“He bowed His head, and delivered over His spirit.” –John 19:30 A few days before I wrote this, a man was executed by the state of Florida in its electric chair. Florida ordered that a mask be put on, “so marred was his look beyond that of man, and his appearance beyond that of mortals” (Is 52:14). The mask and the skin on his face caught fire. Even some of the most hardened observers hid their faces (see Is 53:3) as they smelled the burning flesh. The condemned man maintained before his electrocution that he was innocent. He probably was...

” ‘If I do not wash you,’ Jesus answered, ‘you will have no share in My heritage.’ ” –John 13:8 Today we begin the Triduum, seventy hours of prayer, followed by the Easter season, fifty days of celebrating the risen Christ. Today, we begin one of the most important times in our lives. By going to the Mass of the Last Supper tonight, we are deciding to have our feet washed. Even if our feet are not washed at this Mass, we are still deciding by our presence to have our feet washed. We decide to do this because otherwise...