The Catholic Church especially reveres the Four Gospels. Each of the Evangelists gives the faithful a different understanding of Our Blessed Savior. The Church has always understood that these accounts were inspired by the Holy Spirit. While allowing the Sacred Writers to use their own knowledge of the Lord, the Holy Spirit inspired their writing, directed the composition, and protected them from error. As a result, the laity joyfully hears these marvelous gospels each day at Mass.
The first Gospel, that of St. Matthew, is particularly rich in the portrayal of Our Lord as the fulfillment of the prophesies from the Old Testament and in the description of the establishment of the Church. The prayers at Mass during the consecration draw heavily from St. Matthew’s Gospel. Because of the power and majesty of this Gospel, parents and relatives of younger children would do well to read the Passion account to their children and relatives during Holy Week.
Peter plays a prominent role during the Last Supper and later during the trial of Jesus. Trusting his own strength, he confidently proclaims that he will never deny or fall away from Our Lord. Calmly, Jesus tells him that he will fall from faith before the cock crows three times. Peter then states that he would die for Christ before he would deny Him. In a few short hours, Peter discovers how little strength he has when not united to Our Blessed Savior.
Saint Matthew portrays Pontius Pilate as a conflicted man. He knows that Jesus has done nothing deserving death. Only St. Matthew shares that fact that Pilate’s wife writes him a letter telling him to "have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much over him today in a dream." (Mt 27:20) St. Matthew tells us that Pilate repeatedly tries to save Jesus, but discovers that the mob is about to riot. The scene of Pilate washing his hands of the whole affair is only found in St. Matthew’s Passion account.
At the terrible hour of Christ’s death, the curtain is torn in the Temple, and the Roman centurion states what so many people do not understand: "Truly this was the Son of God." (Mt 27:54)
After Our Lord’s burial and Resurrection, St. Matthew completes his magnificent account with the commissioning of the apostles to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe what I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age." (Mt 28:19-20)
Please read this beautiful Gospel story with your family during Holy Week. It will feed the souls of your family. The only caution that I give you is to pay attention to the words of Nostra Aetate, the famous document given at the close of Vatican II. In paragraph four, the Church writes that "Even though the Jewish authorities and those who followed their lead pressed for the death of Christ, neither all Jews indiscriminately at that time, nor Jews today, can be charged with the crimes committed during his passion." So the phrase "his blood be upon us and our children" (Mt 27:25) cannot mean that all Jews were "Christ killers." A more likely explanation is the mob shouted this formulaic phrase as Pilate was hypocritically washing his hands to ease the Roman’s conscience and to speed up his condemnation of Jesus. The rabble had no intention of calling down condemnation on Jews throughout history. This horrible phrase, Christ killers, was used for centuries to justify attacks on Jewish people. This hateful interpretation is condemned in Nostra Aetate. The Passion of Our Lord happened because all people had sinned and needed redemption.
St. Matthew’s Gospel is powerful and enriching. St. Jerome made the oft quoted phrase that "Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ." So share this splendid account of the Passion with your family and have a blessed Holy Week.
