A young teacher came to see me recently. He was upset and wanted to speak about an incident. That morning in a class with some sixth-formers in a Catholic school, something happened, something he had never experienced before, not even in his own five years at university!

Apparently he mentioned God in a reply to some question, and the students turned on him. ‘No young person believes all that anymore’ he was told. Nor they said, did they ‘want religion pushed down our throats.’ One girl suggested that the Bible was just a collection of weird stories and myths, and was cheered by her classmates. They continued their ridicule: the Resurrection was a sick joke invented by the disciples.

Two students bravely protested their beliefs: one a Muslim, the other a practising Catholic. Their efforts resulted in further scorn.

Thinking about this afterwards, I wondered had the teacher been exaggerating? Had he perhaps gone over the top and the students reacted to that? Was it perhaps simply an expression of the perennial questioning, which is so much a part of young adults’ lives? Whatever it had been the teacher felt bullied in his beliefs.

This Lent, I have been reading the Passion Narratives by way of preparation for Easter. Today, it happened to be the Last Supper, and Jesus’ final discourse in Luke. I could not get the school incident out of my mind. Was this combination questioning my complacency and arrogance; was it telling me of a need to pray for deepening of faith? In the Gospel while Christ speaks about His impending death and its significance for all believers, the disciples are bickering among themselves, jostling for power. Added to which is the intrigue of the presence of traitor. Jesus loved time with His friends; much of His ministry was centred on such moments of fellowship. There was a difference here. He is saying ‘Goodbye’ to His closest friends and collaborators. This meal is alive with new meaning.

The simplest of things, Jesus interprets in the light of His approaching death. The bread – ‘a body broken,’ the wine – ‘blood outpoured.’ The new meaning is sheer gift, because it is to be ‘broken for you.’ ‘poured out for you.’ This meal is the fulfilment of the Father’s plan to win redemption for all God’s people.

For St Luke, Jesus’ death is seen in the context of His whole life. The total giving of Himself. He is being put to death because of His mission, priorities, values and claims. Our sins have crucified Him.

Yet, in this most wonderful of ways we have been given the awesome promise of new life - the life of the Lord risen from the dead. To share in it we need to confront the evil and sin in our own lives, we can only do this in the spirit of the Risen Christ. In that Spirit, we must live the new life with which we have been gifted. We must not allow ourselves to be bullied and beaten by the attitudes of contemporary society, that strike out at the Gospel truths. Death and Resurrection are two sides of the same coin – they were so for Christ and will continue to be so for you and me. This Easter let us savour what Jesus has done for us and pray for the faith to battle with darkness, the love to conquer sin and the hope that will bring us all new life.

At, the Cross her station keeping, stood the mournful Mother weeping, close to Jesus to the last. Through her heart, His sorrow sharing, all His bitter anguish bearing, now at length the sword has passed. O how sad and sore distressed was that Mother, highly blest, of the sole-begotten One. Christ above in torment hangs, she beneath beholds the pangs of her dying glorious Son. Is there one who would not weep, whelmed in miseries so deep, Christ's dear Mother to behold. Can the human heart refrain from partaking in her pain, in that Mother's pain untold. Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled, she beheld her tender Child All with scourges rent: For the sins of His own nation, saw Him hang in desolation, Till His spirit forth He sent. O thou Mother! fount of love! Touch my spirit from above, make my heart with thine accord: Make me feel as thou hast felt; make my soul to glow and melt with the love of Christ my Lord. Holy Mother! pierce me through, in my heart each wound renew of my Saviour crucified: Let me share with thee His pain, who for all my sins was slain, who for me in torments died. Let me mingle tears with thee, mourning Him who mourned for me, all the days that I may live: By the Cross with thee to stay, there with thee to weep and pray, is all I ask of the to give. Virgin of all virgins blest!, Listen to my fond request: let me share thy grief divine; Let me, to my latest breath, in my body bear the death of that dying Son of thine. Wounded with His every wound, steep my soul till it hath swooned, in His very Blood away; Be to me, O Virgin, nigh, lest in flames I burn and die, in His awful Judgment Day. Christ, when Thou shalt call me hence, by Thy Mother my defense, by Thy Cross my victory; Amen. While my body here decays, may my soul Thy goodness praise, safe in paradise with Thee. Amen