Catholic Caucus: Sunday Mass Readings, 04-01-12, Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord

USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 04-01-12 | Revised New American Bible

[Salvation]

April 1, 2012

 

Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord

 

At the Procession with Palms - Gospel Mk 11:1-10

When Jesus and his disciples drew near to Jerusalem,
to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives,
he sent two of his disciples and said to them,
"Go into the village opposite you,
and immediately on entering it,
you will find a colt tethered on which no one has ever sat.
Untie it and bring it here.
If anyone should say to you,
'Why are you doing this?' reply,
'The Master has need of it
and will send it back here at once.'"
So they went off
and found a colt tethered at a gate outside on the street,
and they untied it.
Some of the bystanders said to them,
"What are you doing, untying the colt?"
They answered them just as Jesus had told them to,
and they permitted them to do it.
So they brought the colt to Jesus
and put their cloaks over it.
And he sat on it.
Many people spread their cloaks on the road,
and others spread leafy branches
that they had cut from the fields.
Those preceding him as well as those following kept crying out:
"Hosanna!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come!
Hosanna in the highest!"

Or Jn 12:12-16

When the great crowd that had come to the feast heard
that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,
they took palm branches and went out to meet him, and cried out:
"Hosanna!
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,
the king of Israel."
Jesus found an ass and sat upon it, as is written:
Fear no more, O daughter Zion;
see, your king comes, seated upon an ass's colt.
His disciples did not understand this at first,
but when Jesus had been glorified
they remembered that these things were written about him
and that they had done this for him.

At the Mass - Reading 1 Is 50:4-7

The Lord GOD has given me
a well-trained tongue,
that I might know how to speak to the weary
a word that will rouse them.
Morning after morning
he opens my ear that I may hear;
and I have not rebelled,
have not turned back.
I gave my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who plucked my beard;
my face I did not shield
from buffets and spitting.

The Lord GOD is my help,
therefore I am not disgraced;
I have set my face like flint,
knowing that I shall not be put to shame.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24

R. (2a) My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
All who see me scoff at me;
they mock me with parted lips, they wag their heads:
"He relied on the LORD; let him deliver him,
let him rescue him, if he loves him."
R. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Indeed, many dogs surround me,
a pack of evildoers closes in upon me;
They have pierced my hands and my feet;
I can count all my bones.
R. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
They divide my garments among them,
and for my vesture they cast lots.
But you, O LORD, be not far from me;
O my help, hasten to aid me.
R. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
I will proclaim your name to my brethren;
in the midst of the assembly I will praise you:
"You who fear the LORD, praise him;
all you descendants of Jacob, give glory to him;
revere him, all you descendants of Israel!"
R. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

Reading 2 Phil 2:6-11

Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
which is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

GospelMk 14:1-15:471

The Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread
were to take place in two days' time.
So the chief priests and the scribes were seeking a way
to arrest him by treachery and put him to death.
They said, "Not during the festival,
for fear that there may be a riot among the people."

When he was in Bethany reclining at table
in the house of Simon the leper,
a woman came with an alabaster jar of perfumed oil,
costly genuine spikenard.
She broke the alabaster jar and poured it on his head.
There were some who were indignant.
"Why has there been this waste of perfumed oil?
It could have been sold for more than three hundred days' wages
and the money given to the poor."
They were infuriated with her.
Jesus said, "Let her alone.
Why do you make trouble for her?
She has done a good thing for me.
The poor you will always have with you,
and whenever you wish you can do good to them,
but you will not always have me.
She has done what she could.
She has anticipated anointing my body for burial.
Amen, I say to you,
wherever the gospel is proclaimed to the whole world,
what she has done will be told in memory of her."

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve,
went off to the chief priests to hand him over to them.
When they heard him they were pleased and promised to pay him money.
Then he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread,
when they sacrificed the Passover lamb,
his disciples said to him,
"Where do you want us to go
and prepare for you to eat the Passover?"
He sent two of his disciples and said to them,
"Go into the city and a man will meet you,
 
carrying a jar of water.
Follow him.
Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house,
'The Teacher says, "Where is my guest room
where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?"'
Then he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready.
Make the preparations for us there."
The disciples then went off, entered the city,
and found it just as he had told them;
and they prepared the Passover.

When it was evening, he came with the Twelve.
And as they reclined at table and were eating, Jesus said,
"Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me,
one who is eating with me."
They began to be distressed and to say to him, one by one,
"Surely it is not I?"
He said to them,
"One of the Twelve, the one who dips with me into the dish.
For the Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him,
but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed.
It would be better for that man if he had never been born."

While they were eating,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them, and said,
"Take it; this is my body."
Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them,
and they all drank from it.
He said to them,
"This is my blood of the covenant,
which will be shed for many.
Amen, I say to you,
I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine
until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."
Then, after singing a hymn,
they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Then Jesus said to them,
"All of you will have your faith shaken, for it is written:
I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep will be dispersed.
But after I have been raised up,
I shall go before you to Galilee."
Peter said to him,
"Even though all should have their faith shaken,
mine will not be."
Then Jesus said to him,
"Amen, I say to you,
this very night before the cock crows twice
you will deny me three times."
But he vehemently replied,
"Even though I should have to die with you,
I will not deny you."
And they all spoke similarly.
Then they came to a place named Gethsemane,
and he said to his disciples,
"Sit here while I pray."
He took with him Peter, James, and John,
and began to be troubled and distressed.
Then he said to them, "My soul is sorrowful even to death.
Remain here and keep watch."
He advanced a little and fell to the ground and prayed
that if it were possible the hour might pass by him;
he said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible to you.
Take this cup away from me,
but not what I will but what you will."
When he returned he found them asleep.
He said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep?
Could you not keep watch for one hour?
Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test.
The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak."
Withdrawing again, he prayed, saying the same thing.
Then he returned once more and found them asleep,
for they could not keep their eyes open
and did not know what to answer him.
He returned a third time and said to them,
"Are you still sleeping and taking your rest?
It is enough. The hour has come.
Behold, the Son of Man is to be handed over to sinners.
Get up, let us go.
See, my betrayer is at hand."

Then, while he was still speaking,
Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived,
accompanied by a crowd with swords and clubs
who had come from the chief priests,
the scribes, and the elders.
His betrayer had arranged a signal with them, saying,
"The man I shall kiss is the one;
arrest him and lead him away securely."
He came and immediately went over to him and said,
"Rabbi." And he kissed him.
At this they laid hands on him and arrested him.
One of the bystanders drew his sword,
struck the high priest's servant, and cut off his ear.
Jesus said to them in reply,
"Have you come out as against a robber,
with swords and clubs, to seize me?
Day after day I was with you teaching in the temple area,
yet you did not arrest me;
but that the Scriptures may be fulfilled."
And they all left him and fled.
Now a young man followed him
wearing nothing but a linen cloth about his body.
They seized him,
but he left the cloth behind and ran off naked.

They led Jesus away to the high priest,
and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together.
Peter followed him at a distance into the high priest's courtyard
and was seated with the guards, warming himself at the fire.
The chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin
kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus
in order to put him to death, but they found none.
Many gave false witness against him,
but their testimony did not agree.
Some took the stand and testified falsely against him,
 alleging, "We heard him say,
'I will destroy this temple made with hands
and within three days I will build another
not made with hands.'"
Even so their testimony did not agree.
The high priest rose before the assembly and questioned Jesus,
saying, "Have you no answer?
What are these men testifying against you?"
But he was silent and answered nothing.
Again the high priest asked him and said to him,
"Are you the Christ, the son of the Blessed One?"
Then Jesus answered, "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.'"
At that the high priest tore his garments and said,
"hat further need have we of witnesses?
You have heard the blasphemy.
What do you think?"
They all condemned him as deserving to die.
Some began to spit on him.
They blindfolded him and struck him and said to him, "Prophesy!"
And the guards greeted him with blows.

While Peter was below in the courtyard,
one of the high priest's maids came along.
Seeing Peter warming himself,
she looked intently at him and said,
"You too were with the Nazarene, Jesus."
But he denied it saying,
"I neither know nor understand what you are talking about."
So he went out into the outer court.
Then the cock crowed.
The maid saw him and began again to say to the bystanders,
"This man is one of them."
Once again he denied it.
A little later the bystanders said to Peter once more,
"Surely you are one of them; for you too are a Galilean."
He began to curse and to swear,
"I do not know this man about whom you are talking."
And immediately a cock crowed a second time.
Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had said to him,
"Before the cock crows twice you will deny me three times."
He broke down and wept.

As soon as morning came,
the chief priests with the elders and the scribes,
that is, the whole Sanhedrin held a council.
They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.
Pilate questioned him,
"Are you the king of the Jews?"
He said to him in reply, "You say so."
The chief priests accused him of many things.
Again Pilate questioned him,
"Have you no answer?
See how many things they accuse you of."
Jesus gave him no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.

Now on the occasion of the feast he used to release to them
one prisoner whom they requested.
A man called Barabbas was then in prison
along with the rebels who had committed murder in a rebellion.
The crowd came forward and began to ask him
to do for them as he was accustomed.
Pilate answered,
"Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?"
For he knew that it was out of envy
that the chief priests had handed him over.
But the chief priests stirred up the crowd
to have him release Barabbas for them instead.
Pilate again said to them in reply,
"Then what do you want me to do
with the man you call the king of the Jews?"
They shouted again, "Crucify him."
Pilate said to them, "Why? What evil has he done?"
They only shouted the louder, "Crucify him."
So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd,
released Barabbas to them and, after he had Jesus scourged,
handed him over to be crucified.

The soldiers led him away inside the palace,
that is, the praetorium, and assembled the whole cohort.
They clothed him in purple and,
weaving a crown of thorns, placed it on him.
They began to salute him with, AHail, King of the Jews!"
and kept striking his head with a reed and spitting upon him.
They knelt before him in homage.
And when they had mocked him,
they stripped him of the purple cloak,
dressed him in his own clothes,
and led him out to crucify him.

They pressed into service a passer-by, Simon,
a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country,
the father of Alexander and Rufus,
to carry his cross.

They brought him to the place of Golgotha
— which is translated Place of the Skull —
They gave him wine drugged with myrrh,
but he did not take it.
Then they crucified him and divided his garments
by casting lots for them to see what each should take.
It was nine o'clock in the morning when they crucified him.
The inscription of the charge against him read,
"The King of the Jews."
With him they crucified two revolutionaries,
one on his right and one on his left.
Those passing by reviled him,
shaking their heads and saying,
"Aha! You who would destroy the temple
and rebuild it in three days,
save yourself by coming down from the cross."
Likewise the chief priests, with the scribes,
mocked him among themselves and said,
"He saved others; he cannot save himself.
Let the Christ, the King of Israel,
come down now from the cross
that we may see and believe."
Those who were crucified with him also kept abusing him.

At noon darkness came over the whole land
until three in the afternoon.
And at three o'clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
"Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?"
which is translated,
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Some of the bystanders who heard it said,
"Look, he is calling Elijah."
One of them ran, soaked a sponge with wine, put it on a reed
and gave it to him to drink saying,
"Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to take him down."
Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.

Here all kneel and pause for a short time.

The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom.
When the centurion who stood facing him
saw how he breathed his last he said,
"Truly this man was the Son of God!"
There were also women looking on from a distance.
Among them were Mary Magdalene,
Mary the mother of the younger James and of Joses, and Salome.
These women had followed him when he was in Galilee
and ministered to him.
There were also many other women
who had come up with him to Jerusalem.

When it was already evening,
since it was the day of preparation,
the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea,
a distinguished member of the council,
who was himself awaiting the kingdom of God,
came and courageously went to Pilate
and asked for the body of Jesus.
Pilate was amazed that he was already dead.
He summoned the centurion
and asked him if Jesus had already died.
And when he learned of it from the centurion,
he gave the body to Joseph.
Having bought a linen cloth, he took him down,
wrapped him in the linen cloth,
and laid him in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock.
Then he rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb.
Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses
watched where he was laid.

Or Mk 15:1-39

As soon as morning came,
the chief priests with the elders and the scribes,
that is, the whole Sanhedrin held a council.
They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.
Pilate questioned him,
“Are you the king of the Jews?”
He said to him in reply, “You say so.”
The chief priests accused him of many things.
Again Pilate questioned him,
“Have you no answer?
See how many things they accuse you of.”
Jesus gave him no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.

Now on the occasion of the feast he used to release to them
one prisoner whom they requested.
A man called Barabbas was then in prison
along with the rebels who had committed murder in a rebellion.
The crowd came forward and began to ask him
to do for them as he was accustomed.
Pilate answered,
“Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?”
For he knew that it was out of envy
that the chief priests had handed him over.
But the chief priests stirred up the crowd
to have him release Barabbas for them instead.
Pilate again said to them in reply,
“Then what do you want me to do
with the man you call the king of the Jews?”
They shouted again, “Crucify him.”
Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?”
They only shouted the louder, “Crucify him.”
So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd,
released Barabbas to them and, after he had Jesus scourged,
handed him over to be crucified.

The soldiers led him away inside the palace,
that is, the praetorium, and assembled the whole cohort.
They clothed him in purple and,
weaving a crown of thorns, placed it on him.
They began to salute him with, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
and kept striking his head with a reed and spitting upon him.
They knelt before him in homage.
And when they had mocked him,
they stripped him of the purple cloak,
dressed him in his own clothes,
and led him out to crucify him.

They pressed into service a passer-by, Simon,
a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country,
the father of Alexander and Rufus,
to carry his cross.

They brought him to the place of Golgotha
—which is translated Place of the Skull —
They gave him wine drugged with myrrh,
but he did not take it.
Then they crucified him and divided his garments
by casting lots for them to see what each should take.
It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him.
The inscription of the charge against him read,
“The King of the Jews.”
With him they crucified two revolutionaries,
one on his right and one on his left.
Those passing by reviled him,
shaking their heads and saying,
“Aha! You who would destroy the temple
and rebuild it in three days,
save yourself by coming down from the cross.”
Likewise the chief priests, with the scribes,
mocked him among themselves and said,
“He saved others; he cannot save himself.
Let the Christ, the King of Israel,
come down now from the cross
that we may see and believe.”
Those who were crucified with him also kept abusing him.

At noon darkness came over the whole land
until three in the afternoon.
And at three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
“Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?”
which is translated,
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Some of the bystanders who heard it said,
“Look, he is calling Elijah.”
One of them ran, soaked a sponge with wine, put it on a reed
and gave it to him to drink saying,
“Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to take him down.”
Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.

Here all kneel and pause for a short time.

The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom.
When the centurion who stood facing him
saw how he breathed his last he said,
“Truly this man was the Son of God!”

[Salvation]

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[Salvation]

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[Salvation]

From: Mark 11:1-10 (At the Procession with Palms)

The Messiah Enters Jerusalem

---

[1] And when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the
Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, [2] and said to them, “Go into the
village opposite you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on
which no one has ever sat; untie it and bring it. [3] If any one says to you, ‘Why
are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here im-
mediately.” [4] And they went away, and found a colt tied at the door out in the
open street; and they untied it. [5] And those who stood there said to them,
“What are you doing, untying the colt?” [6] And they told them what Jesus had
said; and they let them go. [7] And they brought the colt to Jesus, and threw
their garments on it; and be sat upon it. [8] And many spread their garments
on the road, and others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields.
[9] And those who went before and those who followed cried out, “Hosanna! Bles-
sed is be who comes.in the name of the Lord! [10] Blessed is the kingdom of
Our father David that is coming! Hosanna in the highest!”

[11] And he entered Jerusalem, and went into the temple; and when he had
looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with
the twelve.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

1-11. Jesus had visited Jerusalem various times before, but he never did so in
this way. Previously he had not wanted to be recognized as the Messiah; he a-
voided the enthusiasm of the crowd; but now he accepts their acclaim and even
implies that it is justified, by entering the city in the style of a pacific king. Je-
sus’s public ministry is about to come to a close: he has completed his mis-
sion; he has preached and worked miracles; he has revealed himself as God
wished he should; now in this triumphant entry into Jerusalem he shows that he
is the Messiah. The people, by shouting “Blessed is he who comes in the name
of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is coming!”, are pro-
claiming Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah. When the leaders of the people
move against him some days later, they reject this recognition the people have
given him. Cf. notes on Mt 21:1-5 and 21:9.

3. Although, absolutely speaking, our Lord has no need of man, in fact he does
choose to use us to carry out his plans just as he made use of the donkey for
his entry into Jerusalem. “Jesus makes do with a poor animal for a throne. I
don’t know about you; but I am not humiliated to acknowledge that in the Lord’s
eyes I am a beast of burden: ‘I am like a donkey in your presence; nevertheless
I am continually with you. You hold my right hand,’ (Ps 72:23), you take me by
the bridle.

“Try to remember what a donkey is like—now that so few of them are left. Not an
old, stubborn, vicious one that would give you a kick when you least expected,
but a young one with his ears up like antennae. He lives on a meagre diet, is
hard-working and has a quick, cheerful trot. There are hundreds of animals more
beautiful, more deft and strong. But it was a donkey Christ chose when he pre-
sented himself to the people as king in response to their acclamation. For Jesus
has no time for calculations, for astuteness, for the cruelty of cold hearts, for at-
tractive but empty beauty. What he likes is the cheerfulness of a young heart,
a simple step, a natural voice, clean .eyes, attention to his affectionate word of
advice. That is how he reigns in the soul” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By”,
181).

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

[Salvation]

From: John 12:12-16 (At the Procession with Palms)

The Messiah’s entry into Jerusalem

---

[12] The next day a great crowd who had come to the feast heard that Jesus was
coming to Jerusalem. [13] So they took branches of palm trees and went out to
meet him, crying, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,
even the King of Israel! [14] And Jesus found a young ass and sat upon it; as it
is written,

[15] “Fear not, daughter of Zion;
behold, your king is coming,
sitting on an ass’s colt!”

[16] His disciples did not understand this at first; but when Jesus was glorified,
then they remembered that this had been written of him and had been done to
him.

********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

13. When the crowd uses the words “Blessed is he who comes in the name of
the Lord”, taken from Psalm 118:26, they are acclaiming Jesus as the Messiah.
The words ‘the king of Israel”, not included in the Synoptics, underline Christ’s
royalty: the Messiah is the King of Israel “par excellence”. However, Jesus
had previously fled from those who wanted to make him king because they had
an earth-bound view of his mission (Jn 6:14-15). Later on, before Pilate, he will
explain that his kingship “is not of this world”. “Christ”, St Augustine teaches,
“was not king of Israel for exacting tribute, or arming a host with the sword; but
king of Israel to rule souls, to counsel them for eternal life, to bring to the King-
dom of heaven those that believe, hope and love” (”In Ioann. Evang.”, 51,4).

“Christ should reign first and foremost in our soul. But how would we reply if he
asks us: ‘How do you go about letting me reign in you?’ I would reply that I
need lots of his grace. Only that way can my every heartbeat and breath, my
least intense look, my most ordinary word, my most basic feeling be trans-
formed into a hosanna to Christ my King” (Bl. J. Escrivá, “Christ Is Passing By,
181).

14-16. After Jesus’ resurrection, the Apostles will grasp the meaning of many
episodes in our Lord’s life which they had not previously understood fully (cf. Jn
2:22). For example, in his triumphal entry into Jerusalem with all the people ac-
claiming him as Messiah, they will see the fulfilment of the Old Testament pro-
phecies (cf., e.g., in addition to Zech 9:9, which the Gospel quotes, Gen 49:10-
11). See the notes on Mt 21:1-5; Mk 11:1-11; and Lk 19:30-35.

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

[Salvation]

From: Isaiah 50:4-7

Third Song of the Servant of the Lord

---

[4] The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of those who are taught; that I may
know how to sustain with a word him that is weary. Morning by morning he wa-
kens, he wakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. [5] The Lord GOD
has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I turned not backward. [6]I gave
my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I
hid not my face from shame and spitting.

[7] For the LORD GOD helps me; therefore I have not been confounded; there-
fore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame;

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

50:4-9. The second song dealt with the servant’s mission (cf. 49:6); the third
song focuses on the servant himself. The term “servant” as such does not
appear here, and therefore some commentators read the passage as being a
description of a prophet and not part of the songs. Still, the context (cf. 50:10)
does suggest that the protagonist is the servant. The poem is neatly construc-
ted in three stanzas, each beginning with the words, “The Lord God” (vv. 4, 5, 7),
and it has a conclusion containing that same wording (v. 9). The first stanza
emphasizes the servant’s docility to the word of God; that is, he is not depicted
as a self-taught teacher with original ideas, but as an obedient disciple. The se-
cond (vv. 5-6) speaks of the suffering that that docility has brought him, without
his uttering a word of complaint. The third (vv. 7-8) shows how determined the
servant is: if he suffers in silence, it is not out of cowardice but because God
helps him and makes him stronger than his persecutors. The conclusion (v. 9)
is like the verdict of a trial: when all is said and done, the servant will stand tall,
and all his enemies will be struck down.

The evangelists saw the words of this song as finding fulfillment in Jesus—
especially what the song has to say about the suffering and silent fortitude of the
servant. The Gospel of John, for example, quotes Nicodemus’ acknowledgment
of Christ’s wisdom: “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for
no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him” (Jn 3:21). But
the description of the servant’s sufferings was the part that most impressed the
early Christians; that part of the song was recalled when they meditated on the
passion of Jesus and how “they spat in his face; and struck him; and some
slapped him” (Mt 26:67) and later how the Roman soldiers “spat upon him, and
took the reed and struck him on the head” (Mt 27:30; cf. also Mk 15:19; Jn 19:3).
St Paul refers to v. 9 when applying to Christ Jesus the role of intercessor on
behalf of the elect in the suit pressed constantly against them by the enemies
of the soul: “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect?” (Rom 8:33).

St Jerome sees the servant’s docility as a reference to Christ: “His self-discipline
and wisdom enabled him to communicate to us the knowledge of the Father. And
he was obedient onto death, death on the cross; he offered his body to the blows
they struck, his shoulders to the lash; and though he was wounded on the chest
and on his face, he did not try to turn away and escape their violence” (”Commen-
tarii In Isaiam”, 50, 4). This passage is used in the liturgy of Palm Sunday (along
with Psalm 22 and St Paul’s hymn in the Letter to the Philippians 2:6-11), before
the reading of our Lord’s passion.

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

[Salvation]

From: Philippians 2:6-11

Hymn in Praise of Christ’s Self-Emptying

---

([5] Have this mind among yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus,) [6] who,
though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be
grasped, [7] but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the
likeness of men. [8] And being found in human form He humbled Himself and
became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. [9] Therefore God has
highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
[10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in Heaven and on earth
and under the earth, [11] and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to
\the glory of God the Father.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

5. The Apostle’s recommendation, “’Have this mind among yourselves, which
was in Christ Jesus, requires all Christians, so far as human power allows, to
reproduce in themselves the sentiments that Christ had when He was offering
Himself in sacrifice—sentiments of humility, of adoration, praise, and thanks-
giving to the divine majesty. It requires them also to become victims, as it were;
cultivating a spirit of self-denial according to the precepts of the Gospel, willingly
doing works of penance, detesting and expiating their sins. It requires us all, in
a word, to die mystically with Christ on the Cross, so that we may say with the
same Apostle: ‘I have been crucified with Christ’ (Galatians 2:19)” ([Pope] Pius
XII, “Mediator Dei”, 22).

6-11. In what he says about Jesus Christ, the Apostle is not simply proposing
Him as a model for us to follow. Possibly transcribing an early liturgical hymn
(and) adding some touches of his own, he is — under the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit — giving a very profound exposition of the nature of Christ and using the
most sublime truths of faith to show the way Christian virtues should be prac-
ticed.

This is one of the earliest New Testament texts to reveal the divinity of Christ.
The epistle was written around the year 62 (or perhaps before that, around 55)
and if we remember that the hymn of Philippians 2:6-11 may well have been in
use prior to that date, the passage clearly bears witness to the fact that Chris-
tians were proclaiming, even in those very early years, that Jesus, born in Beth-
lehem, crucified, died and buried, and risen from the dead, was truly both God
and man.

The hymn can be divided into three parts. The first (verses 6 and the beginning
of 7) refers to Christ’s humbling Himself by becoming man. The second (the end
of verse 7 and verse 8) is the center of the whole passage and proclaims the ex-
treme to which His humility brought Him: as man He obediently accepted death
on the cross. The third part (verses 9-11) describes His exaltation in glory.
Throughout St. Paul is conscious of Jesus’ divinity: He exists from all eternity.
But he centers his attention on His death on the cross as the supreme example
of humility. Christ’s humiliation lay not in His becoming a man like us and cloa-
king the glory of His divinity in His sacred humanity: it also brought Him to lead
a life of sacrifice and suffering which reached its climax on the cross, where He
was stripped of everything He had, like a slave. However, now that He has ful-
filled His mission, He is made manifest again, clothed in all the glory that befits
His divine nature and which His human nature has merited.

The man-God, Jesus Christ, makes the cross the climax of His earthly life;
through it He enters into His glory as Lord and Messiah. The Crucifixion puts
the whole universe on the way to salvation.

Jesus Christ gives us a wonderful example of humility and obedience. “We
should learn from Jesus’ attitude in these trials,” St. Escriva reminds us. “During
His life on earth He did not even want the glory that belonged to Him. Though He
had the right to be treated as God, He took the form of a servant, a slave (cf. Phil-
ippians 2:6-7). And so the Christian knows that all glory is due God and that he
must not use the sublimity and greatness of the Gospel to further his own inte-
rests or human ambitions.

“We should learn from Jesus. His attitude in rejecting all human glory is in per-
fect balance with the greatness of His unique mission as the beloved Son of
God who becomes incarnate to save men” (”Christ Is Passing By”, 62).

6-7. “Though He was in the form of God” or “subsisting in the form of God”:
“form” is the external aspect of something and manifests what it is. When re-
ferring to God, who is invisible, His “form” cannot refer to things visible to the
senses; the “form of God” is a way of referring to Godhead. The first thing that
St. Paul makes clear is that Jesus Christ is God, and was God before the Incar-
nation. As the “Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed” professes it, “the only-begot-
ten Son of God, born of the Father before time began, light from light, true God
from true God.”

“He did not count equality with God as something to be grasped”: the Greek
word translated as “equality” does not directly refer to equality of nature but
rather the equality of rights and status. Christ was God and He could not stop
being God; therefore, He had a right to be treated as God and to appear in all
His glory. However, He did not insist on this dignity of His as if it were a treasure
which He possessed and which was legally His: it was not something He clung
to and boasted about. And so He took “the form of a servant”. He could have
become man without setting His glory aside—He could have appeared as He did,
momentarily, as the Transfiguration (cf. Matthew 17:1ff); instead He chose to be
like men, in all things but sin (cf. verse 7). By becoming man in the way He did,
He was able, as Isaiah prophesied in the Song of the Servant of Yahweh, to bear
our sorrows and to be stricken (cf. Isaiah 53:4).

“He emptied Himself”, He despoiled Himself: this is literally what the Greek verb
means. But Christ did not shed His divine nature; He simply shed its glory, its
aura; if He had not done so it would have shone out through His human nature.
From all eternity He exists as God and from the moment of the Incarnation He
began to be man. His self-emptying lay not only in the fact that the Godhead
united to Himself (that is, to the person of the Son) something which was cor-
poreal and finite (a human nature), but also in the fact that this nature did not it-
self manifest the divine glory, as it “ought” to have done. Christ could not cease
to be God, but He could temporarily renounce the exercise of rights that be-
longed to Him as God—which was what He did.

Verses 6-8 bring the Christian’s mind the contrast between Jesus and Adam.
The devil tempted Adam, a mere man, to “be like God” (Genesis 3:5). By trying
to indulge this evil desire (pride is a disordered desire for self-advancement) and
by committing the sin of disobeying God (cf. Genesis 3:6), Adam drew down the
gravest misfortunes upon himself and on his whole line (present potentially in
him): this is symbolized in the Genesis passage by his expulsion from Paradise
and by the physical world’s rebellion against his lordship (cf. Genesis 3:16-24).
Jesus Christ, on the contrary, who enjoyed divine glory from all eternity, “emptied
Himself”: He chooses the way of humility, the opposite way to Adam’s (opposite,
too, to the way previously taken by the devil). Christ’s obedience thereby makes
up for the disobedience of the first man; it puts mankind in a position to more
than recover the natural and supernatural gifts with which God endowed human
nature at the Creation. And so, after focusing on the amazing mystery of Christ’s
humiliation or self-emptying (”kenosis” in Greek), this hymn goes on joyously to
celebrate Christ’s exaltation after death.

Christ’s attitude in becoming man is, then, a wonderful example of humility.
“What is more humble”, St. Gregory of Nyssa asks, “than the King of all crea-
tion entering into communion with our poor nature? The King of kings and Lord of
lords clothes Himself with the form of our enslavement; the Judge of the universe
comes to pay tribute to the princes of this world; the Lord of creation is born in a
cave; He who encompasses the world cannot find room in the inn...; the pure and
incorrupt one puts on the filthiness of our nature and experiences all our needs,
experiences even death itself” (”Oratio I In Beatitudinibus”).

This self-emptying is an example of God’s infinite goodness in taking the initiative
to meet man: “Fill yourselves with wonder and gratitude at such a mystery and
learn from it. All the power, all the majesty, all the beauty, all the infinite harmony
of God, all His great and immeasurable riches. God whole and entire was hidden
for our benefit in the humanity of Christ. The Almighty appears determined to
eclipse His glory for a time, so as to make it easy for His creatures to approach
their Redeemer.” (St. J. Escriva, “Friends of God”, 111).

8. Jesus Christ became man “for us men and for our salvation”, we profess in the
Creed. Everything He did in the course of His life had a salvific value; His death
on the cross represents the climax of His redemptive work for, as St. Gregory of
Nyssa says, “He did not experience death due to the fact of being born; rather,
He took birth upon Himself in order to die” (”Oratio Catechetica Magna”, 32).

Our Lord’s obedience to the Father’s saving plan, involving as it did death on the
cross, gives us the best of all lessons in humility. For, in the words of St. Thomas
Aquinas, “obedience is the sign of true humility” (”Commentary on Phil., ad loc.”).
In St. Paul’s time death by crucifixion was the most demeaning form of death, for
it was inflicted only on criminals. By becoming obedient “unto death, even death
on a cross”, Jesus was being humble in the extreme. He was perfectly within His
rights to manifest Himself in all His divine glory, but He chose instead the route
leading to the most ignominious of deaths.

His obedience, moreover, was not simply a matter of submitting to the Father’s
will, for, as St. Paul points out, He made Himself obedient: His obedience was
active; He made the Father’s salvific plans His own. He chose voluntarily to give
Himself up to crucifixion in order to redeem mankind. “Debasing oneself when
one is forced to do so is not humility”, St. John Chrysostom explains; “humility
is present when one debases oneself without being obliged to do so” (”Hom. on
Phil., ad loc.”).

Christ’s self-abasement and his obedience unto death reveals His love for us, for
“greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends”
(John 15:13). His loving initiative merits a loving response on our part: we should
show that we desire to be one with Him, for love “seeks union, identification with
the beloved. United to Christ, we will be drawn to imitate His life of dedication,
His unlimited love and His sacrifice unto death. Christ brings us face to face with
the ultimate choice: either we spend our life in selfish isolation, or we devote our-
selves and all our energies to the service of others” (St. J. Escriva, “Friends of
God”, 236).

9-11. “God highly exalted Him”: the Greek compounds the notion of exaltation,
to indicate the immensity of His glorification. Our Lord Himself foretold this when
He said, “He who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11).

Christ’s sacred humanity was glorified as a reward for His humiliation. The
Church’s Magisterium teaches that Christ’s glorification affects his human nature
only, for “in the form of God the Son was equal to the Father, and between the
Begetter and the Only-begotten there was no difference in essence, no difference
in majesty; nor did the Word, through the mystery of incarnation, lose anything
which the Father might later return to Him as a gift” ([Pope] St. Leo the Great,
“Promisisse Me Memini”, Chapter 8). Exaltation is public manifestation of the
glory which belongs to Christ’s humanity by virtue of its being joined to the divine
person of the Word. This union to the “form of a servant” (cf. verse 7) meant an
immense act of humility on the part of the Son, but it led to the exaltation of the
human nature He took on.

For the Jews the “name that is above every name” is the name of God (Yahweh),
which the Mosaic Law required to be held in particular awe. Also, they regarded
a name given to someone, especially if given by God, as not just a way of refer-
ring to a person but as expressing something that belonged to the very core of
his personality. Therefore, the statement that God “bestowed on Him the name
which is above every name” means that God the Father gave Christ’s human na-
ture the capacity to manifest the glory of divinity which was His by virtue of the
hypostatic union: therefore, it is to be worshipped by the entire universe.

St. Paul describes the glorification of Jesus Christ in terms similar to those used
by the prophet Daniel of the Son of Man: “To Him was given dominion and glory
and kingdom, that all peoples, nations and languages should serve His Kingdom,
one that shall not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:14). Christ’s lordship extends to all
created things. Sacred Scripture usually speaks of “heaven and earth” when re-
ferring to the entire created universe; by mentioning here the underworld it is em-
phasizing that nothing escapes His dominion. Jesus Christ can here be seen as
the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy about the universal sovereignty of Yahweh:
“To Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear” (Isaiah 45:23). All crea-
ted things come under His sway, and men are duty-bound to accept the basic
truth of Christian teaching: “Jesus Christ is Lord.” The Greek word “Kyrios” used
here by St. Paul is the word used by the Septuagint, the early Greek version of
the Old Testament, to translate the name of God (”Yahweh”). Therefore, this
sentence means “Jesus Christ is God.”

The Christ proclaimed here as having been raised on high is the man-God who
was born and died for our sake, attaining the glory of His exaltation after under-
going the humiliation of the cross. In this also Christ sets us an example: we
cannot attain the glory of Heaven unless we understand the supernatural value
of difficulties, ill-health and suffering: these are manifestations of Christ’s cross
present in our ordinary life. “We have to die to ourselves and be born again to
a new life. Jesus Christ obeyed in this way, even unto death on a cross (Philip-
pians 2:18); that is why God exalted Him. If we obey God’s will, the cross will
mean our own resurrection and exaltation. Christ’s life will be fulfilled step by
step in our own lives. It will be said of us that we have tried to be good children
of God, who went about doing good in spite of our weakness and personal short-
comings, no matter how many” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By”, 21).

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

[Salvation]

From: Mark 14:1-15:47

The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark

The conspiracy against Jesus

---

[1] It was now two days before the Passover and the feast of Unleavened Bread.
And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth,
and kill him; [2] for they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be a tumult of the
people.”

The anointing of Bethany and the treachery of Judas

---

[3] And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at
table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very cost-
ly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. [4] But there were some
who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment thus wasted? [5] For
this ointment might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and given
to the poor.” And they reproached her. [6] But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why do
you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. [7] For you always have
the poor with you, and whenever you will, you can do good to them; but you will
not always have me. [8] She has done what she could; she has anointed my bo-
dy beforehand for burying. [9] And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is
preached in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”

[10] Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in
order to betray him to them. [11] And when they heard it they were glad, and
promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him.

Preparations for the Last Supper. Judas’ treachery foretold

---

[12] And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passo-
ver lamb, his disciples said to him, “Where will you have us go and prepare for
you to eat the passover?” [13] And he sent two of his disciples, and said to them,
“Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him,
[14] and wherever he enters, say to the householder, ‘The Teacher says, Where
is my guest room, where I am to eat the passover with my disciples?’ [15] And
he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us.”
[16] And the disciples set out and went to the city, and found it as he had told
them; and they prepared the passover.

[17] And when it was evening he came with the twelve. [18] And as they were at
table eating, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who
is eating with me.” [19] They began to be sorrowful, and to say to him one after
another, “Is it I?” [20] He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping
bread into the dish with me. [21] For the Son of man goes as it is written of him,
but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It would have been
better for that man if he had not been born.”

The institution of the Eucharist

---

[22] And as they were eating, he took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave
it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” [23] And he took a cup, and when
he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. [24] And he said
to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. [25]
Truly, I say to you, I shall not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day
when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

The disciples will desert Jesus

---

[26] And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. [27]
And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away; for it is written, ‘I will strike the
shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ [28] But after I am raised up, I will go
before you to Galilee.” [29] Peter said to him, “Even though they all fall away, I
will not.” [30] And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I say to you, this very night, before
the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.” [31] But he said vehement-
ly, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same.

Jesus’ prayer and agony in the garden

---

[32] And they went to a place which was called Gethsemane; and he said to his
disciples, “Sit here, while I pray.” [33] And he took with him Peter and James
and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. [34] And he said to
them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch.” [35]
And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possi-
ble, the hour might pass from him. [36] And he said, “Abba, Father, all things
are possible to thee; remove this cup from me; yet not what I will, but what thou
wilt.” [37] And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon,
are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? [38] Watch and pray that you
may not enter into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
[39] And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. [40] And a-
gain he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they
did not know what to answer him. [41] And he came the third time, and said to
them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has
come; the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. [42] Rise, let us be
going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”

The arrest of Jesus

---

[43] And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the
twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and
the scribes and the elders. [44] Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying,
“The one I shall kiss is the man; seize him and lead him away under guard.”
[45] And when he came, he went up to him at once, and said, “Master!” And
he kissed him. [46] And they laid hands on him and seized him. [47] But one of
those who stood by drew his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and
cut off his ear. [48] And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out as against a
robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? [49] Day after day I was with you
in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the scriptures be ful-
filled.” [50] And they all forsook him, and fled.

[51] And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body;
and they seized him, [52] but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked.

Jesus before the chief priests

---

[53] And they led Jesus to the high priest; and all the chief priests and the elders
and the scribes were assembled. [54] And Peter had followed him at a distance,
right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the guards, and
warming himself at the fire. [55] Now the chief priests and the whole council
sought testimony against Jesus to put him to death; but they found none. [56]
For many bore false witness against him, and their witness did not agree. [57]
And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying, [58] “We heard
him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I
will build another, not made with hands.’” [59] Yet not even so did their testimony
agree. [60] And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, “Have
you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?” [61] But
he was silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you
the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” [62] And Jesus said, “I am; and you will see
the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of
heaven.” [63] And the high priest tore his garments, and said, “Why do we still
need witnesses? [64] You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?”
And they all condemned him as deserving death. [65] And some began to spit on
him, and to cover his face, and to strike him, saying to him, “Prophesy!” And the
guards received him with blows.

Peter’s denial

---

[66] And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the maids of the high priest
came; [67] and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him, and said, “You
also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.” [68] But he denied it, saying, “I neither
know nor understand what you mean.” And he went out into the gateway. [69]
And the maid saw him, and began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is
one of them.” [70] But again he denied it. And after a little while again the by-
standers said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them; for you are a Galilean.”
[71] But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know this
man of whom you speak.” [72] And immediately the cock crowed a second time.
And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before the cock crows
twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.

Jesus before Pilate

---

15[1] And as soon as it was morning the chief priests, with the elders and
scribes, and the whole council held a consultation; and they bound Jesus and
led him away and delivered him to Pilate. [2] And Pilate asked him, “Are you the
King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” [3] And the chief
priests accused him of many things. [4] And Pilate again asked him, “Have you
no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.” [5] But Je-
sus made no further answer, so that Pilate wondered. [6] Now at the feast he
used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. [7] And among the
rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man
called Barabbas. [8] And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he
was wont to do for them. [9] And he answered them, “Do you want me to release
for you the King of the Jews?” [10] For he perceived that it was out of envy that
the chief priests had delivered him up. [11] But the chief priests stirred up the
crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. [12] And Pilate again said
to them, “Then what shall I do with the man whom you call the King of the Jews?”
[13] And they cried out again, “Crucify him.” [14] And Pilate said to them, “Why,
what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” [15] So Pi-
late, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas; and having
scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

The crowning with thorns

---

[16] And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the praetorium);
and they called together the whole battalion. [17] And they clothed him in a pur-
ple cloak, and plaiting a crown of thorns they put it on him. [18] And they began
to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” [19] And they struck his head with a reed,
and spat upon him, and they knelt down in homage to him. [20] And when they
had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak, and put his own clothes
on him. And they led him out to crucify him.

The crucifixion and death of Jesus

---

[21] And they compelled a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from
the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. [22] And they
brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of a skull). [23]
And they offered him wine mingled with myrrh; but he did not take it. [24] And
they crucified him, and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them,
to decide what each should take. [25] And it was the third hour, when they cruci-
fied him. [26] And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the
Jews.” [27] And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on
his left. [29] And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads, and sa-
ying, “Aha! n You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, [30]
save yourself, and come down from the cross!” [31] So also the chief priests
mocked him to one another with the scribes, saying, “He saved others; he can-
not save himself. [32] Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the
cross, that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also re-
viled him.

[33] And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land
until the ninth hour. [34] And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi,
Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsa-
ken me?” [35] And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling
Elijah.” [36] And one ran and, filling a sponge full of vinegar, put it on a reed and
gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take
him down.” [37] And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed his last. [38] And
the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. [39] And when the
centurion, who stood facing him, saw that he thus breathed his last, he said,
“Truly this man was the Son of God!”

[40] There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Mag-
dalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome,
[41] who, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered to him; and also
many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.

The burial of Jesus

---

[42] And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is,
the day before the sabbath, [43] Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of
the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage
and went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. [44] And Pilate wondered if
he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he
was already dead. [45] And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead,
he granted the body to Joseph. [46] And he bought a linen shroud, and taking him
down, wrapped him in the linen shroud, and laid him in a tomb which had been
hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. [47] Ma-
ry Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

1. The Passover was the main national and religious festival. It lasted one week,
during which the eating of leavened bread was forbidden, which is why the period
was known as the Azymes, the feast of the Unleavened Bread. The celebration
opened with the passover meal on the night of the 14th to 15th of the month of
Nisan. The essential rite of the meal consisted in eating the paschal lamb sacri-
ficed in the temple the afternoon before. During the meal the youngest member
of the family asked what was the meaning of the ceremony; and the head of the
household explained to those present that it commemorated God’s liberation of
the Israelites when they were slaves in Egypt, and specifically the passing of the
angel of Yahweh, doing no harm to the first-born of the Hebrews but destroying
the first-born of the Egyptians (cf. Ex 12).

2. The chief priests and the scribes sought every means to ensure the condem-
nation and death of the Lord prior to the Passover, for during the festival Jerusa-
lem would be thronged with pilgrims and they feared that Jesus’ popularity might
cause the complications referred to in the Gospel text. Cf. the note on Mt 26:3-5.

3-9. It was a custom at the time to honour distinguished guests by offering them
scented water. This woman treated the Lord with exquisite refinement by pour-
ing a flask of nard over his head: and we can see that he was very appreciative.
Three hundred denarii was approximately what a worker would earn in a year: so
her action was very generous. Breaking the flask to allow the last drop to flow,
so that no one else could use it, implies that Jesus merited everything.

It is important to notice the significance our Lord gave to this gesture: it was an
anticipation of the pious custom of embalming bodies prior to burial. This woman
would never have thought that her action would become famous throughout the
world, but Jesus knew the transcendence and universal dimension of even the
smallest episodes in the Gospel story. His prophecy has been fulfilled: “Certain-
ly we hear her story told in all the churches. . . . Wherever in the world you may
go, everyone respectfully listens to the story of her good service. . . . And yet
hers was not an extraordinary deed, nor was she a distinguished person, nor
was there a large audience, nor was the place one where she could easily be
seen. She made no entrance onto a theatre stage to perform her service but did
her good deed in a private house. Nevertheless . . . , today she is more illustri-
ous than any king or queen; no passage of years has buried in oblivion this ser-
vice she performed” (St John Chrysostom, “Adversus Iudaeos”, 5, 2).

This episode teaches us the refinement with which we should treat the holy hu-
manity of Jesus; it also shows that generosity in things to do with sacred wor-
ship is always praiseworthy, for it is a sign of our love for the Lord. Cf. the note
on Mt 26:8-11.

10-11. In contrast with the generous anointing by the woman, the Gospel now
reports Judas’ sad treachery. Her magnanimity highlights the covetousness of
Jesus’ false friend. “O folly, or rather ambition, of the traitor, for ambition spawns
every kind of evil and enslaves souls by every sort of device; it causes forgetful-
ness and mental derangement. Judas, enslaved by his mad ambition, forgot all
about the years he had spent alongside Jesus, forgot that he had eaten at his
table, that he had been his disciple; forgot all the counsel and persuasion Jesus
had offered him” (St John Chrysostom, “Hom. de prodit. Judae).

Judas’ sin is always something Christians should he mindful of: “Today many
people are horrified by Judas’ crime — that he could he so cruel and so sacrile-
gious as to sell his Master and his God; and yet they fail to realize that when
they for human reasons dismiss the rights of charity and truth, they are betra-
ying God, who is charity and truth” (St Bede, “Super qui audientes” ... ).

12-16. At first sight our Lord’s behaviour described here seems quite out of char-
acter. However, if we think about it, it is quite consistent: probably Jesus wanted
to avoid Judas knowing in advance the exact place where the Supper will be held,
to prevent him notifying the Sanhedrin. And so God’s plans for that memorable
night of Holy Thursday were fulfilled: Judas was unable to advise the Sanhedrin
where they could find Jesus until after the celebration of the passover meal (dur-
ing which Judas left the Cenacle): cf. Jn 13:30.

St Mark describes in more detail than the other evangelists the place where the
meal took place: he says it was a large, well-appointed room — a dignified place.
There is an ancient Christian tradition that the house of the Cenacle was owned
by Mary the mother of St Mark, to whom, it seems, the Garden of Olives also
belonged.

17-21. Jesus shows that he knows in advance what is going to happen and is
acting freely and deliberately, identifying himself with the will of his Father. The
words of vv. 18 and 19 are a further call to Judas to repent; our Lord refrained
from denouncing him publicly, so making it easier for him to change his mind.
But he did not want to remain silent about the incipient treachery; they should
realize that the Master knew everything (cf. Jn 13:23ff).

22. The word “this” does not refer to the act of breaking the bread but to the
“thing” which Jesus gives his disciples, that is, something which looked like
bread and which was no longer bread but the body of Christ. “This is my body.
That is to say, what I am giving you now and what you are taking is my body.
For the bread is not only a symbol of the body of Christ; it becomes his very
body, as the Lord has said: the bread which I shall give for the life of the world
is my flesh. Therefore, the Lord conserves the appearances of bread and wine
but changes the bread and wine into the reality of his flesh and his blood” (Theo-
phylact, “Enarratio in Evangelium Marci”, in loc.). Therefore, any interpretation
in the direction of symbolism or metaphor does not fit the meaning of the text.
The same applies to the “This is my blood” (v. 24). On the realism of these ex-
pressions, see the first part of the note on Mt 26:26-29.

24. The words of consecration of the chalice clearly show that the Eucharist is
a sacrifice: the blood of Christ is poured out, sealing the new and definitive Cove-
nant of God with men. This Covenant remains sealed forever by the sacrifice of
Christ on the cross, in which Jesus is both Priest and Victim. The Church has
defined this truth in these words: “If anyone says that in the Mass a true and pro-
per sacrifice is not offered to God, or that to be offered is nothing else but that
Christ is given us to eat, let him be anathema” (Council of Trent, “De S. Missae
sacrificio”, chap. 1, can. 1).

These words pronounced over the chalice must have been very revealing for the
apostles, because they show that the sacrifices of the Old Covenant were in fact
a preparation for and anticipation of Christ’s sacrifice. The apostles were able to
grasp that the Covenant of Sinai and the various sacrifices of the temple were
merely an imperfect pre-figurement of the definitive sacrifice and definitive Cove-
nant, which would take place on the cross and which they were anticipating in
this Supper.

A clear explanation of the sacrificial character of the Eucharist can be found in
the inspired text in chapters 8 and 9 of the Letter to the Hebrews. Similarly, the
best preparation for understanding the real presence and the Eucharist as food
for the soul is a reading of chapter 6 of the Gospel of St John.

At the Last Supper, then, Christ already offered himself voluntarily to his Father
as a victim to be sacrificed. The Supper and the Mass constitute with the cross
one and the same unique and perfect sacrifice, for in all these cases the victim
offered is the same — Christ; and the priest is the same — Christ. The only differ-
ence is that the Supper, which takes place prior to the cross, anticipates the
Lord’s death in an unbloody way and offers a victim soon to be immolated; where-
as the Mass offers, also in an unbloody manner, the victim already immolated on
the cross, a victim who exists forever in heaven.

25. After instituting the Holy Eucharist, our Lord extends the Last Supper in inti-
mate conversation with his disciples, speaking to them once more about his im-
minent death (cf. Jn, chaps. 13-17). His farewell saddens the apostles, but he
promises that the day will come when he will meet with them again, when the
Kingdom of God will have come in all its fullness: he is referring to the beatific life
in heaven, so often compared to a banquet. Then there will be no need of earthly
food or drink; instead there will be a new wine (cf. Is 25:6). Definitively, after the
resurrection, the apostles and all the saints will be able to share the delight of
being with Jesus.

The fact that St Mark brings in these words after the institution of the Eucharist
indicates in some way that the Eucharist is an anticipation here on earth of pos-
session of God in eternal blessedness, where God will be everything to everyone
(cf. 1 Cor 15:28). “At the Last Supper,” Vatican II teaches, “on the night he was
betrayed, our Saviour instituted the eucharistic sacrifice of his body and blood.
This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the ages
until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church,
a memorial of his death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a
bond of charity, a paschal banquet in which Christ is consumed, the mind is
filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us” (”Sacrosanctum
Concilium”, 47).

26. “When they had sung a hymn”: it was a custom at the passover meal to re-
cite prayers, called “Hallel”, which included Psalms 113 to 118; the last part
was recited at the end of the meal.

30-31. Only St Mark gives us the exact detail of the two cockcrows (v. 30), and
Peter’s insistence that he would never betray Jesus (v. 31). This is another sign
of the connexion between St Mark’s Gospel and St Peter’s preaching; only Peter,
full of contrition and humility, would so deliberately tell the first Christians about
these episodes in which his presumption and failures contrasted with Jesus’ me-
rcy and understanding. The other evangelists, surely out of respect for the figure
of Peter, pass over these incidents more quickly.

This account shows us that our Lord takes into account the weaknesses of those
whom he calls to follow him and be his apostles. Peter is too self-confident; very
soon he will deny him. Jesus knows this well and, in spite of everything, chooses
him as head of the Church. “They [the disciples] remain just like that until they
are filled with the Holy Spirit and thus become pillars of the Church. They are or-
dinary men, complete with defects and shortcomings, more eager to say than to
do. Nevertheless, Jesus calls them to be fishers of men, co-redeemers, dispen-
sers of the grace of God. Something similar has happened to us. . . . But I also
realize that human logic cannot possibly explain the world of grace. God usually
seeks out deficient instruments so that the work can more clearly be seen to be
his” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By”, 2 and 3).

32-42. The very human way Jesus approaches his passion and death is notewor-
thy. He feels everything any man would feel in those circumstances. “He takes
with him only the three disciples who had seen his glorification on Mount Tabor,
that these who saw his power should also see his sorrow and learn from that sor-
row that he was truly man. And, because he assumed human nature in its entire-
ty, he assumed the properties of man — fear, strength, natural sorrow; for it is na-
tural that men approach death unwillingly” (Theophylact, “Enarratio in Evange-
lium Marci”, in loc.).

Jesus’ prayer in the garden shows us, as nothing else in the Gospel does, that
he prayed the prayer of petition — not only for others, but also for himself. For, in
the unity of his Person there were two natures, one human and one divine; and,
since his human will was not omnipotent, it was appropriate for Christ to ask the
Father to strengthen that will (cf. St Thomas Aquinas, “Summa theologiae”, III,
q. 21, a. 1).

Once more, Jesus prays with a deep sense of his divine sonship (cf. Mt 11:25;
Lk 23:46; Jn 17: 1). Only St Mark retains in the original language his filial excla-
mation to the Father: “Abba”, which is how children intimately addressed their
parents. Every Christian should have a similar filial trust, especially when pray-
ing. At this moment of climax, Jesus turns from his private dialogue with his
Father to ask his disciples to pray so as not to fall into temptation. It should be
noted that the evangelists, inspired by the Holy Spirit, give us both Jesus’ prayer
and his commandment to us to pray. This is not a passing anecdote, but an epi-
sode which is a model of how Christians should act: prayer is indispensable for
staying faithful to God. Anyone who does not pray should be under no illusions
about being able to cope with the temptations of the devil: “If our Lord had said
only “watch”, we might expect that our own power would be sufficient, but when
he adds “pray”, he shows that “if he keeps not” our souls in time of temptation,
in vain shall they watch who keep them (cf. Ps 127:1)” (St Francis de Sales,
“Treatise on the Love of God”, book 11, chap. 1).

34. “But when he had gone on a little way, he suddenly felt such a sharp and bit-
ter attack of sadness, grief, fear, and weariness that he immediately uttered, e-
ven in their presence, those anguished words which gave expression to his over-
burdened feelings: ‘My soul is sad unto death.’ For a huge mass of troubles took
possession of the tender and gentle body of our most holy Saviour. He knew that
his ordeal was now imminent and just about to overtake him: the treacherous be-
trayer, the bitter enemies, binding ropes, false accusations, slanders, blows,
thorns, nails, the cross, and horrible tortures stretched out over many hours. O-
ver and above these, he was tormented by the thought of his disciples’ terror, the
loss of the Jews, even the destruction of the very man who so disloyally betrayed
him, and finally the ineffable grief of his beloved Mother. The gathered storm of all
these evils rushed into his most gentle heart and flooded it like the ocean sweep-
ing through broken dikes” (St Thomas More, “De tristitia Christi”, in loc.).

35. “Therefore, since he foresaw that there would be many people of such a deli-
cate constitution that they would be convulsed with tenor at any danger of being
tortured, he chose to enhearten them by the example of his own sorrow, his own
sadness, his own weariness and unequalled fear, lest they should be so dishear-
tened as they compare their own fearful state of mind with the boldness of the
bravest martyrs that they would yield freely what they fear will be won from them
by force. To such a person as this, Christ wanted his own deed to speak out (as
it were) with his own living voice: ‘O faint of heart, take courage and do not des-
pair. You are afraid, you are sad, you are stricken with weariness and dread of
the torment with which you have been cruelly threatened. Trust me; I conquered
the world, and yet I suffered immeasurably more from fear; I was sadder, more af-
flicted with weariness, more horrified at the prospect of such cruel suffering dra-
wing eagerly nearer and nearer. Let the brave man have his high-spirited martyrs,
let him rejoice in imitating a thousand of them. But you, my timorous and feeble
little sheep, be content to have me alone as your shepherd; follow my leadership.
If you do not trust yourself, place your trust in me. See, I am walking ahead of
you along this fearful road. Take hold of the border of my garment and you will
feel going out from it a power which will stay your heart’s blood from issuing in
vain fears, and will make your mind more cheerful, especially when you remem-
ber that you are following closely in my footsteps (and I am to be trusted and will
not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear, but I will give together
with the temptation a way out that you may be able to endure it) and likewise
when you remember that this light and momentary burden of tribulation will pre-
pare for you a weight of glory which is beyond all measure. For the sufferings of
this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come which will be re-
vealed in you. As you reflect on such things, take heart, and use the sign of my
cross to drive away this dread, this sadness, and weariness like vain specters
of the darkness. Advance successfully and press through all obstacles, firmly
confident that I will champion your cause until you are victorious and then in turn
will reward you with the laurel crown of victory’” (ibid.).

36. “Jesus prays in the garden. “Pater mi” (Mt 26:39), “Abba Pater!” (Mk 14:36).
God is my Father, even though he may send me suffering. He loves me tenderly,
even while wounding me. Jesus suffers, to fulfil the Will of the Father. . . . And I,
who also wish to fulfil the most holy Will of God, following the footsteps of the
Master, can I complain if I too meet suffering as my traveling companion?

“It will be a sure sign of my sonship, because God is treating me as he treated
his own divine Son. Then I, just as he did, will be able to groan and weep alone
in my Gethsemane; but, as I lie prostrate on the ground, acknowledging my no-
thingness, there will rise up to the Lord a cry from the depths of my soul: ‘Pater
mi, Abba, Pater, . . . fiat!’” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way of the Cross”, I, 1).

41-42. “See now, when Christ comes back to his apostles for the third time,
there they are, buried in sleep, though he commanded them to bear up with him
and to stay awake and pray because of the impending danger; but Judas the trai-
tor at the same time was so wide awake and intent on betraying the Lord that the
very idea of sleep never entered his mind.

“Does not this contrast between the traitor and the apostles present to us a clear
and sharp minor image (as it were), a sad and terrible view of what has happened
through the ages from those times even to our own? [. . .] For very many are slee-
py and apathetic in sowing virtues among the people and maintaining the truth,
while the enemies of Christ in order to sow vices and uproot the faith (that is, in-
sofar as they can, to seize Christ and cruelly crucify him once again) are wide
awake — so much wiser (as Christ says) are the sons of darkness in their gene-
ration than the sons of light (cf Lk 16:8)” (St Thomas More, “De tristitia Christi”,
in loc.).

43-50. The Gospel reports the arrest of our Lord in a matter-of-fact sort of way.
Jesus, who was expecting it, offered no resistance, thereby fulfilling the prophe-
cies about him in the Old Testament, particularly this passage of the poem of the
Servant of Yahweh in the Book of Isaiah: “like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth
. . . because he poured out his soul to death . . .” (Is 53:7 and 12). Dejected on-
ly moments earlier at the beginning of his prayer in Gethsemane Jesus now rises
up strengthened to face his passion. These mysteries of our Lord, true God and
true man, are truly impressive.

51-52. This detail about the young man in the linen cloth is found only in St Mark.
Most interpreters see in it a discreet allusion to Mark himself. It is probable that
the Garden of Olives belonged to Mark’s family, which would explain the pres-
ence there at night-time of the boy, who would have been awakened suddenly
by the noise of the crowd.

“One sees rich men — less often, it is true, than I would like — but still, thank
God, one sometimes sees exceedingly rich men who would rather lose every-
thing they have than keep anything at all by offending God through sin. These
men have many clothes, but they are not tightly confined by them, so that when
they need to run away from danger, they escape easily by throwing off their
clothes. On the other hand we see people — and far more of them than I would
wish — who happen to have only light garments and quite skimpy outfits and yet
have so welded their affections to those poor riches of theirs that you could soo-
ner strip skin from flesh than separate them from their goods. Such a person
had better get going while there is still time. For once someone gets hold of his
clothes, he will sooner die than leave his linen cloth behind. In summary, then,
we learn from the example of this young man that we should always be pre-
pared for troubles that arise suddenly, dangers that strike without warning and
might make it necessary for us to run away; to be prepared, we ought not be so
loaded with various garments, or so buttoned up in even one, that in an emergen-
cy we are unable to throw away our linen cloth and escape naked” (St Thomas
More, “De tristitia Christi”, in loc.).

53-65. This meeting of the Sanhedrin in the house of the high priest was quite ir-
regular. The normal thing was for it to meet during the daytime and in the temple.
Everything suggests that the rulers arranged this session secretly, probably to
avoid opposition from the people, which would have thwarted their plans. The di-
rect intervention of the high priest and the ill-treatment of the prisoner before sen-
tence were also illegal. The Jewish authorities had for some time past been of a
mind to do away with Jesus (cf., e.g., Mk 12:12; Jn 7:30; 11:45-50). Now all they
are trying to do is give their actions an appearance of legality — that is, looking
for concurring witnesses to accuse him of capital crimes. Because they do not
manage to do this, the chief priest goes right to the key issue: was Jesus the
Messiah, yes or no? Jesus’ affirmative answer is regarded as blasphemy. Ap-
pearances are saved; they can now condemn him to death and ask the Roman
procurator to ratify the sentence (cf. the note on Mt 27:2). Despite the irregulari-
ties and even though not all the members of the Sanhedrin were present, the sig-
nificance of this session lies in the fact that the Jewish authorities, the official re-
presentatives of the chosen people, reject Jesus as Messiah and condemn him
to death.

57-59. From the Gospel of St John (2:19) we know the words of Jesus which
gave rise to this accusation: “Destroy the temple, and in three days I will raise it
up.” Now they accuse him of having said three things: that he is going to destroy
the temple; that the temple of Jerusalem is the work of human hands, not some-
thing divine; and that in three days he will raise up another one, not made by
hands of men. As can be seen, this is not what our Lord said. First they change
his words: Jesus did not say he was going to destroy the temple; and, secondly,
they apply what he said to the temple of Jerusalem, not understanding that Je-
sus was speaking about his own body, as is made plain in St John (2:21-22). Af-
ter the Resurrection, the apostles understood the depth of Jesus’ words (Jn 2:22):
the temple of Jerusalem, where God’s presence was manifested in a special way
and where he was offered due worship, was but a sign, a prefiguring of the huma-
nity of Christ, in which the fullness of divinity, God, dwelt (cf. Col 2:9).

The same accusation is made at the martyrdom of St Stephen: “We have heard
him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place, and will change the
customs which Moses delivered to us” (Acts 6:14). In fact, St Stephen knew that
the true temple was no longer that of Jerusalem but Jesus Christ; but once again
they misinterpreted his meaning and accused him as they had our Lord.

61. As at other points during his passion, Jesus kept completely silent. He ap-
peared defenseless before the false accusations of his enemies. “God our Sa-
viour,” St Jerome says, “who has redeemed the world out of mercy, lets himself
be led to death like a lamb, not saying a word; he does not complain, he makes
no effort to defend himself. Jesus’ silence obtains forgiveness for Adam’s protest
and excuse” (”Comm. on Mark”, in loc.). This silence is another motive and en-
couragement to us to be silent at times in the face of calumny or criticism. “In
quietness and in trust shall be your strength,” says the prophet Isaiah (30:15).

“’Jesus remained silent, “Jesus autem tacebat.”’ Why do you speak, to console
yourself, or to excuse yourself?

“Say nothing. Seek joy in contempt: you will always receive less than you de-
serve.

“Can you, by any chance, ask: ‘Quid enim malifeci’, what evil have I done?’” (St.
J. Escriva, “The Way”, 671).

61-64. The high priest was undoubtedly trying to corner Jesus: if he replied that
he was not the Christ, it would be equivalent to his contradicting everything he
had said and done; if he answered yes, it would be interpreted as blasphemy,
as we shall see later. Strictly speaking it was not blasphemy to call oneself the
Messiah, or to say one was the Son of God, taking that phrase in a broad sense.
Jesus’ reply not only bore witness to his being the Messiah; it also showed the
divine transcendence of his messianism, by applying to him the prophecy of the
Son of man in Daniel (7:13-14). By making this confession, Jesus’ reply opened
the way for the high priest to make his theatrical gesture: he took it as a mocke-
ry of God and as blasphemy that this handcuffed man could be the transcendent
figure of the Son of man. At this solemn moment Jesus defines himself by using
the strongest of all the biblical expressions his hearers could understand — that
which most clearly manifested his divinity. We might point out that had Jesus
said simply “I am God” they would have thought it simply absurd and would have
regarded him as mad: in which case he would not have borne solemn witness to
his divinity before the authorities of the Jewish people.

63. The rending of garments was a custom in Israel to express indignation and
protest against sacrilege and blasphemy. The rabbis had specified exactly how
it should be done. Only a kind of seam was torn, to prevent the fabric being dam-
aged. With this tragi-comic gesture Caiaphas brings the trial to an end, cleverly
sabotaging any later procedure that might favour the prisoner and show up the
truth.

64. Through Luke 23:51 and John 7:25-33 we know that not all the members of
the Sanhedrin condemned Jesus, for Joseph of Arimathea did not consent in this
act of deicide. It maybe supposed, therefore, that they were not present at this
meeting of the council, either because they had not been summoned or because
they absented themselves.

66-72. Although the accounts given by the three Synoptic Gospels are very alike,
St Mark’s narrative does have its own characteristics: the sacred text gives little
details which add a touch of colour. He says that Peter was “below” (v. 66),
which shows that the council session was held in an upstairs room; he also men-
tions the two cockcrows (v. 72), in a way consistent with our Lord’s prophecy de-
scribed in v. 30. On the theological and ascetical implications of this passage,
see the note on Mt 26:70-75.

Chapter 15

1. At daybreak the Sanhedrin holds another meeting to work out how to get Pi-
late to ratify the death sentence. And then Christ is immediately brought before
Pilate. It is not known for certain where the governor was residing during these
days. It was either in Herod’s palace, built on the western hill of the city, south
of the Jaffa Gate, or the Antonia fortress, which was on the north-east of the tem-
ple esplanade. It is more than likely that, for the Passover, Pilate lived in the for-
tress. From there he could have a full view of the whole outside area of the tem-
ple, where unrest and riots were most likely to occur. In the centre of this impres-
sive building there was a perfectly paved courtyard of about 2,500 square meters
(approximately half an acre). This may well have been the yard where Pilate
judged our Lord and which St John (19:13) called The Pavement (”Lithostrotos”,
in Greek). Philo, Josephus and other historians depict Pilate as having the de-
fects of the worst type of Roman governor. The evangelists emphasize his co-
wardice and his sycophancy bordering on wickedness.

2. Jesus’ reply, as given in St Mark, can be interpreted in two ways. It may mean:
You say that l am king; I say nothing; or else: I am a king. The second interpreta-
tion is the more common and logical, since in other Gospel passages he affirms
his kingship quite categorically (cf. Mt 27:37 and par.; in 18:36-38). In St John’s
Gospel (18:33-38) Jesus tells Pilate that he is a King and explains the special
nature of his kingship: his Kingdom is not of this world; it transcends this world
(cf. the note on Jn 18:35-37).

3-5. On three occasions the evangelists specify that Jesus remained silent in
the face of these unjust accusations: before the Sanhedrin (14:61); here, before
Pilate; and later on, before Herod (Lk 23:9). From the Gospel of St John we know
that our Lord did say other things during this trial. St Mark says that he made no
further reply, since he is referring only to the accusations made against our Lord:
being false, they deserved no reply. Besides, any attempt at defense was futile,
since they had decided in advance that he should die. Nor did Pilate need any
further answer, since he was more concerned to please the Jewish authorities
than, correctly, to find Jesus innocent.

6-15. Instead of simply coming to the rescue of this innocent prisoner, as was
his duty and as his conscience advised him, Pilate wants to avoid a confronta-
tion with the Sanhedrin; so he tries to deal with the people and have them set Je-
sus free. Since it was customary to release a prisoner of the people’s choice to
celebrate the Passover, Pilate offers them the chance of selecting Jesus. The
priests, seeing through this maneuver, incite the crowd to ask for Barabbas. This
was not difficult to do, since many felt disillusioned about Jesus because he had
not set them free of the foreign yoke. Pilate could not oppose their choice; and
so it became even more difficult for him to give a just decision. All he can do now
is appeal to the people on behalf of ‘the King of the Jews”. The humble and help-
less appearance of Jesus exasperates the crowd: this is not the sort of king they
want, and they ask for his crucifixion.

In the course of the trial Pilate was threatened with being reported to the emperor
if he interfered in this affair (cf. Jn 19:12); he now accedes to their shouting and
signs the warrant for death by crucifixion, to protect his political career.

15. Scourging, like crucifixion, was a degrading form of punishment applied only
to slaves. The whip or flagellum used to punish serious crimes was strengthened
with small sharp pieces of metal at the end of the thongs, which had the effect of
tearing the flesh and even fracturing bones. Scourging often caused death. The
condemned person was tied to a post to prevent him collapsing. People con-
demned to crucifixion were scourged beforehand.

These sufferings of Jesus have a redemptive value. In other passages of the Gos-
pel our Lord made carrying the cross a condition of following him. Through self-
denial a Christian associates himself with Christ’s passion and plays a part in
the work of redemption (cf. Col 1:24).

“Bound to the pillar. Covered with wounds. The blows of the lash sound upon his
torn flesh, upon his undefiled flesh, which suffers for your sinful flesh. More blows.
More fury. Still more . . . It is the last extreme of human cruelty.

“Finally, exhausted, they untie Jesus. And the body of Christ yields to pain and
falls limp, broken and half dead.

“You and I cannot speak. Words are not needed. Look at him, look at him . . .
slowly.

“After this . . . can you ever fear penance?” (St. J. Escriva, “Holy Rosary”, sec-
ond sorrowful mystery).

16-19. The soldiers make Jesus object of mockery; they accuse him pretending
to be a king, and crown him and dress him up as one.

The image of the suffering Jesus scourged and crowned with thorns, with a reed
in his hands and an old purple cloak around his shoulders, has become a vivid
symbol of human pain, under the title of the “Ecce homo”.

But, as St Jerome teaches, “his ignominy has blotted out ours, his bonds have
set us free, his crown of thorns has won for us the crown of the Kingdom,
wounds have cured us” (”Comm. in Marcum”, in loc.).

“You and I . . . , haven’t we crowned him anew with thorns and struck him and
spat on him?” (St. J. Escriva, “Holy Rosary”, third sorrowful mystery).

21. “Jesus is exhausted. His footsteps become more and more unsteady, and
the soldiers are in a hurry to he finished. So, when they are going out of the city
through the Judgment Gate, they take hold of a man who was coming in from a
farm, a man called Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, and
they force him to carry the Cross of Jesus (cf. Mk 15:21).

“In the whole context of the Passion, this help does not add up to very much.
But for Jesus, a smile, a word, a gesture, a little bit of love is enough for him to
pour out his grace bountifully on the soul of his friend. Years later, Simon’s sons,
Christians by then, will be known and held in high esteem among their brothers
in the faith. And it all started with this unexpected meeting with the Cross.

“’I went to those who were not looking for me; I was found by those who sought
me not (Is 65:1)’”.

“At times the Cross appears without our looking for it: it is Christ who is seeking
us out. And if by chance, before this unexpected Cross which, perhaps, is there-
fore more difficult to understand, your heart were to show repugnance . . . don’t
give it consolations. And, filled with a noble compassion, when it asks for them,
say to it slowly, as one speaking in confidence: ‘Heart: Heart on the Cross!
Heart on the Cross!’” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way of the Cross”, V).

St Mark stops for a moment to say who this Simon was: he was the father of
Alexander and Rufus. It appears that Rufus, years later, moved with his mother
to Rome; St Paul sent them affectionate greetings in his Letter to the Romans
(16:13). It seems reasonable to imagine that Simon first felt victimized at being
forced to do such unpleasant work, but contact with the Holy Cross — the altar
on which the divine Victim was going to be sacrificed — and the sight of the suf-
fering and death of Jesus, must have touched his heart; and the Cyrenean, who
was at first indifferent, left Calvary a faithful disciple of Christ: Jesus had amply
rewarded him. How often it happens that divine providence, through some mis-
hap, places us face to face with suffering and brings about in us a deeper con-
version.

When reading this passage, we might reflect that, although our Lord has rescued
us voluntarily, and although his merits are infinite, he does seek our cooperation.
Christ bears the burden of the cross, but we have to help him carry it by accep-
ting all the difficulties and contradictions with which divine providence presents
us. In this way we grow in holiness, at the same time atoning for our faults and
sins.

From the Gospel of St John (19:17) we know that Jesus bore the cross on his
shoulders. In Christ burdened by the cross St Jerome sees, among other mean-
ings, the fulfillment of the figure of Abel, the innocent victim, and particularly of
Isaac (cf. Gen 22:6), who carried the wood for his own sacrifice (cf. St Jerome,
“Comm. in Marcum”, in loc.). Later, weakened from the scourging, Jesus can go
no further on his own, which is why they compel this man from Cyrene to carry
the cross.

“If anyone would follow me . . . Little friend, we are sad, living the Passion of our
Lord Jesus. See how lovingly he embraces the Cross. Learn from him. Jesus
carries the Cross for you: you . . . carry it for Jesus.

“But don’t drag the Cross . . . . Carry it squarely on your shoulder, because the
Cross, if you carry it like that, will not be just any Cross. . . . It will be the Holy
Cross. Don’t carry your Cross with resignation: resignation is not a generous
word. Love the Cross. When you really love it, your Cross will be . . . a Cross
without a Cross. And surely you will find Mary on the way, just as Jesus did”
(St. J. Escriva, “Holy Rosary”, fourth sorrowful mystery).

22. There is no doubt about where this place was: it was a small, bare hill, at
that time outside the city, right beside a busy main road.

23. Following the advice of Proverbs (31:6), the Jews used to offer dying crimi-
nals wine mixed with myrrh or incense to drug them and thus alleviate their
suffering.

Jesus tastes it (according to Mt 27:34), but he does not drink it. He wishes to re-
main conscious to the last moment and to keep offering the chalice of the Pas-
sion, which he accepted at the Incarnation (Heb 10:9) and did not refuse in Geth-
semane. St Augustine (”On the Psalms”, 21:2 and 8) explains that our Lord wan-
ted to suffer to the very end in order to purchase our redemption at a high price
(cf. 1 Cor 6:20).

Faithful souls have also experienced this generosity of Christ in embracing pain:
“Let us drink to the last drop the chalice of pain in this poor present life. What
does it matter to suffer for ten years, twenty, fifty . . . if afterwards there is hea-
ven for ever, for ever. . . for ever?

“And, above all rather than because of the reward, ‘propter retributionem’ what
does suffering matter if we suffer to console, to please God our Lord, in a spirit
of reparation, united to him on his cross; in a word: if we suffer for Love? (St. J.
Escriva, “The Way”, 182).

24-28. Crucifixion, as well as being the most degrading of punishments, was also
the most painful. By condemning him to death, Jesus’ enemies try to achieve the
maximum contrast with his triumphant entry into Jerusalem some days previous-
ly. Usually, the bodies of people crucified were left on the gibbet for some days
as a warning to people. In the case of Christ they also sought death by crucifi-
xion as the most convincing proof that he was not the Messiah.

Crucifixion took various forms. The usual one, and perhaps the one applied to Je-
sus, consisted of first erecting the upright beam and then positioning the cross-
beam with the prisoner nailed to it by his hands; and finally nailing his feet to the
lower part of the upright.

According to St John’s Gospel (19:23-25) the seamless tunic — that is, woven in
a piece — was wagered for separately from the rest of his clothes, which were di-
vided into four lots, one for each soldier. The words of this verse reproduce those
of Psalm 22:18. Any Jew versed in the Scriptures reading this passage would
immediately see in it the fulfillment of a prophecy. St John expressly notes it (cf.
19:24). St Mark, without losing the thread of his account of the Passion, implicit-
ly argues that Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah, for in him this prophecy is
fulfilled.

Looking at Jesus on the cross, it is appropriate to recall that God “decreed that
man should be saved through the wood of the Cross. The tree of man’s defeat be-
came his tree of victory; where life was lost, there life has been restored” (”Ro-
man Missal”, Preface of the Holy Cross).

25. “The third hour”: between nine o’clock and noon. St Mark is the only evange-
list who specifies the time at which our Lord was nailed to the cross. For the re-
lationship between our clock and the Jewish system in that period, see the note
on Mt 20:3.

26. This inscription was usually put in a prominent place so that everyone could
see what the prisoner was guilty of. Pilate ordered them to write “Jesus the Naz-
arene, King of the Jews,” in Latin, Greek and Hebrew; St Mark summarizes the
inscription.

Motivated by malice, these Jews accuse Jesus of a political crime, when all his
life and preaching left it quite clear that his mission was not political but super-
natural. On the meaning of the inscription over the cross and the circumstances
surrounding it, see John 19:19-22 and note.

27. Jesus is thus put to further shame; his disciples will also experience the hu-
miliation of being treated like common criminals.

But in the case of Jesus this was providential, for it fulfilled the Scripture which
prophesies that he would be counted among the evildoers. The Vulgate, follo-
wing some Greek codices, adds: “And the scripture was fulfilled which says,
‘He was reckoned with the transgressors’” (v. 28; cf. Lk 22:37). “Positioned be-
tween the evildoers,” St Jerome teaches, “the Truth places one on his left and
one on his right, as will be the case on the day of judgment. So we see how dis-
tinct the end of similar sinners can be. One precedes Peter into Paradise, the
other enters hell before Judas: a brief confession brings eternal life, a momenta-
ry blasphemy is punished with eternal death” (”Comm. in Marcum”, in loc.).

The Christian people have from early on given various names to these thieves.
The most common in the West is Dismas for the good thief and Gestas for the
bad thief.

29-32. Christ’s suffering did not finish with the crucifixion: there now follows a
form of mockery worse (if possible) than the crowning with thorns. He is mocked
by passers-by, by the priests chanting insults with the scribes, and even by the
two crucified thieves (cf., however, the clarification in Lk 23:39-43). They com-
bine to reproach him for his weakness, as if his miracles had been deceptions,
and incite him to manifest his power.

The fact that they ask him to work a miracle does not indicate that they have any
desire to believe in him. For faith is a gift from God which only those receive who
have a simple heart. “You ask for very little,” St Jerome upbraids the Jews, “when
the greatest event in history is taking place before your very eyes. Your blindness
cannot be cured even by much greater miracles than those you call for” (”Comm.
on Mark”, in loc.).

Precisely because he was the Messiah and the Son of God he did not get down
from the cross; in great pain, he completed the work his Father had entrusted to
him. Christ teaches us that suffering is our best and richest treasure. Our Lord
did not win victory from a throne or with a sceptre in his hand, but by opening his
arms on the cross. A Christian, who, like any other person, will experience pain
and sorrow during his life, should not flee it or rebel against it, but offer it to God,
as his Master did.

33. The evangelist reports this as a miraculous phenomenon signaling the magni-
tude of the crime of deicide which was taking place. The phrase “over the whole
land” means over all the immediate horizon, without specifying its limits. The nor-
mal interpretation of the meaning of this event is dual and complementary; Origen
(In “Matth. comm.”, 143) sees it as an expression of the spiritual darkness which
overtook the Jewish people as a punishment for having rejected — crucified — him
who is the true light (cf. Jn 1:4-9). St Jerome (”Comm. on Matthew”, in loc.) ex-
plains the darkness as expressing, rather, the mourning of the universe at the
death of its Creator, nature’s protest against the unjust killing of its Lord (cf.
Rom 8:19-22).

These words, spoken in Aramaic, are the start of Psalm 22, the prayer of the
just man who, hunted and cornered, feels utterly alone, like “a worm, and no
man; scorned by men and despised by the people” (v. 7). From this abyss of mi-
sery and total abandonment, the just man has recourse to Yahweh: “My God,
my God, why art thou so far from helping me. . . . Since my mother bore me thou
has been my God. . . . But thou, O Lord, be not far off! O thou my help, hasten to
my aid!” (vv. 2, 10 and 19). Thus, far from expressing a moment of despair, these
words of Christ reveal his complete trust in his heavenly Father, the only one on
whom he can rely in the midst of suffering, to whom he can complain like a Son
and in whom he abandons himself without reserve: “Father, into thy hands I com-
mit my spirit” (Lk 23:46; Ps 31:5).

One of the most painful situations a person can experience is to feel alone in
the face of misunderstanding and persecution on all sides, to feel completely in-
secure and afraid. God permits these tests to happen so that, experiencing our
own smallness and world-weariness, we place all our trust in him who draws
good from evil for those who love him (cf. Rom 8:28).

“So much do I love Christ on the Cross that every crucifix is like a loving reproach
from my God: ‘. . . I suffering, and you . . . a coward. I loving you, and you forget-
ting me. I begging you, and you . . . denying me. I, here, with arms wide open as
an Eternal Priest, suffering all that can be suffered for love of you . . . and you
complain at the slightest misunderstanding, over the tiniest humiliation . . .’” (St.
J. Escriva, “The Way of the Cross”, XI, 2).

35-36. The soldiers near the cross, on hearing our Lord speak, may have thought,
wrongly, that he was calling on Elijah for help. However, it seems it is the Jews
themselves who, twisting our Lord’s words, find another excuse for jeering at him.
There was a belief that Elijah would come to herald the Messiah, which is why
they used these words to continue to ridicule Christ on the cross.

37. The evangelist recalls it very succinctly: “Jesus uttered a loud cry, and
breathed his last.’ It is as if he did not dare make any comment, leaving it to the
reader to pause and meditate. Although the death of Christ is a tremendous mys-
tery, we must insist: Jesus Christ died; it was a real, not an apparent, death; nor
should we forget that our sin was what caused our Lord’s death. “The abyss of
malice, which sin opens wide, has been bridged by his infinite charity. God does
not abandon men. His plans foresee that the sacrifices of the Old Law were insuf-
ficient to repair our faults and re-establish the unity which has been lost: a man
who was God must offer himself up. To help us grasp in some measure this un-
fathomable mystery, we might imagine the Blessed Trinity taking counsel toge-
ther in its uninterrupted intimate relationship of infinite love. As a result of its eter-
nal decision, the only-begotten Son of God the Father takes on our human condi-
tion and bears the burden of our wretchedness and sorrows, to end up sewn with
nails to a piece of wood. Let us meditate on our Lord, wounded from head to
foot out of love for us” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ is Passing By”, 95).

“. . . Now it is all over. The work of our Redemption has been accomplished. We
are now children of God, because Jesus has died for us and his death has ran-
somed us.

“Empti enim estis pretio magno! (1 Cor 6:20), you and I have been bought at a
great price.

“We must bring into our lives, to make them our own, the life and death of Christ.
We must die through mortification and penance, so that Christ may live in us
through Love. And then follow in the footsteps of Christ, with a zeal to co-redeem
all mankind.

“We must give our lives for others. That is the only way to live the life of Jesus
Christ and to become one and the same thing with him” (St. J. Escriva, “The
Way of the Cross, XIV).

38. The strictly sacred precinct of the temple of Jerusalem had two parts: the
first, called “the Holy Place,” where only priests could enter for specific liturgical
functions; the second, called “the Holy of Holies” (”Sancta Sanctorum”). This
was the most sacred room where once the Ark of the Covenant stood, containing
the tablets of the Law. Above the Ark was the “propitiatory” with figures of two
cherubim. Only once a year did the high priest have access to the Holy of Holies,
on the great Day of Atonement, to perform the rite of purification of the people.
The curtain of the temple was the great curtain which separated the Holy of Ho-
lies from the Holy Place (cf. 1 Kings 6:15f).

The prodigy of the tearing of the curtain of the temple — apparently of no great im-
portance — is full of theological meaning. It signifies dramatically that with Christ’s
death the worship of the Old Covenant has been brought to an end; the temple of
Jerusalem has no longer any raison d’être. The worship pleasing to God — in spi-
rit and truth (cf. in 4:23) — is rendered him through the humanity of Christ, who is
both Priest and Victim.

39. Regarding this passage St Bede says that this miracle of the conversion of
the Roman officer is due to the fact that, on seeing the Lord die in this way, he
could not but recognize his divinity; for no one has the power to surrender his
spirit but he who is the Creator of souls (cf. St Bede, “In Marci Evangelium ex-
positio”, in loc.). Christ, indeed, being God, had the power to surrender his spi-
rit; whereas in the case of other people their spirit is taken from them at the mo-
ment of death. But the Christian has to imitate Christ, also at this supreme mo-
ment: that is, we should accept death peacefully and joyfully. Death is the point
planned by God for us to leave our spirit in his hands; the difference is that Christ
yielded up his spirit when he chose (cf. Jn 10-18), whereas we do so when God
so disposes.

“Don’t be afraid of death. Accept it from now on, generously . . . when God wills
it, where God wills it, as God wills it. Don’t doubt what I say: it will come in the
moment, in the place and in the way that are best: sent by your Father-God.
Welcome be our sister death!” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way”, 739).

43-46. Unlike the apostles, who fled, Joseph of Arimathea, who had not consen-
ted to the decision of the Sanhedrin (cf. Lk 23:51), had the bold and refined piety
of personally taking charge of everything to do with the burial of Jesus. Christ’s
death had not shaken his faith. It is worth noting that he does this immediately
after the debacle of Calvary and before the triumph of the glorious resurrection of
the Lord. His action will be rewarded by his name being written in the Book of
Life and recorded in the Holy Gospel and in the memory of all generations of
Christians. Joseph of Arimathea put himself at the service of Jesus, without ex-
pecting any human recompense and even at personal risk: he ventured his so-
cial position, his own as yet unused tomb, and everything else that was needed.
He will always be a vivid example for every Christian of how one ought to risk
money, position and honour in the service of God.

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

[Salvation]

Scripture readings taken from the Jerusalem Bible, published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd

Mass Readings

This gospel is read at the procession with palms before Mass:

Gospel	Mark 11:1-10 ©

Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord.

When they were approaching Jerusalem, in sight of Bethphage and Bethany, close by the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and said to them, ‘Go off to the village facing you, and as soon as you enter it you will find a tethered colt that no one has yet ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone says to you, “What are you doing?” say, “The Master needs it and will send it back here directly”.’ They went off and found a colt tethered near a door in the open street. As they untied it, some men standing there said, ‘What are you doing, untying that colt?’ They gave the answer Jesus had told them, and the men let them go. Then they took the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on its back, and he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, others greenery which they had cut in the fields. And those who went in front and those who followed were all shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessings on the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest heavens!’

The following are the readings at the Mass itself:

---

First reading	Isaiah 50:4-7 ©

The Lord has given me

a disciple’s tongue.

So that I may know how to reply to the wearied

he provides me with speech.

Each morning he wakes me to hear,

to listen like a disciple.

The Lord has opened my ear.

For my part, I made no resistance,

neither did I turn away.

I offered my back to those who struck me,

my cheeks to those who tore at my beard;

I did not cover my face

against insult and spittle.

The Lord comes to my help,

so that I am untouched by the insults.

So, too, I set my face like flint;

I know I shall not be shamed.

---

Psalm	Psalm 21:8-9,17-20,23-24 ©

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

All who see me deride me.

  They curl their lips, they toss their heads.

‘He trusted in the Lord, let him save him;

  let him release him if this is his friend.’

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

Many dogs have surrounded me,

  a band of the wicked beset me.

They tear holes in my hands and my feet

  I can count every one of my bones.

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

They divide my clothing among them.

  They cast lots for my robe.

O Lord, do not leave me alone,

  my strength, make haste to help me!

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

I will tell of your name to my brethren

  and praise you where they are assembled.

‘You who fear the Lord give him praise;

  all sons of Jacob, give him glory.

  Revere him, Israel’s sons.

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

---

Second reading	Philippians 2:6-11 ©

Jesus Christ’s state was divine,

yet he did not cling

to his equality with God

but emptied himself

to assume the condition of a slave

and became as men are;

and being as all men are,

he was humbler yet,

even to accepting death,

death on a cross.

But God raised him high

and gave him the name

which is above all other names

so that all beings

in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld,

should bend the knee at the name of Jesus

and that every tongue should acclaim

Jesus Christ as Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

---

Gospel Acclamation	Phil2:8-9

Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!

Christ was humbler yet,

even to accepting death, death on a cross.

But God raised him high

and gave him the name which is above all names.

Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!

---

Gospel	Mark 14:1-15:47 ©

It was two days before the Passover and the feast of Unleavened Bread, and the chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to arrest Jesus by some trick and have him put to death. For they said, ‘It must not be during the festivities, or there will be a disturbance among the people.’

  Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper; he was at dinner when a woman came in with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment, pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the ointment on his head. Some who were there said to one another indignantly, ‘Why this waste of ointment? Ointment like this could have been sold for over three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor’; and they were angry with her. But Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone. Why are you upsetting her? What she has done for me is one of the good works. You have the poor with you always, and you can be kind to them whenever you wish, but you will not always have me. She has done what was in her power to do: she has anointed my body beforehand for its burial. I tell you solemnly, wherever throughout all the world the Good News is proclaimed, what she has done will be told also, in remembrance of her.’

  Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, approached the chief priests with an offer to hand Jesus over to them. They were delighted to hear it, and promised to give him money; and he looked for a way of betraying him when the opportunity should occur.

  On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was sacrificed, his disciples said to him, ‘Where do you want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the passover?’ So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, ‘Go into the city and you will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him, and say to the owner of the house which he enters, “The Master says: Where is my dining room in which I can eat the passover with my disciples?” He will show you a large upper room furnished with couches, all prepared. Make the preparations for us there,’ The disciples set out and went to the city and found everything as he had told them, and prepared the Passover.

  When evening came he arrived with the Twelve. And while they were at table eating, Jesus said, ‘I tell you solemnly, one of you is about to betray me, one of you eating with me.’ They were distressed and asked him, one after another, ‘Not I, surely?’ He said to them, ‘It is one of the Twelve, one who is dipping into the same dish with me. Yes, the Son of Man is going to his fate, as the scriptures say he will, but alas for that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! Better for that man if he had never been born!’

  And as they were eating he took some bread, and when he had said the blessing he broke it and gave it to them. ‘Take it,’ he said ‘this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and when he had returned thanks he gave it to them, and all drank from it, and he said to them, ‘This is my blood, the blood of the covenant, which is to be poured out for many. I tell you solemnly, I shall not drink any more wine until the day I drink the new wine in the kingdom of God.’

  After psalms had been sung they left for the Mount of Olives. And Jesus said to them, ‘You will all lose faith, for the scripture says: I shall strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered, however after my resurrection I shall go before you to Galilee.’ Peter said, ‘Even if all lose faith, I will not.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘I tell you solemnly, this day, this very night, before the cock crows twice, you will have disowned me three times.’ But he repeated still more earnestly, ‘If I have to die with you, I will never disown you.’ And they all said the same.

  They came to a small estate called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Stay here while I pray.’ Then he took Peter and James and John with him. And a sudden fear came over him, and great distress. And he said to them, ‘My soul is sorrowful to the point of death. Wait here, and keep awake.’ And going on a little further he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, this hour might pass him by. ‘Abba (Father)!’ he said ‘Everything is possible for you. Take this cup away from me. But let it be as you, not I, would have it.’ He came back and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, ‘Simon, are you asleep? Had you not the strength to keep awake one hour? You should be awake, and praying not to be put to the test. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ Again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. And once more he came back and found them sleeping, their eyes were so heavy; and they could find no answer for him. He came back a third time and said to them, ‘You can sleep on now and take your rest. It is all over. The hour has come. Now the Son of Man is to be betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up! Let us go! My betrayer is close at hand already.’

  Even while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, came up with a number of men armed with swords and clubs, sent by the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. Now the traitor had arranged a signal with them. ‘The one I kiss,’ he had said ‘he is the man. Take him in charge, and see he is well guarded when you lead him away.’ So when the traitor came, he went straight up to Jesus and said, ‘Rabbi!’ and kissed him. The others seized him and took him in charge. Then one of the bystanders drew his sword and struck out at the high priest’s servant, and cut off his ear.

  Then Jesus spoke. ‘Am I a brigand’ he said ‘that you had to set out to capture me with swords and clubs? I was among you teaching in the Temple day after day and you never laid hands on me. But this is to fulfil the scriptures.’ And they all deserted him and ran away. A young man who followed him had nothing on but a linen cloth. They caught hold of him, but he left the cloth in their hands and ran away naked.

  They led Jesus off to the high priest; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes assembled there. Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the high priest’s palace, and was sitting with the attendants warming himself at the fire.

  The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus on which they might pass the death sentence. But they could not find any. Several, indeed, brought false evidence against him, but their evidence was conflicting. Some stood up and submitted this false evidence against him, ‘We heard him say, “I am going to destroy this Temple made by human hands, and in three days build another, not made by human hands.”’ But even on this point their evidence was conflicting. The high priest then stood up before the whole assembly and put this question to Jesus, ‘Have you no answer to that? What is this evidence these men are bringing against you?’ But he was silent and made no answer at all. The high priest put a second question to him, ‘Are you the Christ,’ he said, ‘the Son of the Blessed One?’ ‘I am,’ said Jesus ‘and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.’ The high priest tore his robes, ‘What need of witnesses have we now?’ he said. ‘You heard the blasphemy. What is your finding?’ And they all gave their verdict: he deserved to die.

  Some of them started spitting at him and, blindfolding him, began hitting him with their fists and shouting, ‘Play the prophet!’ And the attendants rained blows on him.

  While Peter was down below in the courtyard, one of the high priest’s servant-girls came up. She saw Peter warming himself there, stared at him and said, ‘You too were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth.’ But he denied it. ‘I do not know, I do not understand, what you are talking about’ he said. And he went out into the forecourt. The servant-girl saw him and again started telling the bystanders, ‘This fellow is one of them.’ But again he denied it. A little later the bystanders themselves said to Peter, ‘You are one of them for sure! Why, you are a Galilean.’ But he started calling down curses on himself and swearing, ‘I do not know the man you speak of.’ At that moment the cock crew for the second time, and Peter recalled how Jesus had said to him, ‘Before the cock crows twice, you will have disowned me three times.’ And he burst into tears.

  First thing in the morning, the chief priests together with the elders and scribes, in short the whole Sanhedrin, had their plan ready. They had Jesus bound and took him away and handed him over to Pilate.

  Pilate questioned him, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ ‘It is you who say it’ he answered. And the chief priests brought many accusations against him. Pilate questioned him again, ‘Have you no reply at all? See how many accusations they are bringing against you!’ But, to Pilate’s amazement, Jesus made no further reply.

  At festival time Pilate used to release a prisoner for them, anyone they asked for. Now a man called Barabbas was then in prison with the rioters who had committed murder during the uprising. When the crowd went up and began to ask Pilate the customary favour, Pilate answered them, ‘Do you want me to release for you the king of the Jews?’ For he realised it was out of jealousy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over. The chief priests, however, had incited the crowd to demand that he should release Barabbas for them instead. Then Pilate spoke again. ‘But in that case,’ he said to them ‘what am I to do with the man you call king of the Jews?’ They shouted back, ‘Crucify him!’ ‘Why?’ Pilate asked them ‘What harm has he done?’ But they shouted all the louder, ‘Crucify him!’ So Pilate, anxious to placate the crowd, released Barabbas for them and, having ordered Jesus to be scourged, handed him over to be crucified.

  The soldiers led him away to the inner part of the palace, that is, the Praetorium, and called the whole cohort together. They dressed him up in purple, twisted some thorns into a crown and put it on him. And they began saluting him, ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’ They struck his head with a reed and spat on him; and they went down on their knees to do him homage. And when they had finished making fun of him, they took off the purple and dressed him in his own clothes.

  They enlisted a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, father of Alexander and Rufus, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross. They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha, which means the place of the skull.

  They offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he refused it. Then they crucified him, and shared out his clothing, casting lots to decide what each should get. It was the third hour when they crucified him. The inscription giving the charge against him read: ‘The King of the Jews.’ And they crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left.

  The passers-by jeered at him; they shook their heads and said, ‘Aha! So you would destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days! Then save yourself: come down from the cross!’ The chief priests and the scribes mocked him among themselves in the same way. ‘He saved others,’ they said ‘he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the king of Israel, come down from the cross now, for us to see it and believe.’ Even those who were crucified with him taunted him.

  When the sixth hour came there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’ which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you deserted me?’ When some of those who stood by heard this, they said, ‘Listen, he is calling on Elijah.’ Someone ran and soaked a sponge in vinegar and, putting it on a reed, gave it him to drink saying; ‘Wait and see if Elijah will come to take him down.’ But Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The centurion, who was standing in front of him, had seen how he had died, and he said, ‘In truth this man was a son of God.’

  There were some women watching from a distance. Among them were Mary of Magdala, Mary who was the mother of James the younger and Joset, and Salome. These used to follow him and look after him when he was in Galilee. And there were many other women there who had come up to Jerusalem with him.

  It was now evening, and since it was Preparation Day (that is, the vigil of the sabbath), there came Joseph of Arimathaea, a prominent member of the Council, who himself lived in the hope of seeing the kingdom of God, and he boldly went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate, astonished that he should have died so soon, summoned the centurion and enquired if he was already dead. Having been assured of this by the centurion, he granted the corpse to Joseph who bought a shroud, took Jesus down from the cross, wrapped him in the shroud and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock. He then rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb. Mary of Magdala and Mary the mother of Joset were watching and took note of where he was laid.

---

Gospel	Mark 15:1-39 ©

First thing in the morning, the chief priests together with the elders and scribes, in short the whole Sanhedrin, had their plan ready. They had Jesus bound and took him away and handed him over to Pilate.

  Pilate questioned him, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ ‘It is you who say it’ he answered. And the chief priests brought many accusations against him. Pilate questioned him again, ‘Have you no reply at all? See how many accusations they are bringing against you!’ But, to Pilate’s amazement, Jesus made no further reply.

  At festival time Pilate used to release a prisoner for them, anyone they asked for. Now a man called Barabbas was then in prison with the rioters who had committed murder during the uprising. When the crowd went up and began to ask Pilate the customary favour, Pilate answered them, ‘Do you want me to release for you the king of the Jews?’ For he realised it was out of jealousy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over. The chief priests, however, had incited the crowd to demand that he should release Barabbas for them instead. Then Pilate spoke again. ‘But in that case,’ he said to them ‘what am I to do with the man you call king of the Jews?’ They shouted back, ‘Crucify him!’ ‘Why?’ Pilate asked them ‘What harm has he done?’ But they shouted all the louder, ‘Crucify him!’ So Pilate, anxious to placate the crowd, released Barabbas for them and, having ordered Jesus to be scourged, handed him over to be crucified.

  The soldiers led him away to the inner part of the palace, that is, the Praetorium, and called the whole cohort together. They dressed him up in purple, twisted some thorns into a crown and put it on him. And they began saluting him, ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’ They struck his head with a reed and spat on him; and they went down on their knees to do him homage. And when they had finished making fun of him, they took off the purple and dressed him in his own clothes.

  They led him out to crucify him. They enlisted a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, father of Alexander and Rufus, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross. They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha, which means the place of the skull.

  They offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he refused it. Then they crucified him, and shared out his clothing, casting lots to decide what each should get. It was the third hour when they crucified him. The inscription giving the charge against him read: ‘The King of the Jews.’ And they crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left.

  The passers-by jeered at him; they shook their heads and said, ‘Aha! So you would destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days! Then save yourself: come down from the cross!’ The chief priests and the scribes mocked him among themselves in the same way. ‘He saved others,’ they said ‘he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the king of Israel, come down from the cross now, for us to see it and believe.’ Even those who were crucified with him taunted him.

  When the sixth hour came there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’ which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you deserted me?’ When some of those who stood by heard this, they said, ‘Listen, he is calling on Elijah.’ Someone ran and soaked a sponge in vinegar and, putting it on a reed, gave it him to drink saying; ‘Wait and see if Elijah will come to take him down.’ But Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The centurion, who was standing in front of him, had seen how he had died, and he said, ‘In truth this man was a son of God.’

[Salvation]

Following the Truth: Lent: Becoming Uncomfortable About Being Comfortable [Catholic and Open]
Following the Truth: Spiritual Exercises – Week One [of Lent] In Review
Clerical Narcissism and Lent
Content of Pope's Lenten spiritual exercises revealed
How Lent Can Make a Difference in Your Relationship with God (Ecumenical Thread)
A Call from the FSSP French District: offer up your Lent for Catholic Unity [Catholic Caucus]
A Call from the FSSP French District: offer up your Lent for Catholic Unity [Catholic Caucus]
On the 40 Days of Lent
Christians Tailor Lent Outside Catholic Traditions
Christians Tailor Lent Outside Catholic Traditions
Lent, A Time to Shoulder Our Christian Responsibilities
Consecrate this Lent to Jesus through Mary, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity [Catholic Caucus]
Opinion: Lent for Baptists [Ekoomenikal]

Ash (or Clean) Monday - Lent Begins (for some Catholics) - February 20, 2012
[Why I Am Catholic]: Lent And Holy Week (A Primer) [Catholic Caucus]
Lent, A Time to Give from the Heart [Catholic caucus}
Learning the beatitudes during Lent -- use your Rosary to learn the Beatitutdes [Catholic Caucus]
Lenten Ember Days: March 16th, 18th, and 19th, 2011 (Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)
St. Vincent Ferrer - Sermon for the First Sunday of Lent [Ecumenical]
Pope describes ‘Lenten road’ that leads to renewal
St. Andrew of Crete, Great Canon of Repentance - Tuesday's portion (Orthodox/Latin Caucus)
The Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete (Monday's portion) [Orth/Cath Caucus]
Penance and Reparation: A Lenten Meditation(Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)
For Lent - Top 10 Bible Verses on Penance
Cana Sunday: Entrance into Great Lent
2011 Catechetical Homily on the opening of Holy and Great Lent
8 Ways to Pray During Lent [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
Baptists, Lent, and the Reformation Rummage Sale
So What Shall We Do during These Forty Days of Lent? [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
Lenten Traditions (Catholic Caucus)
Are You Scrupulous? A Lenten Homily by John Cardinal O’Connor
Blow the Trumpet! Call the Assembly! The Blessings of Fasting
Lenten Challenges

Lent and the Catholic Business Professional (Interview)
Temptations Correspond to Our Vulnerabilities: Biblical Reflection for 1st Sunday of Lent
A Lenten “Weight” Loss Program
On the Lenten Season
Lent 2010: Pierce Thou My Heart, Love Crucified [Catholic Caucus]
US seminarians begin Lenten pilgrimage to Rome's ancient churches
Conversion "is going against the current" of an "illusory way of life"[Pope Benedict XVI for Lent]
vanity] Hope you all make a good Lent [Catholic Caucus]
Lent -- Easter 2010, Reflections, Prayer, Actions Day by Day
Stational Churches (Virtually visit one each day and pray)
40 Ways to Get the Most Out of Lent!
What to Give Up (for Lent)? The List
On the Spiritual Advantages of Fasting [Pope Clement XIII]
Christ's temptation and ours (Reflection for the First Sunday of Lent)
Pope Benedict XVI Message for Lent 2010 (Feb 15 = Ash Monday & Feb 17 = Ash Wednesday)
Whatever happened to (Lenten) obligations? [Prayer, Fasting, Almsgiving]Archbishop John Vlazny
Vatican Presents Lenten Website: LENT 2009
A Scriptural Way of the Cross with Meditations by Saint Alphonsus Liguori (Lenten Prayer/Devotional)
Prayer, Fasting and Mercy by St. Peter Chrysologus, Early Church Father [Catholic Caucus]
History of Lent (Did the Church always have this time before Easter?)

Beginning of Lent
Lent (Catholic Encyclopedia - Caucus Thread)
At Lent, let us pray for the Pope (Muslim converts ask us to pray for the pope)
Daily Lenten Reflections 2009
LENTEN STATIONS [Stational Churches for Lent] (Catholic Caucus)
40 Days for Life campaign is now under way (February 25 - April 5]
This Lent, live as if Jesus Christ is indeed Lord of your life
Reconciliation, forgiveness, hope – and Lent
Intro to Fast and Abstinence 101
Lent: Why the Christian Must Deny Himself (with Scriptural references)
40 Ways to Improve Your Lent
Everything Lent (Lots of links)
The Best Kind of Fasting
Getting Serious About Lent
Lent Overview
Meditations on the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ [Devotional]
On Lent... and Lourdes (Benedict XVI's Angelus address)
Lent for Newbies
Lent -- 2008 -- Come and Pray Each Day
Lent: Why the Christian Must Deny Himself

Lenten Workshop [lots of ideas for all]
Lent and Reality
Forty Days (of Lent) [Devotional/Reflections]
Pope Benedict takes his own advice, plans to go on retreat for Lent
GUIDE FOR LENT - What the Catholic Church Says
Message of His Holiness Benedict XVI for Lent 2008
40 Days for Life: 2008 Campaigns [Lent Registration this week]
Vatican Web Site Focuses on Lent
Almsgiving [Lent]
Conversion Through Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving [Lent]
Lenten Stations -- Stational Churches - visit each with us during Lent {Catholic Caucus}
Something New for Lent: Part I -- Holy Souls Saturdays
Reflections for Lent (February, March and April, 2007)
Lent 2007: The Love Letter Written by Pope Benedict
Pre-Lent through Easter Prayer and Reflections -- 2007
Stations of the Cross [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
For study and reflection during Lent - Mind, Heart, Soul [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
Ash Wednesday and the Lenten Fast-Family observance Lenten season [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
Pre-Lenten Days -- Family activities-Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras)[Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
40 Ways to Get the Most Out of Lent! [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]

Lenten Fasting or Feasting? [Catholic Caucus]
Pope's Message for Lent-2007
THE TRUE NATURE OF FASTING (Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)
The Triduum and 40 Days
The Three Practices of Lent: Praying, Fasting. Almsgiving
Why We Need Lent
MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI FOR LENT 2006
Lent a Time for Renewal, Says Benedict XVI
Why You Should Celebrate Lent
Getting the Most Out of Lent
Lent: A Time to Fast >From Media and Criticism Says President of Pontifical Liturgical Institute
Give it up (making a Lenten sacrifice)
The History of Lent
The Holy Season of Lent -- Fast and Abstinence
The Holy Season of Lent -- The Stations of the Cross
Lent and Fasting
Mardi Gras' Catholic Roots [Shrove Tuesday]
Kids and Holiness: Making Lent Meaningful to Children
Ash Wednesday
All About Lent

[Salvation]

Are You Ready for Palm Sunday? [Ecumenical]
A week with the Lord [Reflections on Passion Sunday and Holy Week]
Celebration of Palm Sunday Of The Passion Of Our Lord; Homily Of His Holiness Benedict XVI
Palm Sunday
HOSANNA (Palm) SUNDAY - Shanini Sunday
In Agony Until the End of the World
Being Catholic: Sacred Things, Palm Branches
Pope Says Youth Sound Have 'Innocent Hands and Pure Hearts' at Palm Sunday Mass

Passion (Palm) Sunday
Pope Opens Holy Week With Palm Sunday Mass
Traditions Related to Palm Sunday
HOMILIES PREACHED BY FATHER ALTIER ON PALM SUNDAY FROM 2001-2005.
Baghdad Christians celebrate Palm Sunday without fear
HOSANNA SUNDAY
Holy Week Starts Today - Hosanna to the King of Kings!
Palm Sunday (In Art)
Palm Sunday (Artistic Representations)
RELIGIOUS HISTORY: On Palm Sunday, the path to Golgotha

[Salvation]

			PRAYERS AFTER HOLY MASS AND COMMUNION Leonine Prayers Complete Prayer to St. Michael Prayer Before the Crucifix Anima Christi Prayer Prayer for Vocations Leonine Prayers Following are the Prayers after Low Mass which were prescribed by Pope Leo XIII who composed the Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel, and were reinforced by Pope Pius XI and Pope Pius XII to pray for the conversion of Russia. These prayers were in effect until after Vatican II. A decade later Paul VI said, "satan has entered the sanctuary." Could the elimination of these powerful prayers with a ten year indulgence have played a huge part in allowing the devil such easy access? The answer is obvious. Below the normal Leonine Prayers is the longer version of the Prayer to St. Michael, composed by His Excellency Pope Leo XIII to defend against The Great Apostasy.

Latin Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum, benedicta tu in mulieribus et benedictus fructis ventris tui, Jesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen. (Said 3 times)     Salve Regina, Mater misericordiae, vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve. Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Evae. Ad te suspiramus gementes et fientes in hac lacrymarum valle. Eia ergo, Advocata nostra, illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte. Et Jesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui, nobis, post hoc exilium, ostende. O clemens, o pia, o dulcis Virgo Maria. Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei Genitrix. Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.     Oremus. Deus, refugium nostrum et virtus, populum ad te clamantem propitius respice; et intercedente gloriosa, et immaculata Virgine Dei Genitrice Maria, cum beato Joseph, ejus Sponso, ac beatis Apostolis tuis Petro et Paulo, et omnibus Sanctis, quas pro conversione peccatorum, pro libertate et exaltatione sanctae Matris Ecclesiae, preces effundimus, misericors et benignus exaudi. Per eundum Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen. Sancte Michael Archangele, defende nos in proelio; contra nequitiam et insidias diaboli esto praesidium. Imperet illi Deus, supplices deprecamur: tuque, Princeps militiae Caelestis, satanam aliosque spiritus malignos, qui ad perditionem animarum pervagantur in mundo, divina virtute in infernum detrude. Amen. Cor Jesu sacratissimum. Miserere nobis. Cor Jesu sacratissimum. Miserere nobis. Cor Jesu sacratissimum. Miserere nobis.			Vernacular    Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. (Said 3 times)    Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee to we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mouring and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this exile, show unto us the blessed Fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.    Let us pray. O God, our refuge and our strength, look down with mercy upon the people who cry to Thee; and by the intercession of the glorious and immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of God, of Saint Joseph her spouse, of the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and of all the saints, in Thy mercy and goodness hear our prayers for the conversion of sinners, and for the liberty and exaltation of the Holy Mother the Church. Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.    Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray: and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have mercy on us. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have mercy on us. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have mercy on us.

---

Complete Prayer to Saint Michael

The following is the longer version of the vital prayer composed by Pope Leo XIII in 1888 after his startling vision as to the future of the Church. This prayer was dedicated for the Feast of St. Michael 1448 years from the date of the election of the first Leo - Pope Saint Leo the Great. Everyone is familiar with the first prayer below which was mandated by His Holiness as part of the Leonine Prayers after Low Mass. After Vatican II, in legion with the devil Giovanni Montini outlawed this necessary prayer and then one wonders how "the smoke of satan" got into the sanctuary? The conciliarists wanted to make sure the words in bold below would never see the light of day again for in it Leo foretold what would happen: The shepherd would be struck, the sheep scattered. Below are both the short and longer versions of this poignant prayer which should never be forgotten.

    Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray, and do thou, O heavenly hosts, by the power of God, thrust into hell satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.

O glorious Archangel Saint Michael, Prince of the heavenly host, be our defense in the terrible warfare which we carry on against principalities and powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness, spirits of evil. Come to the aid of man, whom God created immortal, made in His own image and likeness, and redeemed at a great price from the tyranny of the devil. Fight this day the battle of our Lord, together with the holy angels, as already thou hast fought the leader of the proud angels, Lucifer, and his apostate host, who were powerless to resist thee, nor was there place for them any longer in heaven. That cruel, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil or Satan who seduces the whole world, was cast into the abyss with his angels. Behold this primeval enemy and slayer of men has taken courage. Transformed into an angel of light, he wanders about with all the multitude of wicked spirits, invading the earth in order to blot out the Name of God and of His Christ, to seize upon, slay, and cast into eternal perdition, souls destined for the crown of eternal glory. That wicked dragon pours out. as a most impure flood, the venom of his malice on men of depraved mind and corrupt heart, the spirit of lying, of impiety, of blasphemy, and the pestilent breath of impurity, and of every vice and iniquity. These most crafty enemies have filled and inebriated with gall and bitterness the Church, the spouse of the Immaculate Lamb, and have laid impious hands on Her most sacred possessions. In the Holy Place itself, where has been set up the See of the most holy Peter and the Chair of Truth for the light of the world, they have raised the throne of their abominable impiety with the iniquitous design that when the Pastor has been struck the sheep may be scattered. Arise then, O invincible Prince, bring help against the attacks of the lost spirits to the people of God, and give them the victory. They venerate thee as their protector and patron; in thee holy Church glories as her defense against the malicious powers of hell; to thee has God entrusted the souls of men to be established in heavenly beatitude. Oh, pray to the God of peace that He may put Satan under our feet, so far conquered that he may no longer be able to hold men in captivity and harm the Church. Offer our prayers in the sight of the Most High, so that they may quickly conciliate the mercies of the Lord; and beating down the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, do thou again make him captive in the abyss, that he may no longer seduce the nations. Amen.

V: Behold the Cross of the Lord; be scattered ye hostile powers.
R: The Lion of the Tribe of Juda has conquered the root of David.
V: Let Thy mercies be upon us, O Lord.
R: As we have hoped in Thee.
V: O Lord hear my prayer.
R: And let my cry come unto Thee.

V: Let us pray. O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we call upon Thy holy Name, and as suppliants, we implore Thy clemency, that by the intercession of Mary, ever Virgin, immaculate and our Mother, and of the glorious Archangel Saint Michael, Thou wouldst deign to help us against Satan and all other unclean spirits, who wander about the world for the injury of the human race and the ruin of our souls. Amen.

---

Prayer Before the Crucifix

   Look down upon me, O good and gentle Jesus, while before Thy face I humbly kneel, and with burning soul pray and beseech Thee to fix deep in my heart lively sentiments of faith, hope and charity, true contrition for my sins, and a firm purpose of amendment; the while I contemplate with great love and tender pity Thy five most precious wounds, pondering over them within me, calling to mind the words which David Thy prophet said of Thee, my good Jesus: "They have pierced My hands and My feet; they have numbered all My bones."

Indulgence of ten years; a plenary indulgence if recited after devout reception of Holy Communion, Raccolta 201)

---

Anima Christi - Soul of Christ

Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O Good Jesus, hear me.
Within Thy wounds, hide me.
Suffer me not to be separated from Thee.
From the malignant enemy, defend me.
In the hour of my death, call me.
And bid me come to Thee, that with
Thy saints I may praise Thee for ever and ever. Amen.

Indulgence of 300 days; if recited after devout reception of Holy Communion, seven years Raccolta 131)

---

Prayer for Vocations

   O Lord Jesus Christ, Who didst take to Thyself a body and soul like ours, to teach us the glory of self-sacrifice and service, mercifully deign to instill in other hearts the desire to dedicate their lives to Thee. Give us PRIESTS to stand before Thine Altar and to preach the words of Thy Gospel; BROTHERS to assist the priests and to reproduce in themselves Thy humility; SISTERS to teach the young and nurse the sick and to minister Thy charity to all; LAY PEOPLE to imitate Thee in their homes and families. Amen.

[Salvation]

Welcome to 40 Days for Life: 40 Days for Life kicks off February 22 in 258 locations!

[Salvation]

Prayers for The Religion Forum (Ecumenical)

[Salvation]

Continue to Pray for Pope Benedict [Ecumenical]

[Salvation]

 

Jesus, High Priest

 

We thank you, God our Father, for those who have responded to your call to priestly ministry.

Accept this prayer we offer on their behalf: Fill your priests with the sure knowledge of your love.

Open their hearts to the power and consolation of the Holy Spirit.

Lead them to new depths of union with your Son.

Increase in them profound faith in the Sacraments they celebrate as they nourish, strengthen and heal us.

Lord Jesus Christ, grant that these, your priests, may inspire us to strive for holiness by the power of their example, as men of prayer who ponder your word and follow your will.

O Mary, Mother of Christ and our mother, guard with your maternal care these chosen ones, so dear to the Heart of your Son.

Intercede for our priests, that offering the Sacrifice of your Son, they may be conformed more each day to the image of your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Saint John Vianney, universal patron of priests, pray for us and our priests

This icon shows Jesus Christ, our eternal high priest.

The gold pelican over His heart represents self-sacrifice.

The border contains an altar and grapevines, representing the Mass, and icons of Melchizedek and St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney.

Melchizedek: king of righteousness (left icon) was priest and king of Jerusalem.  He blessed Abraham and has been considered an ideal priest-king.

St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests.

[Salvation]

Pray a Rosary each day for our nation.

1.  Sign of the Cross:  In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

2.  The Apostles Creed:  I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day He rose again. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

3.  The Lord's Prayer:  OUR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

4. (3) Hail Mary:  HAIL Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. (Three times)

5. Glory Be:  GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Fatima Prayer: Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.

Announce each mystery, then say 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be and 1 Fatima prayer.  Repeat the process with each mystery.

End with the Hail Holy Queen:

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus!

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Final step -- The Sign of the Cross

 

The Mysteries of the Rosary

By tradition, Catholics meditate on these Mysteries during prayers of the Rosary.
The biblical references follow each of the Mysteries below.

The Glorious Mysteries
(Wednesdays and Sundays)
1.The Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-8, Mark 16:1-18, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-29) [Spiritual fruit - Faith]
2. The Ascension (Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:6-11) [Spiritual fruit - Christian Hope]
3. The Descent of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:1-13) [Spiritual fruit - Gifts of the Holy Spirit]
4. The Assumption [Spiritual fruit - To Jesus through Mary]
5. The Coronation [Spiritual fruit - Grace of Final Perseverance]

or

Pray a Rosary each day for our nation.

1.  Sign of the Cross:  In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

2.  The Apostles Creed:  I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day He rose again. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

3.  The Lord's Prayer:  OUR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

4. (3) Hail Mary:  HAIL Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. (Three times)

5. Glory Be:  GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Fatima Prayer: Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.

Announce each mystery, then say 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be and 1 Fatima prayer.  Repeat the process with each mystery.

End with the Hail Holy Queen:

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus!

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Final step -- The Sign of the Cross

 

The Mysteries of the Rosary

By tradition, Catholics meditate on these Mysteries during prayers of the Rosary.
The biblical references follow each of the Mysteries below.

The Sorrowful Mysteries
(Tuesdays and Fridays)
1. The Agony in the Garden (Matthew 26:36-46, Luke 22:39-46) [Spiritual fruit - God's will be done]
2. The Scourging at the Pillar (Matthew 27:26, Mark 15:15, John 19:1) [Spiritual fruit - Mortification of the senses]
3. The Crowning with Thorns (Matthew 27:27-30, Mark 15:16-20, John 19:2) [Spiritual fruit - Reign of Christ in our heart]
4. The Carrying of the Cross (Matthew 27:31-32, Mark 15:21, Luke 23:26-32, John 19:17) [Spiritual fruit - Patient bearing of trials]
5. The Crucifixion (Matthew 27:33-56, Mark 15:22-39, Luke 23:33-49, John 19:17-37) [Spiritual fruit - Pardoning of Injuries]

[Salvation]

~ PRAYER ~

St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle
 Be our protection against the wickedness
and snares of the devil;
May God rebuke him, we  humbly pray,
 and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
 by the power of God,
 Cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits
who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls.
 Amen
+

[Salvation]

God Save Our Country web site (prayer warriors)
Prayer Chain Request for the United States of America
Pray for Nancy Pelosi
Prayer and fasting will help defeat health care reform (Freeper Prayer Thread)
Prayer Campaign Started to Convert Pro-Abortion Catholic Politicians to Pro-Life
[Catholic Caucus] One Million Rosaries
Non-stop Rosary vigil to defeat ObamaCare

From an Obama bumper sticker on a car:

"Pray for Obama.  Psalm 109:8"

Psalm 109:8

    "Let his days be few; and let another take his place of leadership."

PLEASE JOIN US -

Evening Prayer
Someone has said that if people really understood the full extent of the power we have available through prayer, we might be speechless.
Did you know that during WWII there was an advisor to Churchill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every day at a prescribed hour for one minute to collectively pray for the safety of England, its people and peace?  

There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in America. If you would like to participate: Every evening at 9:00 PM Eastern Time (8:00 PM Central) (7:00 PM Mountain) (6:00 PM Pacific), stop whatever you are doing and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, and for a return to a Godly nation. If you know anyone else who would like to participate, please pass this along. Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have.    Please forward this to your praying friends.

[Salvation]

April Devotion: The Blessed Sacrament

Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. The Church traditionally encouraged the month of April for increased devotion to Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. "The Church in the course of the centuries has introduced various forms of this Eucharistic worship which are ever increasing in beauty and helpfulness; as, for example, visits of devotion to the tabernacles, even every day; Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament; solemn processions, especially at the time of Eucharistic Congresses, which pass through cities and villages; and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament publicly exposed . . . These exercises of piety have brought a wonderful increase in faith and supernatural life to the Church militant upon earth and they are re-echoed to a certain extent by the Church triumphant in heaven, which sings continually a hymn of praise to God and to the Lamb 'Who was slain.'" --Pope Pius XII

ACT OF ADORATION
I adore Thee, 0 Jesus, true God and true Man, here present in the Holy Eucharist, humbly kneeling before Thee and united in spirit with all the faithful on earth and all the blessed in heaven. In deepest gratitude for so great a blessing, I love Thee, my Jesus, with my whole heart, for Thou art all perfect and all worthy of love.

Give me grace nevermore in any way to offend Thee, and grant that I, being refreshed by Thy Eucharistic presence here on earth, may be found worthy to come to the enjoyment with Mary of Thine eternal and everblessed presence in heaven. Amen.

FAITH IN THE EUCHARIST
O my God, I firmly believe that Thou art really and corporally present in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar. I adore Thee here present from the very depths of my heart, and I worship Thy sacred presence with all possible humility. O my soul, what joy to have Jesus Christ always with us, and to be able to speak to Him, heart to heart, with all confidence. Grant, O Lord, that I, having adored Thy divine Majesty here on earth in this wonderful Sacrament, may be able to adore it eternally in Heaven. Amen.

PETITION
Believing that Thou, my God, hast in any way revealed to us--grieving for all my sins, offenses and negligences--hoping in Thee, O Lord, who wilt never let me be confounded--thanking Thee for this supreme gift, and for all the gifts of Thy goodness--loving Thee, above all in this sacrament of Thy love--adoring Thee in this deepest mystery of Thy condescension: I lay before Thee all the wounds and wants of my poor soul, and ask for all that I need and desire. But I need only Thyself, O Lord; I desire none but Thee--Thy grace, and the grace to use well Thy graces, the possession of Thee by grace in this life, and the possession of Thee forever in the eternal kingdom of Thy glory.

FOR THE PEACE OF CHRIST
O most sacred, most loving heart of Jesus, Thou art concealed in the Holy Eucharist, and Thou beatest for us still. Now as then Thou sayest, "With desire I have desired." I worship Thee, then, with all my best love and awe, with my fervent affection, with my most subdued, most resolved will. O make my heart beat with Thy heart. Purify it of all that is earthly, all that is proud and sensual, all that is hard and cruel, of all perversity, of all disorder, of all deadness. So fill it with Thee, that neither the events of the day nor the circumstances of the time may have power to ruffle it; but that in Thy love and Thy fear it may have peace. --Cardinal Newman

ACT OF LOVE
I believe Thou art present in the Blessed Sacrament, O Jesus. I love Thee and desire Thee. Come into my heart. I embrace Thee, O never leave me. I beseech Thee, O Lord Jesus, may the burning and most sweet power of Thy love absorb my mind, that I may die through love of Thy love, who wast graciously pleased to die through love of my love. --St. Francis of Assisi

ACT OF REPARATION
Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, well known in connection with devotion to the Sacred Herat of Jesus, led the way in making reparation to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament for the coldness and ingratitude of men. This prayer of hers can become our own as we attempt to make amends for our own and others' neglect of the great Sacrament of His love, the Eucharist.
O kind and merciful savior, from my heart I earnestly desire to return Thee love for love. My greatest sorrow is that Thou art not loved by men, and, in particular, that my own heart is so cold, so selfish, so ungrateful. Keenly aware of my own weakness and poverty, I trust that Thy own grace will enable me to offer Thee an act of pure love. And I wish to offer Thee this act of love in reparation for the coldness and neglect that are shown to Thee in the sacrament of Thy love by Thy creatures. O Jesus, my supreme good, I love Thee, not for the sake of the reward which Thou hast promised to those who love Thee, but purely for Thyself. I love Thee above all things that can be loved, above all pleasures, and above myself and all that is not Thee, promising in the presence of heaven and earth that I will live and die purely and simply in Thy holy love, and that if to love Thee thus I must endure persecution and suffering I am completely satisfied, and I will ever say with Saint Paul: Nothing "will be able to separate us from the love of God." 0 Jesus, supreme master of all hearts, I love Thee, I adore Thee, I praise Thee, I thank Thee, because I am now all Thine own. Rule over me, and transform my soul into the likeness of Thyself, so that it may bless and glorify Thee forever in the abode of the saints.
--Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque

OFFERING
My Lord, I offer Thee myself in turn as a sacrifice of thanksgiving. Thou hast died for me, and I in turn make myself over to Thee. I am not my own. Thou hast bought me; I will by my own act and deed complete the purchase. My wish is to be separated from everything of this world; to cleanse myself simply from sin; to put away from me even what is innocent, if used for its own sake, and not for Thine. I put away reputation and honor, and influence, and power, for my praise and strength shall be in Thee. Enable me to carry out what I profess. Amen. --Cardinal Newman

Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954

The best, the surest , and the most effective way of establishing everlasting peace on the face of the earth is through the great power of perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament." -- Pope John Paul II

"Could you not watch one hour?" -- Mark 14:37

I am happy to testify that many young people are discovering the beauty of adoration, whether personal or in community. I invite priests to encourage youth groups in this, but also to accompany them to ensure that the forms of adoration are appropriate and dignified, with sufficient times for silence and listening to the word of God. In life today, which is often noisy and scattered, it is more important than ever to recover the capacity for interior silence and recollection: Eucharistic adoration permits one to do this not only within one's "I" but rather in the company of that "You" full of love who is Jesus Christ, "the God who is near us."

 

~Pope Benedict XVI

Essays for Lent: The Eucharist
Excerpt from: The Didache (The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles) [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
Divorced Catholics and the Eucharist
Following The Truth: So, You Just Received Jesus…Now What? (Catholic or Open)
Auxiliary Bishop Says Communion In the Hand is a Calvinist Novelty [Ecumenical]
How Something We Consider Solidly Traditional was Once Thought Progressive (Catholic)
Transubstantiation: Change We Can Believe In
Diocese limits Communion under both kinds, laments excessive extraordinary ministers
Phoenix Diocese to adopt new norms for Holy Communion [Catholic Caucus]
What Does GIRM 160 for the USA Really Say?
Lift the City - a Catholic Eucharistic flash mob (Catholic Caucus)
Justin Martyr: 1st apology: Sacraments, Eucharist {Catholic/Orthodox caucus}
The Institution of the Eucharist in Scripture [Catholic Caucus]
How the Mass is a sacrifice, and why so many deny this doctrine (Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)
[Ecumenical] Lent through Eastertide - Divine Mercy Diary Exerpts: Holy Communion and the Eucharist
New book connects the Eucharist with its Jewish roots
THE SACRAMENT OF THE EUCHARIST (sections 3 only) {Ecumenical Thread}
THE SACRAMENT OF THE EUCHARIST (sections 1&2 only) {Ecumenical Thread}

The Perfect Sacrifice: When Heaven Comes to Earth [Catholic Caucus]
The Real Presence [Church Fathers on the Holy Eucharist, cont'd ]
Is the Mass a Sacrifice? (Once and for all, Heb 9-10) {Catholic/Orthodox Caucus}
Radio Replies Second Volume - Holy Communion
The Real presence of Christ in the Eucharist {Catholic/Orthodox Caucus}
Radio Replies Second Volume - The Sacrifice of the Mass
Radio Replies Second Volume - Holy Eucharist
Thanksgiving, the Prophets and the Eucharist
Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi, Lex Vivendi. As we Worship, So we Believe, So we Live
[CATHOLIC/ORTHODOX CAUCUS] 5th Luminous Mystery: Institution of the Eucharist (Patristic Rosary)
Wounded in the house of them that loved Me
[CATHOLIC / ORTHODOX CAUCUS] Eucharist is Jesus' greatest gift to us, teaches Pope Benedict XVI
[CATHOLIC CAUCUS] What makes Jesus present in the Eucharist: broadening one's view.
Pope's Q--A at End of Priestly Year Pt 4 "We Celebrate,..Meditate..on Eucharist" [Catholic Caucus]
Sacrifice, Transubstantiation, and Real Presence (Pope Benedict XVI) [Catholic Caucus]
Catholic Caucus: Eucharist is the Heart of God
[CATHOLIC CAUCUS]'Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity': The Miracle and Gift of the Most Holy Eucharist
A Secular Eucharist
Paul and the Eucharist
Centered in the Eucharist

Who Can Receive Communion? (Catholic Caucus)
Respect For Christ In The Eucharist – One Priest’s Perspective
Catholic Biblical Apologetics: Opportunities of Grace: The Eucharist: The Lord's Supper
THE PRIEST IN THE COMMUNION RITES - Liturgy Prepares for Reception of the Eucharist
Novena with Saint Peter Julian Eymard for Prayer in the Presence of the Blessed Sacrament [Prayer]
THE PRIEST IN THE COMMUNION RITES - Liturgy Prepares for Reception of the Eucharist
Boston Cardinal: Church Needs 'Clear' Injunction Denying Pro-Abortion Pols Communion
Benedict XVI calls priests to protect communion between God and man
Eucharist: Holy Sacrifice
Fr. Men: The Eucharist [Cath-Orth caucus]
Catholics in Costa Rica outraged by disrespect toward Eucharist [Catholic Caucus]
The Institution of the Eucharist in Scripture
St Anthony and the Real Presence
The Essentials of the Catholic Faith, Part Two: Channels of Grace: The Eucharist
EWTN - October 29 - 8PM - Fr. Antoine and the Eucharist
The Role of the Bishop of Rome in the Communion of the Church in the First Millennium
Radio Replies First Volume - Holy Eucharist
The Institution of the Eucharist in Scripture
Catholic Caucus: The Spiritual Combat Ch 54. MANNER IN WHICH WE OUGHT TO RECEIVE...BLESSED SACRAMENT
Catholic Caucus: The Spiritual Combat: Ch 53. CONCERNING THE MOST HOLY SACRAMENT OF THE EUCHARIST

A Few Texts From Saint Cyril of Jerusalem on the Eucharist
Catholic Devotional: On Visiting Jesus Christ In the Blessed Sacrament
The Early Christians Believed in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist
Focus on the Real Presence
A Chinese Girl-True Story That Inspired Bishop Fulton Sheen- Eucharist Adoration (Catholic Caucus)
Doubting Thomases(Eucharist); the Pitfalls of Folly(Catholic Caucus)
Rainbow sash-wearers prohibited from receiving [the Eucharist at Cathedral of St. Paul]
The significance of Holy Thursday (institution of the Eucharist and priesthood)
Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament [Catholic Caucus]
The Catechism of St. Thomas Aquinas THE HOLY EUCHARIST
Holy Communion and Non-Catholics (with a Quiz!)
Beginning Catholic: The Eucharist: In the Presence of the Lord Himself [Ecumenical]
Beginning Catholic: Receiving the Lord in Holy Communion [Ecumenical]
Faithful Invited to Follow Pope, Adore Eucharist [Catholic Caucus]
Christmas and the Eucharist(Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)
Eucharist kneeling request sparks controversy [Catholic Caucus]
Eucharist vs. the Word (which is more important in the Catholic Church)
Christ the Miracle Worker in the Eucharist(Catholic Caucus)
Imitating Christ in the Eucharist(Catholic Caucus)
The Eucharist - the Lord's Sacrifice, Banquet and Presence (OPEN)

Pope Calls Eucharist History's Greatest Revolution [OPEN]
A Brief Catechism for Adults - Lesson 22: The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist (Holy Communion)
A series of reflections from St. Peter Julian Eymard Blessed Sacrament(Catholic Caucus)
Eucharist, Holy Meal
Imitating Christ in the Eucharist
Christmas and the Eucharist
Prayer Before the Blessed Sacrament
This is My Body, This is My Blood
THE HOLY EUCHARIST IS THE WHOLE CHRIST
Gift Of Life, Gift Eternal: The Most Holy Eucharist and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
Area worshipers march to celebrate Holy Eucharist
Grace of the Eucharist is secret to holy priests, says Pope
The Disposition of Priests [Valid Mass, Valid Holy Eucharist?]
The Body of Christ?
Holy Sacrifice, Living Sacrament
Knights of the Eucharist
The Banquet of Corpus Christi - "Why did Jesus give us His Body and Blood?"
The Eucharist: Eternity and Time Together
Restored Order of the Sacraments of Initiation? Confirmation and First Eucharist together? (Vanity)
Reflections of Cardinal Ratzinger on the Eucharist

THE HOLY EUCHARIST: NOURISHMENT TO FINISH OUR COURSE
The Eucharist in Scripture - Part 1 - Old Testament
LITANY OF REPARATION TO OUR LORD IN THE BLESSED SACRAMENT
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament
POPE GRANTS PLENARY INDULGENCE FOR YEAR OF THE EUCHARIST
New Plenary Indulgence to Mark Year of the Eucharist
Kneeling and Faith in the Eucharist
The Immaculate Conception and the Eucharist, a course in Christian culture in Tashkent
The Year of the Eucharist by Bishop Donald Wuerl
"While We're At It": What can we do to show that the Eucharist is a communal activity?
CATHOLICS AND BAPTISTS WITNESSED UNUSUAL IMAGES IN BLESSED SACRAMENT
The Discipline of the Eucharist Holy See Releases Redemptionis Sacramentum...
Vatican: Matters to be observed or to be avoided regarding the Most Holy Eucharist (April 23, 2004)
Devotion to the Holy Eucharist Advances Devotion to Jesus' Person
New rules on the Holy Eucharist on Holy Thursday
The Reverence due to the Holy Eucharist
The Holy Face of Jesus Christ as appeared on the Holy Eucharist
The Fourth Cup: The Sacrament of the Eucharist [Holy Thursday] [Passover]
Holy Father stresses Need of Devotion to Holy Eucharist outside of Mass: Pope Paul VI

[Salvation]

April 2012

Pope's intentions

General Intention: Vocations. That many young people may hear the call of Christ and follow him in the priesthood and religious life.

Missionary Intention: Christ, Hope for Africans. That the risen Christ may be a sign of certain hope for the men and women of the African continent.

[Salvation]

Arlington Catholic Herald

GOSPEL COMMENTARY MK: 14:1-15:47

The Contrast

By Fr. Jack Peterson

The Gospel reading from Mark the Evangelist for Palm Sunday bleeds a radical contrast between the acts of man and the acts of God. At a most critical point in the history of the world, both actors allow their true colors to shine and the picture is dark and dreary for man.

The actions and attitudes of the religious leaders, the Romans and the crowds reveal the depths of evil that can be present in the hearts of human beings. The blindness resulting from sin, ingratitude, pride and lack of faith leads many characters in this story to demonstrate ugly and despicable actions toward the totally Innocent One who came among us as a slave to serve and save us.

Religious leaders bring in false witnesses to condemn God’s only begotten Son. The highest local Roman authority finds nothing worthy of condemnation in Jesus, yet yields to pressure from others and condemns Our Lord to death on a tree. Jesus is publicly scourged, a form of torture that He silently endures. Roman soldiers blindfold Our Lord, mock Him, spit upon His face and pummel Him with blows. Pilate condemns Him to a form of capital punishment reserved for the most notorious of criminals. Soldiers cast lots for His garments, His only earthly possessions. The chief priests and scribes swing by at the very end for a final drive-by mockery of their Creator and Lord.

Adding salt to the wound, the Lord’s disciples fail miserably in this critical moment as well. Three of Jesus’ closest collaborators fall asleep on Him while He, with tremendous anxiety, seeks comfort and guidance from His heavenly Father. When the temple guard comes to arrest Jesus, the apostles flee and leave Our Lord all alone. One of the chosen Twelve betrays Our Lord with a kiss. Their leader denies Him thrice after vehemently promising to remain strong.

This picture of humanity is not a pretty one. It hurts. It really hurts to read and ponder these events. It hurts even more when we humbly realize that we continue to do similar things in our own day.

The contrast, however, brings light and hope to believers. In spite of our ugliness and sin, God acts very differently. Jesus remains true to Himself and to His mission to redeem, heal and give new life to His beloved children.

While men act out of ignorance, anger, and selfishness, Jesus acts out of wisdom, love and generosity. While men lash out aggressively in fear, Jesus endures His passion with humility and patience. While we bring up false testimony to condemn Him, He offers excuses to the Father for our folly. While men blindly follow their broken and confused passions, Jesus consciously offers His life in loving obedience to the Father. While men allow hatred to reign in their hearts, Jesus loves us to the end. While men ignorantly condemn the Innocent One, Jesus gives His life for the guilty ones.

Yes, the contrast is stark. Jesus sheds His blood freely and generously out of love for us and a profound commitment to redeem very broken human beings.

As we ponder the events of Our Lord’s passion and pray over them, our hearts ache for what happened to Him and for what we continue to do to Him today. However, our pain is transformed into joy as we also ponder how Jesus responded. May the extraordinary mystery of Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection and the endless graces that flow from this mystery explode into our lives, bringing light, healing and hope.

Fr. Peterson is assistant chaplain at Marymount University in Arlington and director of the Youth Apostles Institute in McLean.

[Salvation]

The Work of God

Year B

 -  Passion (Palm)Sunday

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord

Mark 11:1-10

1 When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples
2 and said to them, "Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it.
3 If anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' just say this, 'The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.' "
4 They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it,
5 some of the bystanders said to them, "What are you doing, untying the colt?"
6 They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it.
7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it.
8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields.
9 Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!"

Inspiration of the Holy Spirit - From the Sacred Heart of Jesus

If you were to see what I saw, the enthusiasm of all the people welcoming me to Jerusalem, you would think that I was a very powerful leader with nothing to fear for his life. But this was the opposite, I was receiving a show of hypocrisy, a reception to my death.

Except for a handful of those people, everybody turned their backs to me when I was being judged and condemned for doing the work of God.

I am sure you would be very disappointed of those people, wouldn’t you? What I am about to tell you is the truth, something to make you think.

All my followers, yes, including you, will have those moments of acclamation and praise, of joy and celebration because I am coming into their lives, but when temptation comes, they forget about me and condemn me to death. Yes. It is sin that put me on the cross, your sins and the sins of the whole world.

It is a terrifying thought but at the same time it must be your meditation so that you strengthen yourself against temptations and remember how much you cost me, that I paid for your soul with my own suffering and death.

And yet I want to remind you that praising is a very powerful kind of prayer, it is the prayer of the angels who constantly praise God for his glory, holiness, majesty, honor, omnipotence, power, wisdom and love.

My child, praise the Lord, bless the Lord and thank the Lord constantly for the gift of your life and for His divine attributes. Start your day praising, blessing and thanking God, live your day praising, blessing and thanking God, go to bed praising, blessing and thanking God; so that your soul will even praise, bless and thank God during your sleep.

Author: Joseph of Jesus and Mary

[Salvation]

Archdiocese of Washington

See What the End Shall Be – A Meditation on the Marcan Passion Narrative for Palm Sunday

By: Msgr. Charles Pope

The Passion which we read in today’s liturgy is too long to comment on in detail. We are only able to take a portion and examine it.

The usual villains such as the Temple leaders, Judas, and the recruited crowd, which shouted “Crucify him!” are fairly obvious in displaying their sinfulness and are unambiguously wicked. But there are others who participate in the Passion accounts whose sinfulness, struggles and neglect are more subtle, but still real and contribute significantly to the Lord’s sufferings on Good Friday. It is perhaps, in these figures that we can learn a great deal about ourselves. For while we may not overtly shout “crucify,” we are often not as holy and heroic as the persecutors were wicked and bold.

As these behaviors are noted, we must understand that WE do these things. For the Passion accounts are not merely portraits of people long gone, they are portraits of you and me. We do these things.

So, lets look at sins and weaknesses of Jesus followers (us) in three stages.

I. The Perception that is Partial – In the middle of the Last Supper, in today’s Gospel the disciples of Jesus are reminded of what the next days will hold. Jesus says,

All of you will have your faith shaken, for it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be dispersed. But after I have been raised up, I shall go before you to Galilee.

Note that the apostles are reminded of these facts since Jesus has said them before on a few occasions. For example:

1. From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. (Matt 16:21)
2. When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men.They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief. (Matt 17:22-23)
3. We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!” (Matt 20:19)

Thus we see that the Lord has consistently tried to teach and prepare them for the difficulties ahead. He has told them exactly what is going to happen and how it will end: NOT in death, but rising to new life. But though he has told them over and over, they still do not understand or see. Thus he predicts that their faith in in will be shaken.

For their perception is partial and they will see only the negative, and forget that he has promised to rise. Since they cannot see beyond the apparent defeat of the moment they will retreat into fear and not boldly and confidently accompany him to his passion and glorification (for his passion IS is lifting up, his glorification). Instead they will flee. He has shown the “what the end shall be.” But they cannot see or accept it. Thus fear overwhelms them and draw back into a sinful fear and disassociation from Jesus. Only a few, Mary his Mother, John, Magdalene, and a few other women would see him through to the end.

But as for the rest, they see only what is gory and awful, and miss what is glorious and awesome. Yes, their perception is quite partial and their blindness comes, paradoxically, from not hearing or listening to what Jesus has been telling them all along.

We too can easily suffer from a blindness caused by poor hearing. For the Lord has often told us, that if we trust, our struggles will end in glory and new life. But, blind and forgetful, we give way to our fears and fail to boldly walk the way of Christ’s passion. We draw back and disassociate ourselves from Jesus and exhibit some of the same tendencies and problems we will now observe in the people of that day.

So lets examine some of the problems that emerge from the partial perception and forgetful fear of many of the disciples and others.

II. The Problems Presented - The problems that emerge are at least five. They are unhealthy and sinful patterns that emerge from the fear generated in not trusting Jesus vision and refusing to see it. We can consider them one by one. Please understand that the word “we” used here is shorthand and does not mean that every single person does this. Rather, it means that, collectively, we have these tendencies. But no need to take everything here personally.

A. DROWSY - One of the common human techniques for dealing with stress and the hardships of life is to just go numb and drowsy. We can just doze off into a moral sleep. Being vigilant to threats posed to our souls by sin, or the harm caused by injustice, (whether to ourselves or others) is just too stressful. So we just tune out. We stop noting or really even caring about critically important matters. We anesthetize ourselves with things like creature comforts, meaningless distractions, alcohol or drugs. We go into a kind of moral sleep and we begin to lack a prayerful vigilance. Prayer and spirituality pose too many uncomfortable questions. So we just tune out and daydream about meaningless things like what a certain Hollywood star is doing, or what the latest sports stats are.

In the passion accounts, Peter, James and John are personally asked by the Lord to pray with him. But they doze. Perhaps it is the wine. Surely it is the flesh (for the Lord speaks of it). But unwilling or unable to deal with the stress the Lord is clearly under, they just tune out, go numb, and doze off.

Grave evil is at the very door. But they sleep on. The Lord warns them to stay awake, lest they give way to temptation. But still they sleep.

Someone they know and love is in grave danger, but it is too much, so they just tune out, much as we tune out at the overwhelming suffering of Christ in the poor and needy. We just stop noticing. It’s too painful, so we tune out.

The Lord had often warned them to be vigilant, sober and alert (Mk 13:34, Matt 25:13, Mk 13:37; Matt 24:42; Luke 21:36, inter al). Other scriptures would later pick up the theme (Romans 13:11; 1 Peter 5:8; 1 Thess 5:6, inter al). For drowsiness is a significant and serious spiritual problem.

Sadly God described us well when he remarked to Isaiah: Israel’s watchmen are blind, they all lack knowledge; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they lie around and dream, they love to sleep. (Is 56:10)

But, despite the sleepiness of the disciples, the wicked are still awake, and the threat does not go away by a drowsy inattentiveness to it. Thus we ought to be confident and sober. Life’s challenges are nothing to fear, for the Lord has told us we have already won, if we trust him. But the disciples have forgotten Jesus promise to rise after three days. And so, often, have we. So they, and we just give way to stress and tune out.

B. DENIAL - Peter, confronted with the fearful prospect of being condemned with Jesus denies that he knows him or is one of his followers. He disassociates himself from Christ. We too, confronted with the possibility of far lesser things like ridicule, will often deny a connection with the Lord or with the Church.

Someone might say of one of the more controversial passages of scripture (such as prohibitions on divorce, fornication, homosexual activity, commands to tithe, etc), “Oh, you don’t really believe that, do you?” And it’s too easy to give way to fear and either say “no” or to qualify our belief. Why suffer ridicule, endure further questioning, or experience the unpleasantry of debate?

So we just disassociate, compromise, or qualify our faith to avoid the stress.We even congratulate ourselves for being tolerant, etc. when we do it.

Jesus says, If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels. (Mat 16:21). But too easily we ARE ashamed.

And so, like Peter, we engage in some form of denial. Peter was afraid because he has forgotten to “see what the end shall be.” He has forgotten that Jesus will rise after three days. So too do we often forget that. So we lack confidence and give way to fear, and we deny, so as to avoid suffering with Jesus.

C. DODGING – Simply put, when Jesus is arrested, all the disciples except John split. They “get the heck out of Dodge.” They are nowhere to be found. One of them, (could it be Mark himself?) ran off naked.

After Jesus’ arrest, it is said that Peter, prior to his own denials had followed the Lord, “at a distance” (Mk 14:54) but as soon as trouble rose, he too scrammed.

And we too can run. Sometimes it’s persecutions from the world. But sometimes its just our own self-generated fear that following the Lord is too hard, and involves too many sacrifices we are just not willing to make. Maybe it will endanger our money since the Lord insists that we tithe and be generous to the poor. Maybe it will endanger our playboy lifestyle since the Lord insists on chastity and respect. Maybe we are doing something we have no business doing, that is unjust, excessive or sinful. But, rather than face our fears, whether from within or without, we just high-tail it out.

The disciples forgot that Jesus has shown them what the end shall be. In three days he would win the victory. But, this forgotten, their fears emerged and they ran. We too, must see what the end shall be to resist and confront our many fears.

D. DEFLECTING – Now in this case our example is Pontius Pilate, not one of the disciples. But the fact is that Pilate was summoned to faith, just like anyone else. “Are you a King?” he asked Jesus. And Jesus responds by putting Pilate on trial: “You say so.” In other words, “It is you who have said these words. Do you think they are true?”

The fact is, Pilate has a choice to make. Either he will accept what Jesus is saying as true, or he will give way to fear and commit a terrible sin of injustice. Now the texts all make it clear that Pilate knew Jesus was innocent. But, because he feared the crowds he handed Jesus over.

Now, note PILATE did this. The crowds tempted him through fear, but HE did the condemning. Yet note that he tries to deflect his choice. Mark says he handed Jesus over to please the crowd, But Matthew adds, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!” (Mat 16:21). Well, actually Pilate it is also YOUR responsibility. You had a choice and you made. Your own career and hide were more important that justice. And, though you wanted to do what was right and were sympathetic with Jesus, merely wanting to do what is right is not enough.

So too for us. We also will favor our career or hide over what is right. And in so doing we will often blame others for what we freely choose. “I am not responsible, my mother dropped me on my head when I was two” ….etc.

In effect we are often willing to say, “Look Jesus, I love you. You get my Sundays, and my tithe and, generally I obey you. But you have to understand, I have a career, I need to make money for my family. If I really stand up for what is right, I might not make it in this world. You understand, don’t you?…I know the company is doing some things that are unjust, I know the world needs a clearer witness from me….and I’ll do all that, after I retire. But for now…..well, you know. It’s really may boss whose to blame. It’s this old hell bound sin soaked world that’s to blame. Not me!” And we wash our hands and excuse our silence and inaction in the face of injustice and sin.

And all this is done in fear. We forget what the end shall be and get focused on the fearful present. We lack the vision Jesus is trying to give us that in three days we will rise with him. But we stay blind to that and only see the threat of now.

III. The Path that is Prescribed – OK, by now you ought to know the path that is prescribed: See what the end shall be! In three days we rise! Why are we afraid? Jesus has already won the victory. It is true, we get there through the cross. But, never forget what the end shall be! Today we read the Gospel of Friday, but wait till Sunday morning! I’ll rise!

We end where we began with this gospel: All of you will have your faith shaken, for it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be dispersed. But after I have been raised up, I shall go before you to Galilee.

Yes, after he has been raised, he goes before us into Galilee. And for us, Galilee is heaven. Whatever our sorrows, if we are faithful we will see Jesus in the Galilee of heaven. Never forget this vision. After three days we will rise with him and be reunited in Galilee.

So take courage, see what the end shall be! The end for those who are faithful is total victory. We don’t need to drowse, destroy, deny, dodge and deflect. We’ve already won. All we need to do is hold out.

An old Gospel songs says, I promised the Lord that I would hold out! He said he’s meet me in Galilee! So hold out, Galilee is not far, in three days we rise with him.

[Salvation]

Sunday Gospel Reflections

Passion Sunday
Reading I: Isaiah 50:4-7 II: Philipians 2:6-11

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Gospel
Mark 14:1-15:47

By the sheer length of the Passion narrative, we only look at some significant moments.

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Interesting Details

• The anointing points to Jesus as the anointed one, the Messiah. Anointing for burial is not her intent; that is how Jesus chose.
• While the chief priests are afraid to arrest Jesus, one of the twelve offers to deliver him for a small sum of money thereby changing their fear into jubilant anticipation.
• Jesus' prediction in (v.27) using an Old Testament quotation becomes reality in (v.50)
• Jesus looks beyond his death and promises that the scattered flock will be gathered again. "I will go before" may be taken as "I will lead you".
• Judas is not the only failure, "all" will fail in their measure:
  14:23 They "all" drank from the cup
  14:27 You will "all" fall away
  14:31 they "all" protested
  14:50 and they "all" ran away
• Peter's denials gradually become more serious and complete:
  - At first, he pretends innocence.
  - Then, he denies that he is a follower of Jesus.
  - Finally, he curses and swears the he does not even know Jesus.
• Jesus' mission starts with an encounter with the tempter (1:12) and ends with a final and decisive temptation: to eliminate suffering from his messianic way.
• Jesus refuses to take the drugged wine as a means to lessen the torment in order to fully drink the "cup" of suffering.
• Jesus dies in the midst of two sinners instead of James and John who had requested to "sit one at your right and the other at your left" (10:37)
• By refusing to come down from the cross, by not saving his life, Jesus brings the temple to an end (15:38) and builds the new temple (14:58)
• The rending of the curtain of the temple may be symbolic that the privilege of Israel has come to an end and through Jesus a free access to God is open to all.
• Jesus dies in total desolation: deserted by his disciples, taunted by his enemies, mocked by those hung with him and worst of all, abandoned by God.
• The presence of the women sharply contrasts with the absence of the twelve disciples.

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One Main Point

Jesus stands as a lonely figure throughout this Passion account. His hour had come. He had to suffer alone before he could come to glory.

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Reflections

1. With which one person could you best relate, or with whom would you identify yourself? Why?
2. Mark's Passion account is called the greatest instruction on discipleship. Why?

[Salvation]

Sunday, April 01, 2012
Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion

First Reading: Psalm: Second Reading: Gospel:

Isaiah 50:4-7 Psalm 22:8-9, 17-20, 23-24 Philippians 2:6-11 Mark 14:1 -- 15:47

or Mark 15:1-39

How can a man say he believes in Christ if he doesn't do what Christ commanded him to do?

-- St. Cyprian of Carthage

[Salvation]

The Angelus 

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary: 
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit. 

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. 

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word. 

Hail Mary . . . 

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us. 

Hail Mary . . . 

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

Let us pray: 

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen. 

[markomalley]

Apr 01, Invitatory for Palm Sunday

Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. II:
Antiphon: 402
Psalm: 1044

Christian Prayer:
Antiphon: 687
Psalm: tbd

Lord, open my lips.
– And my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Ant. Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering.

Psalm 100

Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing for joy.

Ant. Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering.

Know that he, the Lord, is God.
He made us, we belong to him,
we are his people, the sheep of his flock.

Ant. Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering.

Go within his gates, giving thanks.
Enter his courts with songs of praise.
Give thanks to him and bless his name.

Ant. Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering.

Indeed, how good is the Lord,
eternal his merciful love.
He is faithful from age to age.

Ant. Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be fore ever, Amen

Ant. Come, let us worship Christ the Lord, who for our sake endured temptation and suffering.

[markomalley]

Apr 01, Office of Readings for Sunday of Holy Week

Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. II:
Ordinary: 1045
Proper of Seasons: 416
Psalter: Sunday, Week II, 1213

Christian Prayer book does not contain Office of Readings

Office of Readings for Passion Sunday in the Holy Week

God, come to my assistance.
– Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

HYMN

“I come,” the great Redeemer cries,
“To do thy will, O Lord!”
At Jordan’s stream, behold!
He seals the sure prophetic word.

“Thus it becomes to fulfill
all righteousness,” he said.
Then, faithful to the Lord’s commands,
through Jordan’s flood was led.

Hark, a glad voice! The Father speaks
from heaven’s exalted height:
“This is my Son, my well-beloved
in whom I take delight.”

The Savior Jesus, well-beloved!
His Name we will profess,
like him desirous to fulfill
God’s will in righteousness.

No more we’ll count ourselves our own
but his in bonds of love.
Oh, may such bonds for ever draw
our souls to things above!.

“Come, The Great Redeemer Cries” by Choir of First Church Los Angeles; Words: Christian Hymnbook, 1865, as alt. in The Hymnal 1982.

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 Lord, our God, in splendor and majesty you are clothed, wrapped in light as in a robe.

Psalm 104
Hymn to God the Creator
To be in Christ means being a completely new creature. Everything of the old is gone, now everything is made anew (2 Corinthians 5:17).

I

Bless the Lord, my soul!
Lord God, how great you are,
clothed in majesty and glory,
wrapped in light as in a robe!

You stretch out the heavens like a tent.
Above the rains you build your dwelling.
You make the clouds your chariot,
and walk on the wings of the wind;
you make the winds your messengers
and flashing fire your servants.

You founded the earth on its base,
to stand firm from age to age.
You wrapped it with the ocean like a cloak:
the waters stood higher than the mountains.

At your threat they took to flight;
at the voice of your thunder they fled.
They rose over the mountains and flowed down
to the place which you had appointed.
You set the limits they might not pass
lest they return to cover the earth.

You make springs gush forth in the valleys:
they flow in between the hills.
They give drink to all the beasts of the field;
the wild-asses quench their thirst.
On their banks dwell the birds of heaven;
from the branches they sing their song.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Lord, our God, in splendor and majesty you are clothed, wrapped in light as in a robe.

Ant. 2 The Lord has brought forth bread from the earth, and wine to give warmth to men’s hearts.

II

From your dwelling you water the hills;
earth drinks its fill of your gift.
You make the grass grow for the cattle
and the plants to serve man’s needs,

that he may bring forth bread from the earth
and wine to cheer man’s heart;
oil, to make him glad
and bread to strengthen man’s heart.

The trees of the Lord drink their fill,
the cedars he planted on Lebanon;
there the birds build their nests:
on the tree-top the stork has her home.
The goats find a home on the mountains
and rabbits hide in the rocks.

You made the moon to mark the months;
the sun knows the time for its setting.
When you spread the darkness it is night
and all the beasts of the forest creep forth.
The young lions roar for their prey
and ask their food from God.

At the rising of the sun they steal away
and go to rest in their dens.
Man goes forth to his work,
to labor till evening falls.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. The Lord has brought forth bread from the earth, and wine to give warmth to men’s hearts.

Ant. 3 The Lord looked upon all he had made and saw that it was very good.

III

How many are your works, O Lord!
In wisdom you have made them all.
The earth is full of your riches.

There is the sea, vast and wide,
with its moving swarms past counting,
living things great and small.
The ships are moving there
and the monsters you made to play with.

All of these look to you
to give them their food in due season.
You give it, they gather it up:
you open your hand, they have their fill.

You hide your face, they are dismayed;
you take back your spirit, they die,
returning to the dust from which they came.
You send forth your spirit, they are created;
and you renew the face of the earth.

May the glory of the Lord last forever!
May the Lord rejoice in his works!
He looks on the earth and it trembles;
the mountains send forth smoke at his touch.

I will sing to the Lord all my life,
make music to my God while I live.
May my thoughts be pleasing to him.
I find my joy in the Lord.
Let sinners vanish from the earth
and the wicked exist no more.

Bless the Lord, my soul.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Psalm-prayer

Father, as you made springs in valleys to form streams between mountains, so you made living streams of grace flow from the Apostles that their teaching may bring salvation to all the nations. May we have a practical knowledge of their doctrine, be obedient to their commands, obtain remission of our sins through their prayers, and finally receive the reward of eternal happiness.

Ant. The Lord looked upon all he had made and saw that it was very good.

Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell) – a moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church.

When I am lifted up from the earth.
– I will draw all people to myself.

READINGS

First reading
From the letter to the Hebrews
10:1-18
We are sanctified through the offering of Christ

Since the law had only a shadow of the good things to come, and no real image of them, it was never able to perfect the worshipers by the same sacrifices offered continually year after year. Were matters otherwise, the priests would have stopped offering them, for the worshipers, once cleansed, would have had no sin on their conscience. But through those sacrifices there came only a yearly recalling of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take sins away. Wherefore, on coming into the world, Jesus said:

“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you have prepared for me;
Holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight in.
Then I said, ‘As is written of me in the book,
I have come to do your will, O God.’”

First he says,
“Sacrifices and offerings, holocausts and sin offerings,
you neither desired nor delighted in.”
(These are offered according to the prescriptions of the law.) Then he says,
“I have come to do your will.”

In other words, he takes away the first covenant to establish the second.
By this “will,” we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Every other priest stands ministering day by day, and offering again and again those same sacrifices which can never take away sins. But Jesus offered one sacrifice for sins and took his seat forever at the right hand of God; now he waits until his enemies are placed beneath his feet. By one offering he has forever perfected those who are being sanctified. The Holy Spirit attests this to us, for after saying,

“This is the covenant I will make with them
after those days, says the Lord:
I will put my laws in their hearts
and I will write them on their minds,”
he also says,

“Their sins and their transgressions
I will remember no more.”
Once these have been forgiven, there is no further offering for sin.

RESPONSORY Hebrews 10:5, 6, 7, 4 (Psalm 40:7-8)

Sacrifice and offerings you did not desire, but you prepared a body for me. Burnt offerings for sin could not please you. So I said:
– Here I am, Lord God, I come to do your will.

The blood of bulls and goats could never take away sins. When Christ came into the world he said:
– Here I am, Lord God, I come to do your will.

Second reading
From a sermon by Saint Andrew of Crete, bishop
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the king of Israel

Let us go together to meet Christ on the Mount of Olives. Today he returns from Bethany and proceeds of his own free will toward his holy and blessed passion, to consummate the mystery of our salvation. He who came down from heaven to raise us from the depths of sin, to raise us with himself, we are told in Scripture, above every sovereignty, authority and power, and every other name that can be named, now comes of his own free will to make his journey to Jerusalem. He comes without pomp or ostentation. As the psalmist says: He will not dispute or raise his voice to make it heard in the streets. He will be meek and humble, and he will make his entry in simplicity.

Let us run to accompany him as he hastens toward his passion, and imitate those who met him then, not by covering his path with garments, olive branches or palms, but by doing all we can to prostrate ourselves before him by being humble and by trying to live as he would wish. Then we shall be able to receive the Word at his coming, and God, whom no limits can contain, will be within us.

In his humility Christ entered the dark regions of our fallen world and he is glad that he became so humble for our sake, glad that he came and lived among us and shared in our nature in order to raise us up again to himself. And even though we are told that he has now ascended above the highest heavens—the proof, surely, of his power and godhead—his love for man will never rest until he has raised our earthbound nature from glory to glory, and made it one with his own in heaven.

So let us spread before his feet, not garments or soulless olive branches, which delight the eye for a few hours and then wither, but ourselves, clothed in his grace, or rather, clothed completely in him. We who have been baptized into Christ must ourselves be the garments that we spread before him. Now that the crimson stains of our sins have been washed away in the saving waters of baptism and we have become white as pure wool, let us present the conqueror of death, not with mere branches of palms but with the real rewards of his victory. Let our souls take the place of the welcoming branches as we join today in the children’s holy song: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the king of Israel.

RESPONSORY John 12:12, 13; Matthew 21:8, 9

When the people heard that Jesus was entering Jerusalem, they went out to meet him. Many spread their cloaks before him, while others took branches from the trees, as they cried aloud:
– Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

The crowd that went ahead of him, and the crowd that followed after cried out:
– Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Almighty ever-living God,
who as an example of humility
for the human race to follow,
caused our savior to take flesh
and submit to the Cross,
graciously grant that
we may heed his lesson of patient suffering
and so merit a share in his Resurrection.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
– Amen.

ACCLAMATION (only added when praying in community)

Let us praise the Lord.
– And give him thanks.

[markomalley]

Apr 01, Morning Prayer for Sunday of Holy Week

Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. II:
Ordinary: 1049
Proper of Seasons: 420
Psalter: Sunday, Week II, 1218

Christian Prayer:
Ordinary: 689
Proper of Seasons: 388
Psalter: Sunday, Week II, 780

Morning Prayer for Passion Sunday in the Holy Week

God, come to my assistance.
– Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

HYMN

Our soul is waiting for God.
Our hearts find joy in the Lord.

My soul is waiting for the Lord
I count on God’s word.
I trust in the goodness of God forever and ever
Lead me O God. I take refuge in You.
As for me I will sing of Your strength
and each morning I bring You up.
I trust in Your mercy for love. My heart rejoices in You.
The Lord is my strength, my song, my salvation.
In God I trust I’m not afraid.
Give thanks to the Lord, proclaim God’s deeds, cry out for joy and gladness.

We welcome members of our community to contribute the missing lyrics for “Our soul is waiting” by Taize“Our soul is waiting”; Artist: Taize is available from Amazon.com

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 The great crowd that had gathered for the feast cried out to the Lord: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

Psalm 118
Song of joy for salvation
This Jesus is the stone which, rejected by you builders, has become the chief stone supporting all the rest (Acts 4:11).

Give thanks to the Lord for he is good,
for his love endures for ever.

Let the sons of Israel say:
“His love endures for ever.”
Let the sons of Aaron say:
“His love endures for ever.”
Let those who fear the Lord say:
“His love endures for ever.”

I called to the Lord in my distress;
he answered and freed me.
The Lord is at my side; I do not fear.
What can man do against me?
The Lord is at my side as my helper:
I shall look down on my foes.

It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in men:
it is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.

The nations all encompassed me;
in the Lord’s name I crushed them.
They compassed me, compassed me about;
in the Lord’s name I crushed them.
They compassed me about like bees;
they blazed like a fire among thorns.
In the Lord’s name I crushed them.

I was hard-pressed and was falling
but the Lord came to help me.
The Lord is my strength and my song;
he is my savior.
There are shouts of joy and victory
in the tents of the just.

The Lord’s right hand has triumphed;
his right hand raised me up.
The Lord’s right hand has triumphed;
I shall not die, I shall live
and recount his deeds.
I was punished, I was punished by the Lord,
but not doomed to die.

Open to me the gates of holiness:
I will enter and give thanks.
This is the Lord’s own gate
where the just may enter.
I will thank you for you have answered
and you are my savior.

The stone which the builders rejected
has become the corner stone.
This is the work of the Lord,
a marvel in our eyes.
This day was made by the Lord;
we rejoice and are glad.

O Lord, grant us salvation;
O Lord, grant success.
Blessed in the name of the Lord
is he who comes.
We bless you from the house of the Lord;
the Lord God is our light.

Go forward in procession with branches
even to the altar.
You are my God, I thank you.
My God, I praise you.

Give thanks to the Lord for he is good;
for his love endures for ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Psalm-prayer

Lord God, you have given us the great day of rejoicing: Jesus Christ, the stone rejected by the builders, has become the cornerstone of the Church, our spiritual home. Shed upon your Church the rays of your glory, that it may be seen as the gate of salvation open to all nations. Let cries of joy and exultation ring out from its tents, to celebrate the wonder of Christ’s resurrection.

Ant. The great crowd that had gathered for the feast cried out to the Lord: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

Ant. 2 God grant that with the angels and the children we may be faithful, and sing with them to the conqueror of death: Hosanna in the highest.

Canticle – Daniel 3:52-57
Let all creatures praise the Lord
The Creator… is blessed for ever (Romans 1:25).

Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.

And blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.

Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and glorious above all forever.

Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.

Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.

Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven,
praiseworthy and glorious forever.

Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord,
praise and exalt him above all forever.

Ant. God grant that with the angels and the children we may be faithful, and sing with them to the conqueror of death: Hosanna in the highest.

Ant. 3 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; peace in heaven and glory in the highest.

Psalm 150
Praise the Lord
Let mind and heart be in your song: this is to glorify God with your whole self (Hesychius).

Praise God in his holy place,
praise him in his mighty heavens.
Praise him for his powerful deeds,
praise his surpassing greatness.

O praise him with sound of trumpet,
praise him with lute and harp.
Praise him with timbrel and dance,
praise him with strings and pipes.

O praise him with resounding cymbals,
praise him with clashing of cymbals.
Let everything that lives and that breathes
give praise to the Lord.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Psalm-prayer

Lord God, maker of heaven and earth and of all created things, you make your just ones holy and you justify sinners who confess your name. Hear us as we humbly pray to you: give us eternal joy with your saints.

Ant. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; peace in heaven and glory in the highest.

READING Zechariah 9:9

Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion,
shout for joy, O daughter, Jerusalem!
See, your king shall come to you;
a just savior is he,
Meek, and riding on an ass,
on a colt, the foal of an ass.

Sacred Silence(indicated by a bell) – a moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church.

RESPONSORY

By your own blood, Lord, you brought us back to God.
– By your own blood, Lord, you brought us back to God.

From every tribe, and tongue, and people and nation,
– you brought us back to God.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
– By your own blood, Lord, you brought us back to God.

CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH

Ant. With palms let us welcome the Lord as he comes, with songs and hymns let us run to meet him, as we offer him our joyful worship and sing: Blessed be the Lord!

Luke 1:68 – 79
The Messiah and his forerunner

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. With palms let us welcome the Lord as he comes, with songs and hymns let us run to meet him, as we offer him our joyful worship and sing: Blessed be the Lord!

INTERCESSIONS

As Christ entered Jerusalem he was greeted as King and Messiah. Let us adore him, and joyfully praise him:
– Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna to you, Son of David, King of the ages,
hosanna to you, victor over death and the powers of darkness.
– Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

You went up to Jerusalem to suffer and so enter into your glory,
lead your Church into the paschal feast of heaven.
– Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

You made your cross the tree of life,
grant its fruit to those reborn in baptism.
– Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Savior of mankind, you came to save sinners,
bring into your kingdom all who have faith, hope and love.
– Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

Concluding Prayer

Almighty ever-living God,
who as an example of humility
for the human race to follow,
caused our savior to take flesh
and submit to the Cross,
graciously grant that
we may heed his lesson of patient suffering
and so merit a share in his Resurrection.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
– Amen.

DISMISSAL

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life.
– Amen.

[markomalley]

Apr 01, Midday Prayer for Sunday of Holy Week

Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. II:
Ordinary: 1054
Proper of Seasons: 425 (Midday)
Psalter: Passion Sunday, 1225

Midday Prayer for Passion Sunday in the Holy Week, using the Current Psalmody

God, come to my assistance.
– Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

HYMN

O sacred head, surrounded
by crown of piercing thorn!
O bleeding head, so wounded,
reviled and put to scorn!
Death’s pallid hue comes over thy
The glow of life decays,
yet angel hosts adore thee
and tremble as they gaze

I see thy strength and vigor
all fading in the strife,
and death with cruel rigor,
bereaving thee of life;
O agony and dying!
O love to sinners free!
Jesus, all grace supplying,
O turn thy face on me.

In this thy bitter passion,
Good Shepherd, think of me
with thy most kind compassion,
unworthy though I be:
beneath thy cross abiding
for ever would I rest,
in thy dear love confiding,
and with thy presence blest.

“O Sacred Head, Surrounded”; Text: Henry Williams Baker (1821-1877), 1861; after Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153); and Paul Gerhardt (1607-1676)

PSALMODY

Ant. I know my own sheep, and my own know me, as the Father knows me and as I know the Father; and I lay down my life for my sheep.

Psalm 23
The Good Shepherd
The Lamb himself will be their shepherd and will lead them to the springs of living waters (Revelation 7:17).

The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures
where he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me,
to revive my drooping spirit.

He guides me along the right path;
he is true to his name.
If I should walk in the valley of darkness
no evil would I fear.
You are there with your crook and your staff;
with these you give me comfort.

You have prepared a banquet for me
in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil;
my cup is overflowing.

Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me
all the days of my life.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell
for ever and ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Psalm-prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, shepherd of your Church, you give us new birth in the waters of baptism, anoint us with saving oil, and call us to salvation at your table. Dispel the terrors of death and the darkness of error. Lead your people along safe paths, that they may rest securely in you and live for ever in your Father’s house.

Psalm 76
Thanksgiving for victory
They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven (Matthew 24:30).

I

God is made known in Judah;
in Israel his name is great.
He set up his tent in Jerusalem
and his dwelling place in Zion.
It was there he broke the flashing arrows,
the shield, the sword, the armor.

You, O Lord, are resplendent,
more majestic than the everlasting mountains.
The warriors, despoiled, slept in death;
the hands of the soldiers were powerless.
At your threat, O God of Jacob,
horse and rider lay stunned.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

II

You, you alone, strike terror.
Who shall stand when your anger is roused?
You uttered your sentence from the heavens;
the earth in terror was still
when God arose to judge,
to save the humble of the earth.

Men’s anger will serve to praise you;
its survivors surround you in joy.
Make vows to your God and fulfill them.
Let all pay tribute to him who strikes terror,
who cuts short the life of princes,
who strikes terror in the kings of the earth.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Psalm-prayer

Your power is awesome, Father, and wonderful is your holiness. In your presence the earth both trembles and stands still, for you shattered death’s power by the cross. Rise to help your people: give your light, and grant salvation to the meek of the earth, that they may praise your name in heaven.

Ant. I know my own sheep, and my own know me, as the Father knows me and as I know the Father; and I lay down my life for my sheep.

READING 1 Peter 4:13-14

Rejoice in the measure that you share Christ’s sufferings. When his glory is revealed, you will rejoice exultantly. Happy are you when you are insulted for the sake of Christ, for then God’s Spirit in its glory has come to rest on you.

Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell)
A moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church.

Ours were the sufferings he bore.
– Ours the weight of guilt he endured.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Almighty ever-living God,
who as an example of humility
for the human race to follow
caused our savior to take flesh
and submit to the Cross,
graciously grant that
we may heed his lesson of patient suffering
and so merit a share in his Resurrection.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
– Amen.

ACCLAMATION (only added when praying in community)

Let us praise the Lord.
– And give him thanks.

[markomalley]

Apr 01, Evening Prayer for Sunday of Holy Week

Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. II:
Ordinary: 1064
Proper of Seasons: 426
Psalter: Sunday, Week II, 1228

Christian Prayer:
Ordinary: 694
Proper of Seasons: 390
Psalter: Sunday, Week II, 786

Evening Prayer II for Passion Sunday in the Holy Week

God, come to my assistance.
– Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

HYMN

Love divine, all loves excelling,
joy of heaven, to earth come down,
fix in us thy humble dwelling,
all thy faithful mercies crown.
Jesus, thou art all compassion,
pure, unbounded love thou art;
visit us with thy salvation,
enter every trembling heart.

Come, almighty to deliver,
let us all thy life receive;
suddenly return, and never,
nevermore thy temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
serve thee as thy hosts above,
pray, and praise thee without ceasing,
glory in thy perfect love.

Finish then thy new creation;
pure and spotless let us be;
let us see thy great salvation
perfectly restored in thee:
changed from glory into glory,
till in heaven we take our place,
till we cast our crowns before thee,
lost in wonder, love, and praise.

“Love divine all loves excelling”; Words: Charles Wesley, 1747. Music: John Zundel, 1870
“Love divine all loves excelling” by Gloucester Cathedral Choir is available from Amazon.com.

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 Christ was scourged and treated with contempt, but God’s right hand has raised him up.

Psalm 110:1-5, 7
The Messiah, king and priest
Christ’s reign will last until all his enemies are made subject to him (1 Corinthians 15:25).

The Lord’s revelation to my Master:
“Sit on my right:
your foes I will put beneath your feet.”

The Lord will wield from Zion
your scepter of power:
rule in the midst of all your foes.

A prince from the day of your birth
on the holy mountains;
from the womb before the dawn I begot you.

The Lord has sworn an oath he will not change.
“You are a priest for ever,
a priest like Melchizedek of old.”

The Master standing at your right hand
will shatter kings in the day of his wrath.

He shall drink from the stream by the wayside
and therefore he shall lift up his head.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Psalm-prayer

Almighty God, bring the kingdom of Christ, your anointed one, to its fullness. May the perfect offering of your Son, eternal priest of the new Jerusalem, be offered in every place to your name, and make all nations a holy people for you.

Ant. Christ was scourged and treated with contempt, but God’s right hand has raised him up.

Ant. 2 The blood of Christ washes away our sins and makes us worthy to serve the living God.

Psalm 115
Praise of the true God
You have renounced idol worship to serve the living and true God (1 Thessalonians 1:9).

Not to us, Lord, not to us,
but to your name give the glory
for the sake of your love and your truth,
lest the heathen say: “Where is their God?”

But our God is in the heavens;
he does whatever he wills.
Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.

They have mouths but they cannot speak;
they have eyes but they cannot see;
they have ears but they cannot hear;
they have nostrils but they cannot smell.

With their hands they cannot feel;
with their feet they cannot walk.
No sound comes from their throats.
Their makers will come to be like them
and so will all who trust in them.

Sons of Israel, trust in the Lord;
he is their help and their shield.
Sons of Aaron, trust in the Lord;
he is their help and their shield.

You who fear him, trust in the Lord;
he is their help and their shield.
He remembers us, and he will bless us;
he will bless the sons of Israel.
He will bless the sons of Aaron.

The Lord will bless those who fear him,
the little no less than the great:
to you may the Lord grant increase,
to you and all your children.

May you be blessed by the Lord,
the maker of heaven and earth.
The heavens belong to the Lord
but the earth he has given to men.

The dead shall not praise the Lord,
nor those who go down into the silence.
But we who live bless the Lord
now and for ever. Amen.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Psalm-prayer

Father, creator and ruler of heaven and earth, you made man in your likeness to subdue the earth and master it, and to recognize the work of your hands in created beauty. Grant that your children, thus surrounded on all sides by signs of your presence, may live continually in Christ, praising you through him and with him.

Ant. The blood of Christ washes away our sins and makes us worthy to serve the living God.

Ant. 3 Christ bore our sins in his own body on the cross so that we might die to sin and be alive to all that is good.

Canticle – 1 Peter 2:21-24
The willing acceptance of his passion by Christ, the servant of God

Christ suffered for you,
and left you an example
to have you follow in his footsteps.

He did no wrong;
no deceit was found in his mouth.
When he was insulted,
he returned no insult.

When he was made to suffer,
he did not counter with threats.
Instead he delivered himself up
to the One who judges justly.

In his own body
he brought your sins to the cross,
so that all of us, dead to sin,
could live in accord with God’s will.
By his wounds you were healed.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Christ bore our sins in his own body on the cross so that we might die to sin and be alive to all that is good.

READING Acts 13:26-30

My brothers, it was to us that this message of salvation was sent forth. The inhabitants of Jerusalem and their rulers failed to recognize him, and in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets which we read Sabbath after Sabbath. Even though they found no charge against him which deserved death, they begged Pilate to have him executed. Once they had thus brought about all that had been written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. Yet God raised him from the dead.

Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell) – a moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church.

RESPONSORY

We worship you, O Christ, and we praise you.
– We worship you, O Christ, and we praise you.

Because by your cross you have redeemed the world.
– We praise you.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– We worship you, O Christ, and we praise you.

CANTICLE OF MARY

Ant. It is written: I will strike the shepherd and his flock shall be scattered. But when I have risen, I will go before you into Galilee. There you shall see me, says the Lord.

Luke 1:46-55
The soul rejoices in the Lord

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. It is written: I will strike the shepherd and his flock shall be scattered. But when I have risen, I will go before you into Galilee. There you shall see me, says the Lord.

INTERCESSIONS

The Savior of mankind by dying destroyed death and by rising again restored life. Let us humbly ask him:
– Sanctify your people, redeemed by your blood.

Redeemer of the world, give us a greater share of your passion through a deeper spirit of repentance,
so that we may share the glory of your resurrection.
– Sanctify your people, redeemed by your blood.

May your Mother, comfort of the afflicted, protect us,
may we console others as you console us.
– Sanctify your people, redeemed by your blood.

Look with love on those who suffer because of our indifference,
come to their aid, and turn our uncaring hearts to works of justice and charity.
– Sanctify your people, redeemed by your blood.

You humbled yourself by being obedient even to accepting death, death on a cross,
give all who serve you the gifts of obedience and patient endurance.
– Sanctify your people, redeemed by your blood.

Transform the bodies of the dead to be like your own in glory,
and bring us at last into their fellowship.
– Sanctify your people, redeemed by your blood.

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

Concluding Prayer

Almighty ever-living God,
who as an example of humility
for the human race to follow,
caused our savior to take flesh
and submit to the Cross,
graciously grant that
we may heed his lesson of patient suffering
and so merit a share in his Resurrection.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
– Amen.

DISMISSAL

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life.
– Amen.

[markomalley]

Apr 01, Night Prayer for Sunday of Holy Week

Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol II:
Page 1628

Christian Prayer:
Page 1037

Night Prayer after Evening Prayer II in Lent

God, come to my assistance.
– Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Examination of conscience:

We are called to have a clear conscience toward God and toward men, in our hearts and in our minds, in our actions and inactions. To do so, it is vital that we examine our conscience daily and to ask for God’s mercy as we fall short and to ask for His strength to do better.

Kýrie, eléison
– Kýrie, eléison

Christé, eléison
– Christé, eléison

Kýrie, eléison
– Kýrie, eléison

HYMN

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
the darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
earth’s joys grow dim; its glories pass away;
change and decay in all around I see;
O thou who changest not, abide with me.

I need thy presence every passing hour.
What but thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who, like thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.

I fear no foe, with thee at hand to bless;
ills have no weight, and tears not bitterness.
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if thou abide with me.

Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes;
shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.
Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
in life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

“Abide With Me” by Norwich Cathedral Choir; Text: Henry F. Lyte, 1793-1847; Music: W.H. Monk, 1823-1889; Tune: EVENTIDE, Meter: 10 10.10 10

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 Night holds no terrors for me sleeping under God’s wings.

Psalm 91
Safe in God’s sheltering care
I have given you the power to tread upon serpents and scorpions (Luke 10:19).

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
and abides in the shade of the Almighty
says to the Lord: “My refuge,
my stronghold, my God in whom I trust!”

It is he who will free you from the snare
of the fowler who seeks to destroy you;
he will conceal you with his pinions
and under his wings you will find refuge.

You will not fear the terror of the night
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the plague that prowls in the darkness
nor the scourge that lays waste at noon.

A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand fall at your right,
you, it will never approach;
his faithfulness is buckler and shield.

Your eyes have only to look
to see how the wicked are repaid,
you who have said: “Lord, my refuge!”
and have made the Most High your dwelling.

Upon you no evil shall fall,
no plague approach where you dwell.
For you has he commanded his angels,
to keep you in all your ways.

They shall bear you upon their hands
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
On the lion and the viper you will tread
and trample the young lion and the dragon.

Since he clings to me in love, I will free him;
protect him for he knows my name.
When he calls I shall answer: “I am with you,”
I will save him in distress and give him glory.

With length of life I will content him;
I shall let him see my saving power.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Night holds no terrors for me sleeping under God’s wings.

READING Revelation 22:4-5

They shall see the Lord face to face and bear his name on their foreheads. The night shall be no more. They will need no light from lamps or the sun, for the Lord God shall give them light, and they shall reign forever.

RESPONSORY

Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
– Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.

You have redeemed us, Lord God of truth.
– I commend my spirit.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
– Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.

GOSPEL CANTICLE

Ant. Protect us, Lord, as we stay awake; watch over us as we sleep, that awake, we may keep watch with Christ, and asleep, rest in his peace.

Luke 2:29-32
Christ is the light of the nations and the glory of Israel

Lord, now you let your servant go in peace;
your word has been fulfilled:

my own eyes have seen the salvation
which you have prepared in the sight of every people:

a light to reveal you to the nations
and the glory of your people Israel.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Protect us, Lord, as we stay awake; watch over us as we sleep, that awake, we may keep watch with Christ, and asleep, rest in his peace.

Concluding Prayer

Lord,
we have celebrated today
the mystery of the rising of Christ to new life.
May we now rest in your peace,
safe from all that could harm us,
and rise again refreshed and joyful,
to praise you throughout another day.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
– Amen.

Blessing

May the all-powerful Lord grant us a restful night and a peaceful death.
– Amen.

Antiphon or song in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary

[Salvation]

Passiontide and Holy Week

Passiontide and Holy Week

Passiontide

Christ became, for our sake, obedient unto death,
even the death of the Cross.
Philippians 2:8

Contents:
The Celebration of Passiontide
Passion Sunday - Blessed palms and Palm procession
Holy Week - Confession and Easter Duty
The Triduum - Tenebrae

See also Paschalis Sollemnitatis - Vatican Letter on Preparations for Holy Week and Easter - Congregation for Divine Worship
--------- Confession - Penance
--------- Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday

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PASSIONTIDE is the last two weeks of Lent, when the readings and prayers of the liturgy focus on the Passion of Our Lord. The word "passion", in the Christian sense, does not mean an intense emotion; it refers to the historical events of Jesus' suffering and death.

Although for several centuries the Fifth Sunday of Lent was known as Passion Sunday, after the Second Vatican Council this name was restored to the Sunday at beginning of Holy Week , formerly called Palm Sunday. As a penitential season of the Church, Passiontide is evidently even more ancient than Lent.

Devotions and Prayers for Passiontide

Among the traditional non-liturgical devotions of Passiontide are saying the Stations of the Cross, praying the Rosary, meditating on the five Sorrowful Mysteries, and saying the five prayers in honor of Christ's five wounds.

The Sorrowful Mysteries are: 1. The Agony in the Garden; 2. The Scourging at the Pillar; 3. The Crowning with Thorns; 4. The Carrying of the Cross; 5. The Crucifixion and Death of Our Lord on the Cross.

There are many booklets containing meditations on the Rosary. Father Romano Guardini's The Rosary (Sophia Institute Press) is excellent, and The Handbook of Prayers (Midwest Theological Forum) contains the Rosary and many other prayers (see links page to contact these publishers). Pope John Paul II's meditations in The Light of Christ is a good resource for this and other devotions.

It is fitting, during this season, that we remember Mary and her inexpressible grief at the suffering and death of her Son.

Another ancient devotion for this season was The Seven Sorrows [Dolors] of Mary. Christian believers appealed to Mary, the Mother of Sorrows who publicly shared in her Son's suffering on the road to Calvary, taking all things upon herself ­ concern, affliction and sorrow.

This devotion listed the Seven Sorrows of Mary as: 1. The prophecy of Simeon, 2. The flight to Egypt, 3. The loss of the Child Jesus in the temple, 4. His way of the Cross, 5. His Crucifixion, 6. The piercing of His heart on Calvary, and 7. His burial in the tomb.

The famous hymn associated with this devotion is the Stabat Mater Dolorosa (Stands the Sorrowful Mother) which was originally written for private devotion in the late 13th century and traditionally attributed to the Franciscan, Jacopone da Todi. The words in English and Latin are in the music section of the Lent-Easter Family source book.

Both Latin and English words to the Stabat Mater are on this site, and both words and music are in The Adoremus Hymnal, nos.400 and 401. (For information about The Adoremus Hymnal see the Adoremus website, www.adoremus.org, or contact Ignatius Press - see links page.)

All of the events of Our Lord's Passion have been the subjects of works of great Christian art. A good activity with children would be to look at and talk about some of these beautiful works, either in books or, if you're fortunate enough to live near one, an art museum.

These words of St. Paul to the Philippians [2:8] might be recited during the two weeks before Easter, along with the Act of Hope, at morning, bedtime or mealtime prayers:

Christ became, for our sake, obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross.

Act of Hope

O my God, knowing thy almighty power, and thy infinite goodness and mercy,
I hope in thee that, by the merits of the Passion and Death of our Saviour Jesus Christ,
thou wilt grant me eternal life, which thou hast promised to all such as shall do the works of a good Christian;
and these I resolve to do, with the help of thy Grace. Amen +

Passion (Palm) Sunday 

Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Hosanna in excelcis!

Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!

Holy Week, the most solemn and intense period of worship in the Christian faith, begins with Passion Sunday, the Sunday before Easter. In spite of the spiritual gravity of Holy Week, it begins with joy; for on this Sunday, the Church celebrates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem which foretells the victory of His Resurrection and His return to earth in glory; and with the first reading of the Passion in the liturgies of Holy Week, the Church begins her commemorative pilgrimage with her Lord on His way to Calvary.

Liturgical commemoration of the Passion actually begins during the fifth week of Lent, when Masses are focused on the power of the Cross and the Kingship of Christ. Until the liturgical reforms just before the Second Vatican Council restored important liturgical elements of the early Church which had gradually disappeared (the Easter Vigil, for example), the Fifth Sunday of Lent was called Passion Sunday, and the Sunday beginning Holy Week was called Palm Sunday. Earliest accounts describing the beginning of Holy Week speak of Passion Sunday.

Blessed Palms

The blessing and distribution of palms takes place on Passion Sunday, and altar decorations are palm branches rather than flowers. The palms are solemnly blessed by the priest, and each worshipper holds the blessed palm during the singing of the ancient hymn, Gloria Laus ("All Glory, Laud and Honor") and during reading of the Passion.

These solemnly blessed palms are sacramentals, or signs of Christ's grace which help Christians in the practice of the faith, and, as they are associated with Christ's triumph, the palms symbolize victory over spiritual danger and death. For this reason, palms are associated with martyrdom, and often appear in paintings and sculpture of those who were martyred for the faith. This also explains the old custom of burning a palm in the stove in time of danger (from a threatening storm, for example).

As the blessed palms are sacramentals, then, Catholics keep them in their homes, customarily placing them behind the crucifix. The ashes used on Ash Wednesday come from the burning of blessed palms.

This Sunday was also sometimes called the Pasch of Flowers in European countries, because throughout the Middle Ages flowers were blessed on this day along with palms and olive branches. (The State of Florida is so named because Ponce de Leon landed there on Pasqua Florida Sunday.) The words "pasch" and "paschal" come from the Hebrew word "pesach'" meaning "passage" or "passover."

The Passion Sunday liturgy, incorporating both the blessing of the palms and commemoration of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem to the joyous Hosannas of the people, and the reading of the Passion Gospel, combines two contrasting elements .The two parts are linked by the traditional procession which follows the blessing and distribution of the palms and which leads into the Sacrifice of the Mass; hence symbolically reproducing the historical event of Our Lord's royal entry into Jerusalem which signifies the actual meeting of the Church with Christ; moreover, His entry foretells the entry of the faithful into the eternal Jerusalem, the Kingdom of Heaven.

Palm Procession

According to the account of a fifth-century Spanish pilgrim to the Holy Land, Passion Sunday Mass was celebrated in Jerusalem at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. After this the people were invited to meet again in the afternoon at the Mount of Olives, in the Church of Eleona (the grotto of the Our Father). They then proceeded to the Church of the Ascension for a service consisting of hymns and antiphons, readings and prayers, where at five o'clock in the afternoon the Gospel of the palms was read and the procession set out for the city. The people responded to the antiphons with the acclamation, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord," as we say even today.

All these pilgrims carried palms, and with their little children in their arms they escorted the bishop (who represented the Savior) to the Church of the Resurrection where the processsion ended with Vespers (evening prayer).

This palm procession was introduced in the West first in France and then in Italy. In the Middle Ages the custom began of carving a wooden statue of Christ seated on a donkey which was then placed on a cart, the center of the procession. These statues were called Palm Donkeys or Palmesels, and some are preserved in museums.

In medieval Rome the papal procession set out from the papal residence at the Lateran, then the official headquarters of the Popes as the Vatican is now. The palms were blessed by a cardinal and some were distributed by acolytes at the ancient Church of St. Sylvester nearby. The Pope alsodistributed them himself in the Hall of Leo IV at the Lateran.

 

Holy Week

At the Name of Jesus, every knee should bend
for the Lord became obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross.
Philippians 2:10,8

HOLY WEEK has been held in great reverence since the very early years of the Church. No other Christian observance has interested the world so much as Holy Week. For the rituals of the Church during these few days of each year, so complex and so laden with meaning, emphatically and prophetically proclaim to the entire world the liberating and redeeming and perpetual truth of the Gospel the Good News that Christ has died, Christ is risen and Christ will come again.

As early as the fourth century, St. John Chrysostom referred to Holy Week as The Great Week, "Not that it has more days in it than other weeks, or that its days are made up of more hours than other days; but we call it great, because of the great mysteries which are then celebrated" [Homily 30, on Genesis]. In other Christian cultures we find the week before Easter referred to by several names such as the Painful Week (Hebdomada Poenosa) because of the sufferings of the Christ and of the fatigue and physical sacrifice required of the faithful in observing them.

Although in our time and nation the Church's only required food fast is to restrict meals (fast) and to abstain from meat (abstinence) on Good Friday, we learn from medieval Church documents that Christians observed a strict fast from Monday of Holy Week to the cock-crow of Easter Day. A very strict fast was usually observed from Thursday evening to Easter morning.

History also tells us that early Christian rulers issued decrees forbidding not only festive activities but also work in trade, business, and the courts. Holy Week, it was decreed, was to be spent in contemplation and meditation and the faithful were be free from worldly concerns as much as possible. (Clearly this was before anyone had the idea of "separation of Church and State.") 

Confession and the Easter Duty

The discipline of fasting from food is not the only nor even the primary way in which we must prepare our entire selves ­ body and soul ­ to receive the benefits of our Savior's redeeming sacrifice. Physical fasting is not enough.

St. Paul warns us that "you cannot belong to Christ Jesus unless you crucify all your self-indulgent passions and desires" [Galations 5:24]. We are powerless to do this alone. We must have God's help. In order to receive Christ and in order to prepare ourselves for our responsibility for His mission on earth, we must be drawn ever closer to Him in prayer and action. But sin separates us from Him. We must be convinced of our sins, repent, receive forgiveness and be reconciled to God.

Through His Grace we must try to become holy, "perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect." This is why the Church calls all her people, especially at this time of year, to the Sacrament of Penance, to perform their Easter Duty. At least once each year during the Easter season Catholics are required to confess sins, receive absolution and receive Communion in order to remain truly members of the the Church.

This is what the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council, like the early Fathers of the Church, tried to teach us with the emphasis on personal awareness of how we have offended God and need His forgiveness. As Pope John Paul II said "The awareness of sin, in which the person knows before whom and towards whom he is guilty, is an indispensable pre-condition for obtaining the objective value of forgiveness. This is because He against whom the sin is committed and who is therefore offended is also the Father who has the power to fogive it." And this is what the Church invites us no, implores us to do during Holy Week.

Related pages on this site: Act of Contrition -- Confession-Penance -- Fast and Abstinence

The Triduum

In the Triduum, or Three Days, Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday ,the Church gives us a singularly dramatic, intense and richly symbolic expression of the very heart of Christian belief. Even in our unspiritual time and culture, the Triduum and Easter reaffirm the essence of the Church's central beliefs in the strongest possible way a way which penetrates the deepest recesses of the human heart, and calls forth a response from all, young and old, rich and poor, and in every state of life.

Through the Church's continued observance of many ancient liturgical traditions, and also the restoration of the ancient Easter Vigil, the liturgical expression of these core truths of the faith during Holy Week is without parallel. Although the penitential season is now less severe than in times past, and some inspiring symbols and devotions were lost in the confusion of rapid and sometimes erroneous liturgical changes after the Second Vatican Council, for the believing Catholic the days of Holy Week make it possible even for us, who are so easily distracted by the world and its enticements, to concentrate with our entire being on the Events which assured us of God's inestimable love, and which made possible our Salvation.

By participating in the liturgy of the Church and by increasing our own observance of these holy days in our homes, we can deepen our understanding of these Events in the history of Salvation.

Tenebræ

The Latin word Tenebræ means "darkness." Tenebræ is very ancient service of prayers in the Church which takes place during the darkness of night. Many parishes are now reviving this extraordinarily moving service which consists of three sets of Psalms and verses from the Lamentations of Jeremiah chanted on each of three nights of Holy Week: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. (Originally this was a service of Matins said in monasteries before dawn on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday; but it customarily takes place the evenings before.)

The service begins with the nave of the church in darkness, except for a candelabrum on a stand in the sanctuary, usually containing fifteen candles arranged in an inverted `v', called a `Tenebræ hearse.' As each lamentation, introduced with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, is chanted one of the candles is extinguished until only one, representing the Light of Christ remains. Then this is extinguished, leaving the church in darkness. The ministers and cantor leave the sanctuary, and a loud noise like a thunderclap (representing the earthquake during the Crucifixion) is heard; after which a single candle representing the Light of Christ is brought in, placed on the altar and the people leave in silence.

This is a very impressive service, and we hope you are able to attend with your children at least once during the Triduum. If your parish does not have Tenebræ it is worth trying to find a place that does.

If you have young children you might consider using the adaptation of this service in this book, Stations of the Cross. It is by no means as powerful as real Tenebræ, celebrated in church, but it does retain the symbolism of Christ as our Light, and it may be a workable substitute if your children are little or if the real service is not available where you live. (See Stations of the Cross.)

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 Also see: Seder Meal for Christians

[Salvation]

Information: St. Hugh of Grenoble

Feast Day:	April 1
Born:	1053 at Chateauneuf, Dauphiné, France
Died:	1 April 1132
Canonized:	1134 by Pope Innocent II

[Salvation]

 

Catholic

Almanac:

Sunday, April 1
Liturgical Color: Violet
Pope Leo XI became pope on this day in 1605. He immediately became ill and died 27 days later. As pope he was pressed to name his nephew a cardinal but refused in order to avoid the appearance of nepotism.

[Salvation]

Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for: April 01, 2012
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Almighty ever-living God, who as an example of humility for the human race to follow caused our Savior to take flesh and submit to the Cross, graciously grant that we may heed his lesson of patient suffering and so merit a share in his Resurrection. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

• Almond Milk
• Almond Milk Frumenty
• Fig Pudding
• Fig Swirl
• Frumenty
• Pea Soup
• Pease Porridge
• Yellow Split Pea Soup

ACTIVITIES

• A Jonas (Jonah) Project
• Blessed Palms in the Home
• Carling or Passion Sunday
• Fun Pretzel Project
• Gloria Laus et Honor (All Glory, Laud and Honor)
• Holy Week in the Catholic Tradition
• Jonas and Holy Week
• Lenten Customs of the Russian Germans
• Music for Lent and Easter: St. Matthew Passion by Bach
• O Head All Scarred and Bleeding
• Open, O Hard and Sinful Heart!
• Palm Sunday
• Palm Sunday and Holy Week in the Home
• Palm Sunday Festivities
• Palm Sunday Procession
• Palm Sunday Procession
• Purple Shrouds
• Shrouding of Statues and Crucifixes
• Traditions related to Palm Sunday

PRAYERS

• Prayer Before a Crucifix
• Prayer for Palm Sunday and Holy Week
• Sacrifice Beads
• Way of the Cross
• To Keep A True Lent

Lent: April 1st

  Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord Old Calendar: Palm Sunday

So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!" And Jesus found a young ass and sat upon it; as it is written, "Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on an ass's colt (Jn 12:13-15)!"

Today we commemorate Christ's entry into Jerusalem for the completion of the Paschal Mystery. In the old calendar before Vatican II, the Church celebrated Passion Sunday two Sundays before Easter, and then Palm Sunday was the beginning of Holy Week. The Church has combined the two to reinforce the solemnity of Holy Week.

The Palm Sunday procession is formed of Christians who, in the "fullness of faith," make their own the gesture of the Jews and endow it with its full significance. Following the Jews' example we proclaim Christ as a Victor... Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord. But by our faith we know, as they did not, all that His triumph stands for. He is the Messiah, the Son of David and the Son of God. He is the sign of contradiction, acclaimed by some and reviled by others. Sent into this world to wrest us from sin and the power of Satan, He underwent His Passion, the punishment for our sins, but issues forth triumphant from the tomb, the victor over death, making our peace with God and taking us with Him into the kingdom of His Father in heaven.

Click here for commentary on the readings in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

Stational Church

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Liturgy for Palm Sunday
The priests and deacons wear red vestments for Mass. There is a special entrance at the beginning of each Mass, either simple or solemn. This includes a blessing of the palms and the gospel reading of the entrance into Jerusalem (Matt 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10; John 12:12-16; Luke 19:28-40). The introduction by the priest explains the solemnity of Holy Week, and invites the faithful to take full part in the celebration:

Dear friends in Christ, for five weeks of Lent we have been preparing, by works of charity and self-sacrifice, for the celebration of our Lord's paschal mystery. Today we come together to begin this solemn celebration in union with the whole Church throughout the world. Christ entered in triumph into his own city, to complete his work as our Messiah: to suffer, to die, and to rise again. Let us remember with devotion this entry which began his saving work and follow him with a lively faith. United with him in his suffering on the cross, may we share his resurrection and new life.

The palms are blessed with the following prayer:

Almighty God, we pray you bless these branches and make them holy. Today we joyfully acclaim Jesus our Messiah and King. May we reach one day the happiness of the new and everlasting Jerusalem by faithfully following him who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

As the faithful, we remember and dramatize Christ's triumphal entrance into Jerusalem on a donkey. In Jesus' time, a huge crowd assembled, put their cloaks or branches on the ground, and waved palm branches, acclaiming Christ as the King of Israel, the Son of David. We now wave our palm branches and sing as the priest enters the church:

Hosanna to the Son of David, the King of Israel.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

These words of praise are echoed every day at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at the Sanctus (Holy, Holy).

Our joy is quickly subdued. We are jolted to reality and see the purpose of Christ coming to Jerusalem by the reading of the Passion at the Gospel. (Written by Jennifer Gregory Miller)

Things to Do:

• The palms distributed at Mass are blessed, so are sacramentals. Read Blessed Palms in the Home.

• Read Fr. Roger Landry's homily for Palm Sunday.

• This is also known as "Carling Sunday" after carling peas. Peas porridge would be an appropriate dish for today. See recipes for suggestions and history behind this tradition.

• This is also known as "Fig Sunday" due to the tradition that Christ ate figs after his entry into Jerusalem. Adding some type of figs to your meal would be a nice touch.

• Read the short passages from Directory on Popular Piety concerning Holy Week and Palm Sunday.

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The Station at Rome is in the church of St. John Lateran which represents the Holy City Jerusalem which Christ and we, His disciples, have just entered. It is the first cathedral of Rome, where Emperor Constantine allowed the Pope to set up the episcopal chair after 312.

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Mark 14:1–15:47

Passion Sunday

Crucify him! (Mark 15:13)

St. Francis de Sales once wrote: “I especially commend earnest mental prayer … upon the life and Passion of our Lord. If you contemplate him frequently in meditation, your whole soul will be filled with him, you will grow in his likeness, and your actions will be molded on his.” Francis knew that if we want to see real transformation in our lives, we need to dwell deeply on the cross.

One of the best ways to do this is to imagine yourself in the upper room, in Gethsemane, or on the mount of crucifixion. Picture yourself sitting next to Jesus as he consecrates the bread and wine. What does his voice sound like? What is the expression on his face? Gaze into his eyes as he stands before Pilate and receives his death sentence. Why is he silent? What is going through his mind as he hears the crowd crying out for his crucifixion?

So often we think that what we do is what matters most. It does mat­ter, but what God wants to do in us matters even more. This is why it is so important to contemplate the Passion, opening ourselves to God’s grace as we do.

Fr. Karl Rahner, one of the great theologians of Vatican II, once wrote: “We cannot deny that here below man can have experiences of grace that give him a feeling of liberation, open totally new horizons to him, make a deep impression on him, transform him, shaping, even over a long period of time, his deepest Christian attitude.” This is what really matters! This is how we can become more like Christ.

God wants to fill us with grace as we ponder the Passion this week. He wants to make a deep impression in our souls and cut us to the heart with his love. So look up to heaven every day this week, and thank him for giv­ing himself to you so fully.

“Jesus, I am amazed at your love. Your mercy leaves me at a loss for words. All I can say is Thank You!”

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Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion

(Isaiah 50:4-7; Psalm 22:8-9,17-20,23-24; Philippians 2:6-11; Mark 14:1–15:47)

1. Passion or Palm Sunday begins Holy Week, when we are all called to relive and to celebrate the events, which went before and surrounded Christ’s death and resurrection, the inexhaustible source of our salvation. We begin by recalling Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. He is a sign of contradiction, acclaimed by some and reviled by others. In what ways can Jesus be a sign of contradiction in your own lives: acclaimed at times, ignored at other times, and even hated during times of suffering?

2. In the first reading and the responsorial Psalm we begin to get a vivid glimpse of what Jesus suffered for us. Don’t let the words slip by because they are so familiar to you. Let your imagination visualize what it must have been like for the Son of God to have been beaten, scoffed at, mocked, and pierced for YOU. How well are you able to use your imagination to allow yourself to enter more deeply into the Holy Week events? In what other ways can you “keep watch” with Jesus through this Holy Week of suffering and death on the cross?

3. In the second reading we learn that Christ “emptied” himself and humbled himself when he became man. St. Augustine called humility the “royal road”. It is the road Christ took when he became man and it is the only way we can get back to God. How important to you is your sense of self and pride in your own worth and talents? Does it ever interfere in your relations with others? How do you react when you have been humbled or criticized or even rejected?

4. It is said that St. Mark wrote his Gospel for the Gentile’s whom he desired to bring to believe in Jesus’ divinity. The gentile Roman centurion at the cross professes: “Truly this man was the Son of God.” In what ways do you see Jesus’ divinity in his passion, death, and resurrection?

5. In the meditation we read these words, “God wants to fill us with grace as we ponder the Passion this week.” What areas of your life need more of the Lord’s grace? “The meditation goes on to say these words: “He wants to make a deep impression in our souls and cut us to the heart with his love.” What are the obstacles in your life that can keep you experiencing more deeply God’s great love for you? How can you overcome them?

6. Take some time now to pray and thank the Lord for his passion, death, and resurrection and for the love, mercy, and graces that flowed from them. Use the prayer at the end of the meditation as the starting point.

[markomalley]

WDTPRS: Palm Sunday – an example so perfect that it has the power to transform us

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week.  The Sacred Triduum (triduum from tres dies – “three day space”) were once days of obligation when people were freed from servile work so that they could attend the liturgies, once celebrated in the morning.  In the 17th century, however, the obligation was removed under the influence of changing social and religious conditions.  As a result, the faithful lost sight of these beautiful liturgies and in general only priests and religious in monasteries knew them.

In 1951 Pope Pius XII began to restore the Triduum liturgies to prominence by mandating that the Easter Vigil be celebrated in the evening.  In 1953 Mass was permitted in the evening on certain days.  A reformed Ordo for Holy Week was issued in 1955 and took effect on 25 March 1956.   That is when the Sunday of Holy Week came to be called “The Second Sunday in Passiontide, or Palm Sunday”.  Matins and Lauds (Tenebrae, “shadows”) was to be sung in the morning.  Holy Thursday Mass was not to begin before 5 p.m. and no later than 8 p.m.  The idea was to make it easier for people to attend these all important liturgies.

The principal ceremonies of the Palm Sunday Mass include the blessing of palm branches (or olive branches in some parts of the world, such as Rome) and a procession around and into the church.  In the present Missale Romanum an interesting rubric about the procession harkens to ancient times:

“At a suitable hour the “collect” is made (fit collecta)in a lesser church or in another appropriate place outside the church toward which the procession marches.”

Here is our word “collect” used to describe a gathering of people.

Also in the rubrics there is something helpful for our understanding of “active participation”:

“Then as is customary the priest greets the people; and then there is given a brief admonition, by which the faithful are invited to participate actively and consciously (actuose et conscie participandam) in this day’s celebration.”

Those words actuose et conscie are very important.  The Second Vatican Council, when using the term actuosa participatio or “active participation”, meant mainly interior participation, the engaging of the mind, heart and will.  The Council Fathers did not mean primarily exterior participation.  Exterior participation should be the natural result of interior participation: we seek to express outwardly what we are experiencing within.  While the two influence each other, there is a logical priority to interior participation, which is by far the more important.

At the end of the procession, when everyone is gathered in the church, the priest says the…

COLLECT (2002MR):
Omnipotens sempiterne Deus,
qui humano generi, ad imitandum humilitatis exemplum,
Salvatorem nostrum carnem sumere
et crucem subire fecisti,
concede propitius,
ut et patientiae ipsius habere documenta
et resurrectionis consortia mereamur.

The vocabulary of today’s Collect is incredibly complex.  We can only scratch at a fraction of what is there.

Our prayer was in older editions of the Missale Romanum and, before them, in the Gelasian Sacramentary.  In the Gelasian there is an extra helpful et: Salvatorem nostrum et carnem sumere, et crucem subire.  Wonderfully alliterative!  The editor of the Gelasian excludes a comma, which makes sense to me: qui humano generi_ad imitandum…. There may be a touch of St. Augustine’s (+430) influence in the prayer.  In Augustine humilitatis appears with exemplum on close conjunction with documentum (ep. 194.3) and with documentum and patientiae in proximity to exemplum (en. ps. 29 en. 2.7).  In the context of the Passion Augustine says: “Therefore, the Lord Himself, judge of the living and the dead, stands before a human judge (Pilate), offering us a decisive lesson of humility and patience (humilitatis et patientiae documentum), not defeated, but giving the soldier an example of how one wages war (pugnandi exemplum): …”

There are two words for “example” here: exemplum…documenta. These words appear together in numerous classical and patristic texts. Our startlingly useful Lewis & Short Dictionary informs us that our old friend exemplum means, “a sample for imitation, instruction, proof, a pattern, model, original, example….”  Exemplum is a term in ancient rhetoric, an inseparable part of the warp and weft of the development of Christian doctrine during the first millennium.

For Fathers of the Church, all well-trained in rhetoric (how we need those skills today), exemplum identified a range of things including man as God’s image, Christ as a Teacher, and the content of prophecy.   In Greek and Roman rhetoric and philosophy, an exemplum could have auctoritas, “authority”, the persuasive force of an argument.  When we hear today’s prayer with ancient ears, exemplum is not merely an “example” to be followed: it indicates a past event with such authoritative force that it transforms him who imitates it.  Today we hear humilitatis exemplum, the authoritative model of humility who is Christ – Christ in action, or rather Christ in Passion, undergoing His sufferings for our sake.  This becomes the foundational and authoritative pattern of the Christian experience: self-emptying in the Incarnation and Passion leading to resurrection.   Exemplum is augmented later in the prayer by documenta.  Documentum is also a “pattern for imitation” like exemplum but also in some contexts having the meaning of “a proof”, that is, a concrete demonstration that what is asserted is true: evidence.   In this case it is a paradigm after which we are to pattern and shape our own lives.  But this pattern or model itself actually has power to shape us.  Christ transforms us the baptized who are made in his image and likeness, after his perfect exemplum, and who imitate His exempla and documenta, His words and deeds.

Consortium (from con-sors… having the same lot/fate/destiny with something or someone) classically is a “community of goods” and “fellowship, participation, society.”

Habere has a vast entry in the L&S. The common meaning is “have”, but it also indicates concepts like “hold, account, esteem, consider, regard” as well as “have as a habit, peculiarity, or characteristic.”  Habere is doing double-duty with two objects, documenta and consortia. This is why I use both “grasp” for the first application of habere and “have” for the second.  The meanings of the two different objects draw our two different senses of habere.

Patientia is from patior, “to bear, support, undergo, suffer, endure”, and it carries all its connotations as well as the meaning “patience”.  This is where the word “Passion” comes from.  Today is Second Passion Sunday.  We could say here, “examples of His long-suffering” or “exemplary patterns of His patient forbearance.”  Finally, note that nostrum goes with Salvatorem and not with carnem: caro, carnis is feminine and the form would have to have been nostram carnem.

SLAVISHLY LITERAL RENDERING:
Almighty eternal God,
who, for the human race,
made our Savior both assume flesh and undergo the Cross
for an example of humility to be imitated,
graciously grant,
that we may be worthy to grasp both the lessons of His forbearance
and also shares in the resurrection.

OBSOLETE ICEL:
Almighty, ever-living God,
you have given the human race Jesus Christ our Savior,
as a model of humility.
He fulfilled your will
by becoming man and giving his life on the cross.
Help us to bear witness to you
by following his example of suffering
and make us worthy to share in his resurrection.

CURRENT ICEL (2011):
Almighty ever-living God,
who as an example of humility for the human race to follow
caused our Savior to take flesh and submit to the Cross,
graciously grant that we may heed his lesson of patient suffering
and so merit a share in his Resurrection.

More can be said about that phrase patientiae ipsius.  Ipse, a demonstrative pronoun, is emphatic and means “himself, herself, itself”.  Could we personify patientia to mean, “grasp the lessons of Patience itself” or even “of Patience Himself”?   That would be poetically sublime.

In the fullness of time the Second Person of the Trinity, God the Son, the eternal Word through whom all things visible and invisible were made, by the will of the Father emptied Himself of His glory and took our human nature up into an indestructible bond with His own divinity.  He came to us sinners to save us from our sins and teach us who we are (cf. Gaudium et spes 22).  This saving mission began with self-emptying (in Greek kenosis).

Fathom for a moment the humility of the Savior, emptying Himself of His divine splendor, submitting Himself to His humble and hidden life before His public ministry.   When the time of His years and His mission was complete He gave Himself over again, emptying Himself yet again even to giving up His very life.   Every moment of Jesus earthly life, every word and deed, are conditioned by humility.   This is our perfect example to follow, an example so perfect that it has the power to transform us.

As Holy Week begins and the Sacred Triduum is observed, come to the sacramental observance of the sacred and saving mysteries with humble self-emptying.  Make room for Christ.

[Salvation]

Thanks, Markomalley. That was a good one.

[Salvation]

A Christian Pilgrim

JESUS: THE TRUE SUFFERING SERVANT OF THE LORD

(A biblical refection on PASSION SUNDAY [PALM SUNDAY], 1-4-12) 

First Reading: Isaiah 50:4-7 

Psalms: Ps 22:8-9,17-20,23-24; Second Reading: Phil 2:6-11; Gospel Reading: Mk 14:1-15:47 (Mk 15:1-39) 

The Scripture Text

The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him that is weary.

Morning by morning He wakens, he wakens my ear to hear as those who art taught.

The Lord GOD has opened my ear and I was not rebellious, I turned not backward.

I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard;

I hid not my face from shame and spitting.

For the Lord GOD helps me; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. (Is 50:4-7 RSV) 

Today, as we enter into the solemnity of Holy Week, the Church presents to us the person and character of Jesus in clear focus, showing us both the cross and the resurrection of Christ. Through this perspective, we can begin to see more clearly that Jesus’ passion and death were the culmination of a life of dedicated discipleship. We can also see how fully Jesus fulfils the prophet’s portrait of the humble, obedient disciple, the true Suffering Servant of the Lord.

The prophesy from Isaiah shows that Jesus’ attitude to His mission was not marked by dogged determination or pessimism. Rather, filled with the Holy Spirit at His baptism, His strength came from His close fellowship with the Father. Jesus went out to lonely places where the sovereign Lord opened His ear and taught Him the meaning of His eternal plan. There as He prayed, Jesus learned the way of the cross: to suffer and die and rise again so that others might live by His love.

Jesus’ all-consuming desire was to do His Father’s will, and this explained His courage and His ability to comfort others who were weary with sorrows of this life. He faced the obstinacy and hostility of His listeners because He knew that the word He had received from His Father had the power to transform them and give them life.

Jesus longs that we be changed this Holy Week. Our lives can change because the transforming power unleashed on the world by Jesus’ victory over death transforms lives. Perhaps we labor under the burden of a bereavement, sickness, a broken relationship, or difficulty in the family. Nevertheless, prayerful meditation on the passion will bring consolation to our hearts and put our lives in perspective. We can learn from Jesus’ example of dedicated discipleship and in turn grow as dedicated disciples.

Short Prayer: Heavenly Father, You have given the human race Jesus Christ as a model of humility. He fulfilled Your will by becoming man and giving His life on the cross. Help us to bear witness to You by following His example of suffering and make us worthy to share in His resurrection. We ask this in the most precious name of Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Note: Please read also the biblical reflection entitled “JESUS’ AWESOME HUMBLE OBEDIENCE” (Second reading for April 17, 2011: Phil 2:6-11) in this blog; category: BIBLICAL REFLECTIONS 2011.  

[Salvation]

A Christian Pilgrim

JESUS ENTERS JERUSALEM

(A biblical refection on PASSION SUNDAY [PALM SUNDAY] – April 1, 2012) 

Gospel Reading: Mark 11:1-10 [Year B] 

Alternative Gospel Reading: John 12:12-16 

The Scripture Text

And when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples, and said to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately as you ener it you will find a colt tied, on which no none has ever sat; untie it and bring it. If any one says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’” And they went away, and found a colt tied at the door out in the open street; and they untied it. And those who stood there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” and they told them what Jesus had said; and they let them go. And they brought the colt to Jesus, and threw their garments on it; and He sat upon the road, and others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields. And those who went before and those who followed cried out, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is coming! Hosanna in the highest!” (Mk 11:1-10) 

Jesus draws near toJerusalemat Betphage and Bethany to enter the city from the Mount of Olives to the east, since He has come fromJerichonear theJordan river. He is about to begin inJerusalemwhat in Mark’s Gospel is a brief ministry (see Mk 11:1-13:37).

The Prophecy of Zechariah (Zech 9:9) may be in Mark’s thoughts as he describes the preparations for the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, not on a horse but humbly on a young donkey. Jesus tells His disciples to bring a young donkey from a village.

It may have been a previous arrangement with the owner, or the meaning may be that it is God who wants the donkey for His Messiah and shall bring it back with His Messiah sitting upon it.

Some of the disciples spontaneously place their garments on the donkey. Others spread them on the roadway before Him, which again reminds us of the ‘way’ along which Jesus leads His disciples. Others cut leafy branches from the fields on theMount of Olives.

Some disciples go before Him and some follow, but without the great crowds which we find in the Gospel of Matthew. They joyfully sing “Hosanna”, which literally means “Please save” and commonly used as a joyful cry of praise to God. They shout and sing together that Jesus is the one blessed by God who is coming toJerusalemin His name.

He comes as a humble servant ready to give even His life, to ransom the people into the freedom of God’s kingdom. His humble entry reveals He is the Messiah to those who have faith in God, but conceals it from those who seek a different kind of Messiah.

Short Prayer: Hosanna to the Son of David who comes to save us with selfless love. Amen.

[Salvation]

 

Marriage = One Man and One Woman

Til' Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for April 1, 2012:

(Palm Sunday)  From the ecstasy of Palm Sunday to the crucifixion on Good Friday, it all seems so foolish and surreal. Is your life ever like this rollercoaster? How do you calm each other in the midst of joy and tragedy?

[markomalley]

Always a pleasure...

[Salvation]

FAIR WEATHER FRIENDS?

PALM SUNDAY

Pastor’s Column

April 1, 2012

 

            There is an intimate connection between Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, and Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. Traditionally, palms from the previous year are burned to make the ashes for Ash Wednesday. In the same way, the ashes of penance and sacrifice give way to cries of Hosanna on Palm Sunday and the joy of Easter a week later.

 

            We all know that the gladness we hear from the crowds on Palm Sunday is short-lived, for soon other voices will be crying out for the Lord’s death. Christ wishes us to embrace his will, to grant the King an entrance to our heart in both the times of penance and suffering — ashes— and the time of great joy and gladness when everything is going our way — the first half of Palm Sunday. Both realities are present in the gospel of Palm Sunday.

 

          Palm Sunday mirrors life very well. Our lives, like Christ’s, are a mixture of the best and the worst of times. In all these times, we strive to please God by embracing his will. We are not fair-weather friends like the fickle crowds of today’s gospel, who are willing to hail Jesus as king only when he gives them what they want, but turn on him at the first sign of trouble. No, we strive to be true friends that the Lord can count on in all the times, circumstances and events God may permit. Our love for Christ, then, is based on the reality of His love, the love that went to the cross for us. Palm Sunday then is our time to resolve never again to be only a fair-weather friend of Jesus.

 

                                                                                Father Gary 

[Salvation]

Sunday Scripture Study

Palm Sunday of The Lord's Passion - Cycle B

April 1, 2012

Click here for USCCB readings

Processional Gospel: Mk 11:1-10

Opening Prayer  

First Reading: Isaiah 50:4-7

Psalm: 22

Second Reading: Philippians 2:6-11

Gospel Reading: Matthew 14:1—15:47

• The events of this Sunday’s Processional Gospel reading take place the Sunday before Holy Week. The following Thursday, Jesus will institute the Holy Eucharist and the priesthood. On Friday he will be unjustly tried, tortured, and die upon the Cross for the sins of mankind. In exactly a week from today, he will rise gloriously from the grave, defeating Satan and death.

• Jesus now enters Jerusalem in triumph. Whereas he had previously entered the city quietly, he now does so publicly since his mission is almost completed.

• Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem recalls that of another king—King Solomon (see 1 Kings 1:32-49). Both are called “Son of David;” both ride a donkey (or mule); both were celebrated by a great crowd; both entries caused a commotion in the city.

• The crowd greets Jesus as a victorious king, sure that he will liberate Roman-occupied Israel in the manner foretold by the prophets (Zechariah 14:3-21). Their shouts of praise will turn into cries of condemnation, however, when Jesus turns out to be a different kind of king than the one they expect (Zechariah 9:9-10).

 

QUESTIONS:

• How is the 1^st reading from Isaiah a prophecy relating to Jesus? In what ways are we to imitate our Lord as he is described here? In Psalm 22?

• At the beginning of the 2^nd reading, we see that Jesus has had equality of God from all eternity. At the end of the reading, we again read about his exaltation and glory. What do we read about him in the middle of the reading? What significance does that have?

• In the Gospel, to what town has Jesus come? Why (Matthew 23:27; Mark 10:32-33; Luke 13:33)?

• Jesus comes on a donkey rather than a stallion. What does this portray (Zechariah 9:9-10)? What kind of king were the people expecting? How do their wishes compare with the reality of Jesus? How might that discrepancy account for the same crowd jeering and shouting later, “Crucify him!” (Mark 15:12-15)?

• How would you have reacted if you had been there to greet Jesus riding into town? Do you jump on political or religious bandwagons today? Why or why not?

• What difference does it make to you that Jesus is a gentle king, and not like the one described in Matthew 20:25? Does Jesus’ humility “work” for you? Why or why not?

• What does Good Friday and Easter mean to you? What will you do this week to prepare yourself spiritually for these most holy of Christian observances?

Catechism of the Catholic Church: §§ 449, 557-560, 571-572, 606-614, 713, 2605-2606

 

In all He did from the Incarnation to the Cross, the end Jesus Christ had in mind was the gift of the Eucharist, his personal and corporal union with each Christian through Communion. He saw in It the means of communicating to us all the treasures of His Passion, all the virtues of His Sacred Humanity, and all the merits of His Life.    -St. Peter Julian Eymard

[Salvation]

A Holy Week unlike any other

 

Palm Sunday: Fresco in an Austrian parish Church

One of the things I enjoy doing is either seeing a good movie or a live stage production.  While the two have their unique value of entertainment, what they have in common is the genius of a good story.  Comedy, tragedy, or a good human interest story can touch us deeply as the parables do of Jesus.  He was certainly the consummate teacher and story teller. There is little doubt that the stories told in the parables have clearly stood the test of time and they remain among us as they have for countless generations of earlier Christian people.  Each parable story also had a deeper lesson of forgiveness, mercy, universal love and other similar themes that touch us deep within.

This week we are about to begin another story which will unfold with great liturgical drama.  The liturgies of Holy Week beginning this Sunday with Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, Holy Thursday, and Good Friday.  All of these liturgical celebrations speak for themselves in sign and symbol.  All this culminates in the glory of the Lord’s Resurrection and new birth for the Church in its new members through the waters of Baptism, anointing with the Holy Spirit in Confirmation and the food of the Eucharist, Christ himself, during the powerful Easter Vigil. Then the “party” begins for the next 50 days in the Easter season.  Unlike the parables, however, or the fantasy of a movie or stage play, the drama of this week is rooted in true historical events that forever changed the world.

This week the Church really puts on a marvelous show not to entertain us but to move us to raise our hearts and minds in eternal gratitude for what God has done for us in and through the death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ: the Paschal mystery as you will hear more than once during the season.

Whatever success or perceived failure you feel you may have had during the season of Lent in regards to what you decided to do on Ash Wednesday, now is the time to bring all that to the Cross of Christ this week.  While the liturgies, if done well, will certainly have an effect on us, let’s pray that however they move us it will be the beginning of something new.  A celebration of the mercy of God who loves us beyond what we understand fully.  But a call to personal responsibility for our lives as well. 

Holy Thursday contains the great mandatum to wash the feet of one another as Christ washed the feet of his Apostles before giving them the Eucharist, his very life for their lives. The Eucharist implies a response and the response is not a private devotion but a public call to service and humility after the example of Christ himself. 

Much to ponder this week as we go about our very busy lives. Below is the second reading from Philippians offered for this Palm Sunday.  It gives us the words of an ancient Christian hymn but I think a most beautiful reflection on who and what this week is all about – who and what our lives are all about.  The reading of the Lord’s Passion this year is taken from the Gospel of Mark 14.  It may be a good practice before attending Mass this weekend, to take some time and read that through.   

Phil 2: 6-11

Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God,

did not regard equality with God

something to be grasped.

Rather, he emptied himself,

taking the form of a slave,

coming in human likeness;

and found human in appearance,

he humbled himself,

becoming obedient to the point of death,

even death on a cross.

Because of this, God greatly exalted him

and bestowed on him the name

which is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bend,

of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that

Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

More to come . . .

Fr. Tim

[Salvation]

Insight Scoop

Palm Sunday and the Line Drawn Through the Human Heart

A Scriptural Reflection on the Readings for Sunday, April 1, 2012, Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion | Carl E. Olson

Readings:
• Jn 12:12-16 or Mk 11:1-10
• Is 50:4-7
• Ps 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24
• Phil 2:6-11
• Mk 14:1—15:47 or 15:1-39

Alexander Solzhenitsyn is credited with writing that “the line separating good and evil is drawn through the human heart.” That line exists in all of us; it has been within the human heart since the Fall, when Adam and Eve allowed it to be drawn upon their hearts by the Serpent.  

It winds through the dramatic story of the Passion, heard at length in today’s Gospel reading, which describes the cosmic clash, the bloody battle, and the inner struggle between good and evil. The Passion took place during the combined feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread, the greatest feast of the Jewish liturgical year. This commemorated the Exodus from Egypt, when the people were freed from centuries of bondage and established as a nation by the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai. 

There is much to ponder in St. Mark’s account, but I’ll focus on two disciples—two men who had walked and lived with Jesus for some three years: Judas and Peter. 

We are well acquainted with them, but there is, I think, a temptation to take their actions for granted. History and familiarity has a way of dulling our sense of how real and serious were their choices. Put another way: what if Judas had repented of his betrayal of Jesus? What if Peter had not repented of his denial of his Lord? The line between good and evil was drawn through both of their hearts, yet one despaired and committed suicide, while the other was restored and became the first pope. 

Jesus chose both men and they spent endless hours and days with him, learning at his feet, seeing his example. What was the difference between them? Pope Benedict XVI, in his October 18, 2006, general audience, reflected on the choice and actions of Judas. He noted reasons related to money and political agendas have been suggested as causes of Judas’s betrayal, but wrote that in the end we must go “beyond historical motivations, explaining what occurred by basing it on Judas' personal responsibility, who yielded miserably to a temptation of the evil one. In any case, Judas' betrayal continues to be a mystery. Jesus treated him as a friend (cf. Matthew 26:50), but in his invitations to follow him on the path of the beatitudes he did not force his will or prevent him from falling into Satan's temptations, respecting human freedom.” 

The human heart, the Holy Father reminded us, is capable of heinous and dark perversions. It is easy to think we are incapable of real evil, that only men such as Hitler, serial killers, or terrorists are truly evil. Such thinking can be the first step down the road to evil, for it fails to honestly assess and acknowledge the human condition—our condition. And when we mistakenly think we can keep ourselves from temptation and sin, we go further down the road. That road is usually not steep at first; it is a gentle incline, with little to suggest it might lead to ruin and damnation.  

When the line is finally crossed, it can become easy, even commonplace, to give Jesus a kiss while betraying him in our hearts. Receiving Holy Communion while in a state of mortal sin is one such betrayal, for doing so publicly declares a loving and loyal communion with the Savior that, in reality, has been severed.   

Peter recognized that he had broken communion with Jesus: “He broke down and wept.” But instead of giving in to despair, he gave himself over completely to the Lord. “Jesus waits for us to have the disposition to repent and to be converted,” Pope Benedict said, “he is rich in mercy and forgiveness.”

The Son, the second Person of the Trinity, “humbled himself,” St. Paul wrote, “becoming obedient to the point of death.” As we prepare for the greatest feast of the year, we are called to humility and obedience and trust. It is the only way to keep from crossing the line.

(This "Opening the Word" column originally appeared in the April 5, 2009, issue of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper.)

[Salvation]

Vultus Christi

Pascha Est Cor Liturgiae

By

Father Mark

 on April 1, 2012 9:25 AM |

The Pasch of the Lord: Heart of the Liturgy

The heart of the liturgy is the Paschal Mystery of Christ's death, Resurrection and Ascension, accomplished once and for all in Christ the Head and extended by means of the liturgy to all His members throughout history. All Christian worship is but a continuous celebration of the Pasch of the Lord: the sun, dawning each day, draws in its course an uninterrupted train of Eucharists; every celebration of Holy Mass makes present the Paschal Sacrifice of the Lamb. Each day of the liturgical year, and within each day, every instant of the Church's sleepless vigil, continues and renews the Pasch of Christ.

The Heart of Theology and of Piety

In repeating the enactment of the liturgy, the Church has access to the "unique, unrepeatable mystery of Christ"; day after day, week after week and year after year, the Church is caught up in the transforming glory of the Paschal Mystery. Through the sacred liturgy, the Paschal Mystery irrigates and transforms all of human life, healing those who partake of the sacraments and drawing the Church, already here and now, into the communion of the risen and ascended Christ with the Father in the Holy Spirit. Because it is the heart of the liturgy, the Pasch of the Lord is the heart of theology, and the heart of Christian piety as well.

The Sacred Triduum

The annual celebration of "the most sacred Triduum of the crucified, buried and risen Lord" is the liturgical, theological and spiritual center of the Church's life and "the culmination of the entire liturgical year." The Paschal Triduum begins with the Vesperal Mass of the Lord's Supper on Maundy Thursday, continues through the Friday of the Lord's Passion, reaches its summit in the Solemn Paschal Vigil, and comes to a close with Sunday Vespers of the Lord's Resurrection.

Gregorian Chant

As an integral element of the Sacred Triduum, Gregorian Chant takes its place in the complexus of sacred signs by which the Paschal Mystery is rendered present to the Church, and the Church drawn into the Paschal Mystery. The chant of the Church is thus essentially related to the Paschal Mystery and to the new life which it imparts. The transcendent value of liturgical chant, especially during the annual celebration of the Paschal Triduum, is properly theological and spiritual. The chants of the Paschal Triduum constitute therefore a point of reconciliation and unity "between theology and liturgy, liturgy and spirituality." What Father Alexander Schmemann wrote concerning the Paschal Triduum of the Byzantine liturgy and its hymnography is also true, mutatis mutandis, of the liturgy of the Roman Rite and of its proper chants:

The liturgy of the Paschal Triduum -- Holy Friday, Great and Holy Saturday and Sunday -- reveals more about the "doctrines" of Creation, Fall, Redemption, Death and Resurrection than all the other "loci theologici" together; and, let me stress it, not merely in the texts, in the magnificent Byzantine hymnography, but precisely by the very "experience" -- ineffable yet illuminating -- given during these days in their inner interdependence, in their nature; indeed as epiphany and revelation. Truly if the word mystery can still have any meaning today, be experienced and not merely "explained," it is here, in this unique celebration which reveals and communicates before it "explains"; which makes us witnesses and participants of one all-embracing Event from which stems everything else: understanding and power, knowledge and joy, contemplation and communion.

The Whole Person in the Whole Church

Participation in the sacred liturgy makes "witnesses and participants" of those who thus experience the Paschal Mystery as something revealed and communicated, men and women capable of saying, "We have seen the Lord" (Jn 20:24). Paradoxically, while each worshiper must enter personally into the Paschal Mystery, making a personal profession of faith at Baptism, and uttering a personal Amen to the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist, the effect of such a personal engagement is participation in the Body of Christ and the unity of the Holy Spirit. The saving mystery of Christ's death and Resurrection embraces and sanctifies the integral human person within the communion of the Church. The symbolic language of the liturgy therefore engages the human person bodily, emotionally, spiritually and intellectually.

The Power of the Paschal Liturgy

A Holy Week entry from the 1910 diary of Pieter van der Meer de Walcheren, written while the author was yet an unbeliever, attests to the experiential impact of the Paschal liturgy as epiphany and revelation, and to one person's passage out of isolation into the communion of faith in the Church.

The liturgy is a holy magnificence. I am well aware that it is absurd to speak words of admiration. All too evident is the beauty of this worship that expresses the inexpressible and causes the pure splendor of a flame to burn upright and bright in life’s blackness. Art is so superficial and poor; it appears so empty next to these sublime chants, next to these biblical words chanted, next to these holy texts, next to these prayers of mourning, these poems of extreme joy! I still hear the chant of the end of Lauds: Christus factus est pro nobis obediens usque ad mortem, mortem autem crucis"; to which is added on the third night; "propter quod et Deus exaltavit illum et dedit illi nomen quod est super omne nomen. The music of it, the slow plaintive, desperate music laden with every sorrow and with every mystery! How shall I ever forget the Lamentations of Jeremiah at the first Nocturn of Tenebrae? And the Ecce lignum crucis of Friday . . . ? And the Reproaches, divine reproaches of a crucified God to his people?

On Holy Saturday the new fire is kindled. The priest, advancing slowly towards the altar, sings the thrice-repeated words at equal intervals: Lumen Christi, each time on a higher tone; and the light increases until it becomes an immense interior fire. One senses in one's soul a tangible deliverance. Where can one find a thing more lovely, more sublime than the chant of the Exultet jam angelica turba caelorum, in which, by the words and by the music, the desire of an incommensurable joy lifts itself up and erects a kind of rainbow stretching from earth to heaven? And the Preface that follows, with its sublime cries: O certe necessarium Adae peccatum! . . . O felix culpa! . . . Oh, to be able to believe, to be unshakably certain that this is not an empty spectacle, not a beautiful dream, but signs and symbols which are but the reflection of an inexpressible divine reality. I am shaken in the very depths of my soul. Illusion and appearance could never make me weep like this. I sense that behind all that I see and hear are luminous roads leading towards God.

Such is the power of the liturgy of the Paschal Triduum over the human heart. The chants of the Paschal Triduum do not disclose their theological significance as isolated fragments, separately analyzed and removed from their context. The Mystery is one, and its radiance suffuses the Paschal liturgy in all its parts.

Maundy Thursday

Beginning on the evening of Maundy Thursday, the liturgy sings of the glorious Cross of Christ and of the effects of Christ's priestly sacrifice, mediated by the sacraments of the Church, and translated into lives of sacrificial love and humble service. The chants sing of ancient types and shadows, fulfilled in the Pasch of Christ, preparing the mystery of the Eucharist, and pointing already to the eschatological "marriage supper of the Lamb" (Apoc 19:9).

Good Friday

In the chants of Good Friday, Christ, the immolated Lamb and the Bridegroom of the Church, prays and offers himself to the Father, drawing the Church into his prayer, into his sacrifice and into his glorious exaltation. The chants of the adoratio Crucis reveal the Cross as the locus of Christ's glorification and the throne of mercy towards which the Church addresses bold supplication for her own needs and for those of all people. The Cross is the Tree of Life planted in the midst of the Church, the abiding sign of the Father's mercy, of the Son's crucified love, and of the Holy Spirit's lifegiving action.

The Paschal Vigil

In the celebration of the Paschal Vigil, the cantica, or intervenient chants of the Liturgy of the Word, interact with the readings and orations, evoking a vast array of figures and types that in the Pasch of Christ and the sacraments of the Church find their ultimate theological meaning and fulfillment. Readings, chants and orations function together as a final preparation for the sacramenta paschalia. With the Alleluia and the intonation of Psalm 117 emerges a current of joy that overflows into the Mass of Easter Day.

Holy Pascha

On Easter Day, the Church's liturgy is quiet and contemplative. The risen Christ introduces into his ineffable conversation with the Father all those who, by means of the sacraments, share in his death and Resurrection. The shadowy images of Exodus 12, introduced at the Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper, are brought into the morning light of Christ's Paschal sacrifice in the Alleluia Pascha nostrum and in the Communion antiphon. The circle is thus completed, demonstrating that the Paschal Mystery is indeed "a single celebration in which the individual parts . . . make the whole visible both in its parts and as a whole."

[Salvation]

Regnum Christi

The Messiah Finally Reveals Himself

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Palm Sunday of the Lord´s Passion

Father James Swanson, LC

Mark 11:1 – 10

When they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and said to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately on entering it, you will find a colt tethered on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone should say to you, ´Why are you doing this?´ reply, ´The Master has need of it and will send it back here at once.´" So they went off and found a colt tethered at a gate outside on the street, and they untied it. Some of the bystanders said to them, "What are you doing, untying the colt?" They answered them just as Jesus had told them to, and they permitted them to do it. So they brought the colt to Jesus and put their cloaks over it. And he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. Those preceding him as well as those following kept crying out:

"Hosanna!

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come!

Hosanna in the highest!"

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, I wish to accompany you closely on the road to Calvary. If I were to contemplate you more often as you hang scourged and bloody upon the cross, I’m certain I would be able to rest in your love and base my actions on that one truth. I know that you have loved me with an eternal love: you have proven it there on the wood of the cross. So I long to respond with gratitude, peace and the firm determination to spread your love to everyone.

Petition: Lord, Jesus, grant me the grace to proclaim you as Messiah and Savior.

1. A Different Kind of Messiah: Up until now, Jesus has never publicly accepted the title of Messiah. He had confirmed privately to his apostles that he is the Messiah, but he had commanded them to tell no one. When people had called him the Messiah, he had never accepted the title and most often tried to get away from them as quickly as possible. He had reasoned that the Jews don’t understand what the Messiah is really about. Knowing the Messiah is to be a great descendent of King David, they expect the Messiah to appear, raise an army and lead an uprising against the Romans that will drive them from the country and re-establish David’s kingdom. Several times we read of Jesus having to slip away because the people intend to make him king. He is not going to be what they expect and he cannot let their expectations get in the way of his mission.

2. A Suffering, Not a Political, Messiah: His entry into Jerusalem is exactly what the prophet predicted for the Messiah. He enters riding a donkey, for the Hebrews the traditional mount of royalty. Another thing that was supposed to happen when the Messiah entered Jerusalem, was that boys were supposed to be the first to begin to shout, “Hosanna, son of David.” This is exactly what happens. People were supposed to throw down branches and cloaks to pave his way into Jerusalem and this happens too. The Pharisees see all this and complain to him because they see that it is a fulfillment of the prophecy. They want him to tell people he is not the Messiah. Jesus refuses to do so. He will be the Messiah that was prophesied – the Suffering Servant of Yahweh. God can fulfill our deepest desires and needs in a way we least expect. Can I read the events in my life as his answer to my prayers?

3. The Messiah Rejected by the Experts: The chief priests, scribes and Pharisees are angry. They have already decided they don’t want to accept Jesus as the Messiah. Why do they wish to reject him? Is it because he doesn’t show the signs that the Messiah should show? No, he has fulfilled all the prophecies. Instead, they see that Jesus as Messiah will threaten their social and political positions. Jesus will be more important than they. They don’t want that to happen. They don’t want to lose power. In the end they allow themselves to be convinced that he cannot be the Messiah. Rather than consider all the evidence in his favor, they reject him because they don’t want a Messiah like that. Is there any way in which I, in my own life, reject something that God wishes of me or permits me to suffer because I don’t want God acting in that way in my life?

Conversation with Christ: Jesus, fill my heart with a love that knows no limits, the love that drew you from heaven to die on the cross for me. Fill also the hearts of all those who feel threatened by the modern Pharisees who reject you and want to erase your name from the world, so that they will witness bravely to you and to your sacrifice for us.

Resolution: Today, with the courage of my conviction that Jesus is the savior of the world, I will proclaim in some way that he is my Lord and God, especially through charity towards everyone I meet.

[Salvation]

Whom Will You Praise?

• Homily of the Day
• April 1st, 2012
• Food For Thought

A question that has always puzzled me is: Why was there such a dramatic change in the mood of the crowd of people in Jerusalem from Palm Sunday to Good Friday? Why the change from “Hosanna to Son of David” to “crucify Him!”?

One answer, I think, has to do with expectations. When we are all excited and on an emotional high because our hopes and expectations are about to be fulfilled and they are suddenly dashed to the ground we are not only terribly saddened but we many times get angry.

The people of Jerusalem hoped that Jesus was going to be their long-expected Messiah, God’s Anointed One would be like King David and who would lead them to throw off their hated Roman rulers and give them the freedom of their own autonomy. When it appeared that Jesus was going to be a different kind of Messiah, one who appeared to be gentle and forgiving and therefore perceived as weak, their frustrated hopes turned into anger, particularly anger at Him. That appears to be what upset Judas, the one who was so concerned with money and power, and caused him to betray Jesus to the Jewish and Roman authorities.

So the question arises: What do we expect God to do for us? Just what kind of a Messiah do we expect? And when God doesn’t answer our prayers the way we want Him to, how do we react? What is our own response? I think you know the answer. You and I have seen it in others; perhaps we have even seen it in ourselves. We get mad at God. We turn and walk away both from Him and from His Church. The uncomfortable truth is that Judas models our own turning away from Christ. Let’s face it. We all have some fickleness in our hearts. Not only that, but all too often we join the thinking of the crowd around us, are swept up by what is popular and fail to be fixed on what is right.

Let me challenge you. Instead of asking what we want God to do for us, why don’t you and I turn the question around today and ask ourselves: What does God want me to do?

We now enter into Holy Week and once again God our Father gathers us up into His Christ. God knows full well what is in the human heart but He is undeterred by our failures and weaknesses. Next Sunday we will come out on the other side of Holy Week and filled with thanksgiving we will once again, with Christ, enter into His resurrection from the dead sharing His victory over that which separates us from God, even death itself.