On the Mount of Olives Jesus said three things would happen: His disciples would flee; one of his closest disciples, Peter, would deny knowing him not once but three times; and after his resurrection he would go ahead of his band of followers to Galilee.

THE GOSPELS ARE not biographies of Jesus. That is most clear during Holy Week, when scripture recounts the Passion in all its brutal details. Nearly one-fourth of the synoptic gospels are devoted to the Passion; when it comes to John, make that one-third.

Jesus was a different kind of messiah. His “triumph” quickly turned into condemnation and execution, and the only sign of royalty in sight was the placard nailed mockingly on his cross.

As our time of accompanying Christ to Easter is nearing its end, let us call upon God’s mercy.

The readings for Passion Sunday seem almost like a choosing of sides: Those who understand Jesus go here, while those who don’t go there.

When we think of heroes we usually think of those who save people through their use of power or force, those who establish empires, those who dominate the competition—think Superman, Alexander the Great, Michael Jordan.

Faith transforms the earth into a paradise. By it our hearts are raised with the joy of our nearness to heaven. Every moment reveals God to us. —Jean Pierre de Caussade (1675- 1751)