..and it was the sixth hour – darkness came upon the whole land until the ninth hour. 

And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice:

Eloi, eloi, lema sabachthani 

Which translated means 

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

And some of the bystanders hearing (him) said: ‘Listen, he calls on Elijah.

Someone, having run and filled a sponge with cheap wine, gave it to him to drink put on a stick, saying ‘Leave him – let us see if Elijah comes to take him down.’

And Jesus, having given up a great cry, breathed out his last.

And the curtain of the temple was torn into two, from top to bottom. 

The centurion, who stood opposite him, having seen him die this way said: ‘Truly, this man was God’s son.’

And there were women watching from a distance, among them were Mary the Magdalene, and Mary mother of Jacob the younger and of Justus, and Salome, who were following when he was in Galilee , and served him, and many others who traveled with him to Jerusalem. 

Grant, Lord,
that we may hold to you without parting,
worship you without wearying,
serve you without failing;
faithfully seek you,
happily find you,
and forever possess you,
the only God,blessed now and for ever.
Amen

St Anselm

And they pressed a certain Simon of Cyrene, who was passing by, coming from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, so that he might take up his cross. 

And they brought him onto the ‘Golgotha place’ , which is translated ‘Skull Place’, and they gave him wine ‘flavoured with myrrh’. But he did not drink it.

And they crucified him:
and they divided his clothes between themselves
casting lots for them, who should take what. (Ps 22:18)

It was the third hour when they crucified him. 

And there was an inscription of the charge against him written: The King of the Jews.

And with him, they crucified two brigands, one on the right and one on his left. 

And those who passed by were blaspheming him, shaking their heads and saying : ‘Ha, the one who was tearing down the temple and building it in three days – let him save himself – come down from the cross!’

Likewise the chief priests made fun among themselves, with the scholars, saying : ‘He saved others, he cannot save himself! Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross and we will believe.’

Those crucified with him also were insulting him.

Thank you, dear Jesus,
for all you have given me,
for all you have taken away from me,
for all you have left me.

Thomas More (c.1478-1535)

The soldiers led him away, into the courtyard, that is the Praetorium,
and they called together the whole cohort.
And they dressed him up in a ‘purple cloak’
and having twisted a thorny crown put it on him.
And they began to greet him ‘Hail, King of the Jews.’
And they beat his head with a stick
and spat on him,
kneeling down they paid homage to him.
And when they had made fun of him,
they took off the cloak and put on him his own clothes.
And they led him out so that they could crucify him.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is discord, union;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy,
For your mercy and for your truth’s sake. Amen

At each festival he used to release one prisoner to them;  one they asked for. Now there was a man called Barabbas, having been imprisoned with rebels who had committed murder in the rebellion. 

And the crowd, having come up, began to ask for just as he usually did for them. 

But Pilate replied to them: ‘Do you want me to release for you the  King of the Jews?’

For he knew  that the chief priests had handed him over because of jealousy. 

But the chief priests stirred up the crowd so that he might release Barabbas for them instead. 

Then Pilate again asked the chief priests: ‘So what do you want me to do, with the one you call the King of the Jews? 

Again they cried out ‘Crucify him!’

But Pilate said to them: ‘What evil has he done?’

But they cried out even more: ‘Crucify him!’

And Pilate wishing to satisfy the crowd released for them Barabbas, and he handed over Jesus, having been flogged, to be crucified. 

O Lord Jesus Christ,
stay beside me to defend me,
within me to guide me,
before me to lead me,
and above me to bless me,
that with you and in you,
I may live, and move and have my being,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

(unknown)

(And immediately) in the early morning, having made a plan, the chief priests with the elders and the scholars that is the whole Sanhedrin, having bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate. 

And Pilate asked him: ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’

But he answered him: ‘So you are saying.’ 

And the chief priests accused him of many things. 

But Pilate again asked him: ‘You are answering nothing, are you? Look, how many things they accuse you of.’

But Jesus replied nothing, so that Pilate was amazed.

Take from us,
O God, all pride and vanity,
all boasting and self-assertion,
and give us the true courage that shows itself in gentleness,
the true wisdom that shows itself in simplicity,
and the true power that shows itself in modesty.

Charles Kingsley

And Peter being below in the courtyard, one of the slave girls of the chief priest came and having seen Peter warming himself, looked straight at him and said: ‘You too were with the Nazarene, Jesus.’ 

He denied him saying: ‘I do not know or understand what you are saying.’

And he went out to the gateway. And a  cock crowed. 

And the slave girl saw him and again began to say to the bystanders that ‘This man is one of them.’ But again he continued to deny him. 

And again bystanders at a distance said to Peter ‘ Truly  you are one of them, for you a Galilean.’

He began to curse (Jesus?) and swear an oath: ‘ I do not know this man, who you speak about.’

And immediately the cock crowed a second time. Peter remembered the words which Jesus had said to him : ‘Before the cock crowed twice, three times you will deny me.’

And he broke down and cried. 

O thou, who art the light of the minds that know thee,
the life of the souls that love thee,
and the strength of the wills that serve thee;
help us so to know thee that we may truly love thee;
so to love thee that we may fully serve thee,
whom to serve is perfect freedom.
Amen

And they took Jesus away to the Chief Priest, and all the chief priests, and elders and scholars met together. 

And Peter followed him from a distance right into the courtyard of the Chief Priest and he sat with the guards, and they were warming themselves from the fire. 

The Chief Priests and all the Sanhedrin were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, and they did not find anything.  For many people bore false witness against him, and the testimonies were not in agreement. And certain people having stood up bore false witness against him saying ‘We heard him saying that “I will tear down this sanctuary made by human hands and I will build another not built by human hands within three days.”’

And yet their testimony was not in agreement.

And the Chief Priest having stood up in the middle, asked Jesus: ‘You are answering nothing, are you? What are these people testifying about you?’

But he was silent and did not answer at all. 

Again the Chief Priest asked him: ‘Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?’

But Jesus said: ‘ I am, 

And you will see the Son of Man, 

Seated at the right hand of the Power, 

and coming with the clouds of heaven.’

The Chief Priest, having torn his clothes, said: ‘Why do we still need witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy.  What is your decision?’

All of them condemned him as deserving death. 

And some of them began
to spit on him,
and blindfold him
and punch him
and say to him : ‘Prophesy!’,
and the soldiers took him and  beat him.

God be in head and in my understanding;
God be in my eyes and in my looking;
God be in my mouth and in my speaking;
God be in my heart and in my thinking;
God be at my end and at my departing.

And immediately while he was speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scholars and the elders. 

The betrayer had given a sign to them, saying ‘Whoever I kiss is him,  seize  him and lead him away under guard.’

And having come, immediately  having approached him, he said to him ‘Rabbi’ and he kissed him. 

And having laid hands on him, they arrested him. 

But a certain one of the bystanders having drawn a sword, struck the slave of the High Priest and cut off his ear. 

Jesus responded : ‘Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me, as against a brigand? Each day I was teaching you in the temple precinct and you did not seize me. But (this has happened) so that the scriptures might be fulfilled.  And everyone having deserted him, ran away. 

And a young man, one who was following, who was wearing a linen garment on his skin- they seized him. 

But he having left behind the linen garment, ran away in his bare skin.

Eternal Light, shine into our hearts;
Eternal Goodness, deliver us from evil;
Eternal Power, be our support;
Eternal Wisdom, scatter the darkness of our ignorance:
That we may seek your face
with all our heart and mind and soul and strength. Amen.
Alcuin

And they came to the land which is named Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples:

‘Sit here, while I pray.’

And he took along with him Peter and Jacob and John and he began to be very distressed and troubled. And he said to them: ‘My soul is deeply sad, death approaches. Stay here and be alert.’

And going on a little way he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour would pass from him.

And he said: ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible for you.  Take away this cup from me. But not what I desire but what you do.‘

And he came and found them sleeping., and he said to Peter ‘Simon, are you asleep? You have strength to keep alert for one hour, don’t you?  (You three) keep alert and pray, so that you will not come to testing. The spirit is willing, but the flesh weak. ‘

And again having gone away, he prayed the same prayer. 

And again having come, he found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know how to answer him. 

And a third time he came and said to them: ‘Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough. For the hour has come
– look the Son of Man is being handed over into the hands of the sinners. ‘Get up! Let us go. -look my betrayer has come near!’

God, give me grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.

Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

Amen.

And Jesus said to them: Everyone will turn away , because it is written:

“I will strike down the shepherd,
And the sheep will be scattered.”

But after I am raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.’

But Peter said to him:

‘Even though everyone turns away, certainly I will not.’

And Jesus said to him:

‘Truly I say to you, that you will deny me today three times – this night before the cock crows twice.’

But Peter said emphatically : ‘If it is necessary for me to die with you, I will not deny you.’ 

Everyone spoke in the same way.

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that thou art –
Thou my best thought, by day or by night;
Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.