gospels describe as ‘passers-by.’ Who might this group represent? Jesus, through his teaching, his preaching and more especially by the signs he performed had become notorious. Most would have heard about him, known others who had a closer contact with him maybe even some had personally known some of the lucky ones who had benefited from his miracles. Through hear-say or more direct contact they had built up some opinions about this new ‘teacher’ who came from Galilee and of all places a small town called Nazareth. Their appreciation was very likely a mixture of admiration tempered with an understandable measure of skepticism. Now as they pass-by they see him executed as a public criminal. We are told, “they shake their heads”, a gesture which suggests that they have now come to a conclusion that, this man was a fraud. He might have done some wonder things, some of which they may have concluded were, ‘too good to be true’. Now the truth is out. Perhaps some might have secretly thought, ‘why did I allow myself to be taken in?’ They go on their way in the belief that now they know the truth about this man Jesus.

The religious leaders made up of pharisees, scribes, priests and lawyers collectively known as the ‘Sanhedrin’. They exercised religious, political and social power over the people and their influence proved to be a dominating factor in the lives of the ordinary people. Their position in society was challenged by this man Jesus and they felt threatened by his teaching with authority, by the signs he worked – and more especially the latest event where he had raised the man Lazarus from the dead after four days. They, more than any other group, had a vested interest in not only silencing this man but eliminating him altogether and if it could be done by presenting him as a public criminal that would re-enforce their position of authority. He had claimed to be the son of God and when they challenged him on this, he cleverly quoted their own scriptures to silence their criticism. Other attempts to trap him in his speech on religious and social issues of the day he turned around to his advantage and left them, ‘with egg on their faces’. With connivance and betrayal of one of his closest associates they succeeded in having him arrested and in accordance with their interpretation of their religious laws succeeded in having him condemned to death. He had claimed to be the chosen one of God, in fact the son of God, he had publicly declared that if the temple was destroyed in three days, he would rebuild it.

Now they gather to witness his execution, see him hanging on the cross, the Roman instrument for executing public criminals, and they mock him. If it was true that you are the chosen one of God and you really are innocent, God will not abandon you, he will save you; ‘come down from this cross and we will believe you.’ ‘You saved others, save yourself.’ ‘You who would rebuild the temple in three days save yourself.’ Humanly speaking this mockery of theirs is most cruel; when the alleged victim is at his weakest, they want to inflict even more suffering by attacking his very person and what he stood for. What would have happened had Jesus come down from the cross?

The gospels also speak of two criminals executed with him; one joins in with the mocking crowd and religious leaders. The other makes a personal commitment, a leap into the unknown, he chooses to place his trust in this man, Jesus, in circumstances, at least from a human point of view, that would appear to be hopeless. Who does this man represent for me?

John mentions very clearly that Mary the mother of Jesus stool at the foot of the cross and she is silent. The same author tells us in the book of Revelation that when the seventh and final seal was opened in heaven there was a great silence. This silence of Mary at the foot of the cross speaks volumes.

This silence of Mary at the foot of the cross speaks volumes.

In your silence Mary, help me to see what you see, to hear the unspoken words of your beloved son as he surrenders himself in obedience to his heavenly Father at the hands of humanity. I see the signs of torture on his body, I hear the words of mockery and abuse and with your help I look through all of this and see – not with human eyes – a love that embraces all of this suffering. I hear the beloved son of the father saying in words that cannot be expressed in human terms; ‘there is nothing I would not do to show you and the world how much I love you, my heavenly father who has loved me first.’ And I hear the father’s response; ‘this my beloved in whom I am well pleased. The words spoken for our benefit at his baptism and at the transfiguration and now are spoken in silence.    

Lord open my eyes that I might see, unblock my ears that I may hear.

In the spirit of the prophets of old I believe God knew me and called me before I was born and so my response was;

I made my first Oblation on the 29^th of September 1962 in the Oblate novitiate. Co Limerick. I was ordained to ministerial priesthood on the 29^th March 1969 in Piltown Co. Kilkenny and that same year went to Bloemfontein in South Africa as a Missionary oblate priest. I have spent all my missionary Oblate life in various parts of South Africa and returned to Ireland in May of this year after 54 years away from Ireland. I am at present at the Oblate House of Retreat in Inchicore, Dublin 8.

Fr Michael Morrissey OMI

Tags: Cross, Friday, Michael Morrissey