March 28, Palm Sunday: Study and Meditation on the Scripture Readings

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A short but interesting history of the Catholic use of palms in the Palm Sunday liturgy from Fisheaters:

Palms are sacramentals of the Church distributed to the faithful on Palm Sunday (the Sunday before Easter) – the day that commemorates Christ’s entry into Jerusalem. Their purpose is to honor Christ’s glory and Kingship, as did the inhabitants of Jerusalem who met Him, strewing palm branches on the street before Him.

Carrying palms (or olive or willow branches, etc., if palms aren’t available) in procession goes way back into the Old Testament, where it was not only approved but commanded by God at the very foundation of the Old Testament religion. In the fall of the year, after the harvest, when the people gathered for the Feast of Tabernacles God said in Leviticus 23:40:
*And you shall take to you on the first day the fruits of the fairest tree, and branches of palm trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook: And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God. *

Again we read of palms in the 2 Macabees 10:6-8:

*And they kept eight days with joy, after the manner of the feast of the tabernacles, remembering that not long before they had kept the feast of the tabernacles when they were in the mountains, and in dens like wild beasts. Therefore they now carried boughs and green branches and palms, for him that had given them good success in cleansing his place. And they ordained by a common statute, and decree, that all the nation of the Jews should keep those days every year. *

And in the 7th chapter of the Apocalypse [Book of Revelation], we see that those who were “sealed” are seen by John carrying palms:

Apocalypse 7:9-10:
*After this, I saw a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and in sight of the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands. And they cried with a loud voice, saying: Salvation to our God, who sitteth upon the throne and to the Lamb. *

The palms are blessed before the High Mass on Palm Sunday. Vested in red cope and standing at the Epistle side of the Altar, the priest recites a short prayer, and then reads a lesson from the book of Exodus which tells of the children of Israel coming to Elim on their way to the Promised Land, where they found a fountain and seventy palm trees. It was at Elim that God sent them manna.

After a few verses from the New Testament, the priest reads the story of Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem the Sunday before His death, and about how the people put palms in the Savior’s path and sang hosannas because, ironically, they expected a temporal victory by the One they thought would be the great military leader who would conquer the Romans…

Then we pray, begging God that we may in the end go meet Christ, that we may enter with Him into the eternal Jerusalem. The following preface and prayers ask God to bless the palms, that they may be sanctified and may be a means of grace and divine protection to those who carry them and treasure them with faith.

The palms are distributed to the people at the Communion rail. The priest will press the palm against your lips so you can kiss it, and then his hand. Alternatively, the palms may be handed out by the altar boys. In any case, Scripture and prayers follow, and then a procession of clergy, servers, and people through the church or outside around the church.

Some of these same palm branches are saved and burned the next year to make the ashes for the next Ash Wednesday – the palms, which symbolize triumph, and the ashes, which sympbolize death and penitence, forming a great symbolic connection between suffering and victory.

The branches given to the faithful are held in the hand at the singing or reading of the Passion and the Gospel during the Mass, but when Mass is finished we take them home and hang them over crucifixes or holy pictures. Men will sometimes wear a piece of it in their hats or pin it to their lapels, and a piece should also be placed with one’s sick call set.

It is custom to break off a piece of the palm and – while praying to St. Barbara (or St. Walburga) for her intercession, and lighting a blessed candle (especially one blessed at Candlemas) – burn it for protection against storms. I offer this prayer against storms from the Pieta prayerbook (make the Sign of the Cross at each + sign):

*Jesus Christ a King of Glory has come in Peace.+ God became man, + and the Word was made flesh.+ Christ was born of a Virgin.+ Christ suffered.+ Christ was crucified.+ Christ died.+ Christ rose from the dead.+ Christ ascended into Heaven.+ Christ conquers.+ Christ reigns.+ Christ commands.+

May Christ protect us from all storms and lightning. + Christ went through their midst in Peace, + and the Word was made Flesh.+ Christ is with us with Mary.+ Flee you enemy spirits because the Lion of the Generation of Juda, the Root David, has won.+ Holy God! + Holy Powerful God! + Holy Immortal God! + Have mercy on us.* Amen.

Another custom is to shape the palm into Latin Crosses before hanging them.

The next year, when we get new palms, the old palms are burned and their ashes buried.

 

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A meditation on The Passion by Marcellino D’Ambrosio found on Catholic Exchange:

Passion Sunday

Catholics seem preoccupied with the sufferings of Christ: the Crucifix, the Sorrowful Mysteries, the Stations of the Cross. As if all this were not enough, Catholics must stand at attention one Sunday each year as they listen to the entire passion narrative read aloud.

Careful, repeated meditation on the Passion of Christ is important because the Passion is the climax of the entire history of Revelation and Redemption. It the ultimate Revelation of two intertwined realities: human sin and divine love.

First let’s talk about sin. People often think of sin merely as a transgression of God’s arbitrary law, as a blot on our heavenly driving record. Meditation on the Passion makes us know better. Sin not only alienates us from God, it corrupts us, debases us, enslaves us. The fickle crowd that carpets his way into Jerusalem with palms drives him out with a cross on his back. One of his own betrays him to his enemies, another denies him. The Roman soldiers, to whom he did no wrong and was no threat, took diabolical pleasure in brutalizing him. Hard to believe that human beings are capable of such cruelty? Auschwitz and Saddam’s torture chambers show us that such evil really does lurk in the hearts of men. Then there is Pilate, who seems to be a much more reasonable figure. Maybe more like us. He just wants to keep the peace, preserve his relationship with the Jewish leaders and the Emperor. If it means allowing an innocent man to be tortured to death — well, it’s regrettable, but that’s the price of living in the real world. Ultimately, Pilate’s sin is an act of cowardice. Remember, sin is not just commission but omission. It involves what we do and what we fail to do, as we say in the Confiteor.

But, you say, it had to be so. God planned it this way. It was all predicted in the Scriptures. Yes, but God’s foreknowledge does not mean he predetermined it. All the actors in the drama were free and responsible. Their sins are our sins. Indeed, they represent all of us, Jew and Gentile, male and female, black, white and yellow. That’s why Mel Gibson made an appearance in the Passion of the Christ — it was his hands that held down Jesus’ hands as they were nailed to the cross.

But the story of the passion is even more importantly a revelation of who God is. The First Letter of John 4:8 says God is love. The passion shows us what love means. Love cannot sit idly by in the face of suffering. It instead leaves comfort behind and risks itself to mount a rescue mission. Love, therefore, must first empty Himself of glory at the Fathers right hand, and take the form of a slave (Phil 2:6-11). From the splendor of heavenly glory to the squalor of a stinking stable. As if that were not enough, Love surrenders himself into the hands of those who torture him to death. He saw their torches coming in the valley as he prayed on the hillside in the Garden. He could have walked over the mountain and disappeared without a trace in the Judean wilderness. Or he could have used his divine power at any moment to scatter the Temple Guard and the Romans. Till the very end, he could have come down from that cross, as the crowd taunted him to do.

But that’s just it. He had to love till the very end (John 13:1). Love to the max. The fullness of love in a human heart means a love that was absolutely unstoppable by anything that hell and fallen humanity could hurl against it. And no love, no commitment is total unless it entails the supreme sacrifice of one’s life.

That’s what was necessary to redeem us out of slavery to evil, to get us out of Egypt and through the Red Sea, across the Jordan, and into the Promised Land. It was for our freedom that he died; let’s not again willingly submit ourselves to the bondage of sin.

 

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A reflection on Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion by Brian Pizzalato on Road to Emmaus:

Gospel at the Procession with Palms – Lk 19:28-40
First Reading – Is50:4-7
Responsorial Psalm –Ps 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24
Second Reading –Phil 2:6-11
Gospel Reading – Lk 22:14-23:56

Focusing on today’s Gospel readings, an important aspect of the events is that they take place within the context of Passover. There would have been thousands and thousands of pilgrims making their way to Jerusalem for this feast. Jesus, too, was entering Jerusalem.

The fact that it was five days before Passover is also significant. In the first century there was a sacrificial flock raised outside of Jerusalem so when pilgrims arrived, they could purchase a lamb for sacrifice. In Exodus 12, where the institution of the Passover is recounted, the people were to take a one year old male lamb, and on the tenth day of the month begin to inspect the lamb for blemishes until the fourteenth day of the month, which was the day of Passover. In the first century, the sacrificial flock was brought in to Jerusalem on the tenth day of that month.

It is not a coincidence that Jesus comes into Jerusalem on the tenth day and undergoes inspection by Caiaphas, Herod, and Pilate during the subsequent days. John the Baptist had already pointed out that Jesus is, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (Jn 1:29). It is also no coincidence that while being inspected by Pilate he is declared to be without fault (cf. Jn 18:38; 19:4, 6).

Interestingly, scholars have noticed a conspicuous absence from the retelling of the Last Supper, which was a Passover meal, namely there is no mention of a lamb. On the contrary, there is in fact mention of a lamb. Jesus is the lamb. There doesn’t need to be any other lamb.

Also, just as the account of the institution of the Passover in the book of Exodus makes abundantly clear, those celebrating the Passover must eat the lamb in order to be saved. Jesus, through his words of consecration, gives the apostles the true lamb that must be eaten, his very own body, blood, soul and divinity. He does this so they might be saved and attain eternal life (cf. Jn 6:53-56).

The sacrifice of the Lamb begins in the upper room and continues all the way to Calvary. John, who was at the foot of the cross, makes sure that we do not miss the fact that Jesus is the new and eternal Lamb of God. He wants us to know that a hyssop branch was used to raise wine to Jesus’ lips. Hyssop was used in the first Passover to put the blood of the lamb on the door posts and lintels of the Isrealites homes (cf. Ex 12:22). He also wants us to know that Jesus did not have his bones broken. This fulfills what is written in Exodus 12:46, “not a bone of him shall be broken” (Jn 19:36).

As we begin the celebration of Holy Week, let us keep in mind the fact that the same people who cried out “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” also cried out “Crucify him!” (Mk 11:9; 15:13). The same people who greeted him upon his triumphal entry also chose the notorious Barabbas to be released. Fascinatingly the name Barabbas means “son of the father.” Of course we know that Jesus is the true Son of the Father. However, each and every moment of every day we can turn against him through our sins, which are in effect crying out “crucify him!”

Let us pray to the Lord that we be freed from the slavery to the sins we commit so that we might live in true freedom as sons and daughters of God the Father, in union with Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

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Always fascinating reading from Dr. Brant Pitre over on the Sacred Page blog:

**The Jewish Roots of Palm Sunday **

[Today] is, of course, Palm Sunday.

Most Christians will celebrate this feast with two prominent features: the story of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the blessing and waving of palm branches.

This raises the questions: Why did Jesus enter Jerusalem on a donkey? Why not on a horse? Why not in a chariot? And why did the crowds greet him with branches? The answers to these questions can be found by exploring the Jewish roots of the Triumphal Entry, as revealed in the texts of the Old Testament.

Solomon’s Rides a Mule into Jerusalem

The answer to the first question is rooted in two texts: 1 Kings 1 and Zechariah 9. In the book of Kings, we learn that Jesus wasn’t the first king to ride triumphantly into Jerusalem. Long before him, Solomon had done the same, immediately before he was enthroned as king of Israel:

*King David said… "Cause my son Solomon to rid on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihop, and let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet there anoint him king over Israel; then blow the trumpet, and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ You shall then come up after him, and he shall come and sit upon my throne… So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and Pelethites, went down and caused Solomon to ride on King David’s mule, and brought him to Gihon [the spring alongside the Temple mount]. There Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tent, and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon!” And all the people went up after him, playing on pipes, and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth was split by their noise. *(1 Kings 1:32-40)

Notice that Solomon’s triumphal entry on the mule takes place after his having been anointed king in the waters of the Gihon and immediately before his enthronement. Thus, this is not just a triumphal entry, but a royal enthronement.

The Triumphal Entry of the Messiah

Moreover, this text gives rise to a prophecy in Zechariah, which speaks of the coming Messiah, the future king, who will recapitulate the actions of Solomon:

*Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!Lo, your king comes to you;triumphant and victorious is he,humble and riding on an ***, on a colt, the foal of an ***. *(Zechariah 9:9)

Now, most readers stop here, noting the obvious parallels between this messianic oracle and the actions of Jesus. But keep reading: What does the Messiah do when after he rides into Jerusalem on an ***?

*I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall command peace to the nations; his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your captives free from the waterless pit. Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope… *(Zechariah 9:10-11)

This is a stunning oracle. In it, the future king not only rides into Jerusalem on an *** in humility, but establishes (1) a universal kingdom (‘to the ends of the earth’), which is characterized by peace, not war (the chariot is 'cut off). Finally, and most stunning, (3) by means of a blood covenant, God sets Israel’s “captives” free from “the waterless Pit” and brings them hold to Jerusalem (the ‘stronghold’). This last line is particularly strange; since what is clearly in view is deliverance from Exile in Sheol, the realm of the dead, which is frequently referred to in the Old Testament as “the Pit.” Zechariah clearly seems to expect the messianic return from exile to include those who had descended into Sheol, who would somehow be released through the “blood of [the] covenant.”

Continued on next post…

 

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**Jesus’ Triumphal Entry **

Once this Old Testament background is in place, Jesus’ Triumphal Entry takes on a deeper significance. First, he is deliberately recapitulating Solomon’s royal entry into Jerusalem when he was enthroned as king. Second, he is performing a prophetic sign of the fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy of the coming of the Messiah. In other words, Jesus is both a New Solomon and the long-awaited Messiah. Should there be any doubt about this, Matthew’s Gospel makes both very clear, since he not only cites Zechariah 9, but the crowds describe Jesus as none other than the ‘son of David’, a title to which, above all people, Solomon bore the right:

*And when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find an *** tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If any one says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them’, and he will send them immediately.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, “Tell the daughter of Zion, Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on an ***, and on a colt, the foal of an ***.” *[Zech 9:9]. *The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the *** and the colt, and put their garments on them, and he sat thereon. Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road, and other cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” *(Matthew 21:1-9)

The Palm Branches of the King Who Comes to Offer Sacrifice

This leaves us with one key question: Why the palm branches? No palms are mentioned in 1 Kings or Zechariah . As Matthew’s account makes clear, the branches are tied to Psalm 118, the Great Hallel psalm, which the Jewish crowds are chanting as Jesus enters into Jerusalem. What is striking about this psalm is, when read in context, it too describes the coming of the king into the city. But in this case, the king enters not to be enthroned, but to ascend to the altar and offer sacrifice:

[King speaking:] "Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner…
[Crowd speaking:] “Save us [Hosanna], we beseech you, O LORD! O LORD, we beseech you, give us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We bless you from the house of the LORD… Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar!” (Psalm 118:19-27)

That this is the psalm chosen by the pilgrims to celebrate Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem is no accident. For while the crowds recognize that Jesus is indeed the long-awaited king of Israel, the new Solomon, what they do not see–what they cannot see–is what kind of king he is, and how he is going to reign. For the altar on which Jesus will pour out “the blood of the covenant” is not the bronze altar in the Temple, but the table of the Last Supper. And the throne to which Jesus is about to ascend as king is not the golden throne of Solomon, but the wooden throne of Golgotha. As king, he will indeed go up to the horns of the altar to offer sacrifice and ascend to the throne of his kingdom to reign. But his triumph will not be through the power of the chariot or the violence of the bow, but through the offering his own life. By means of his blood, the blood of the new covenant, he will bring home the exiles from the land from which no man returns, and will set all captives free, including those imprisoned in the “waterless pit.”

At every Eucharist, when we sing the Sanctus, the Church, the new Jerusalem, takes up this cry of the crowds in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and makes it our own: “Blessed is he comes in the name of the LORD!” (Ps 118:26).

 

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Reflections and questions for personal application from the Vietnamese Christian Life (Dong Hanh) Community

Passion Sunday
Reading I: Isaiah 50:4-7 II: Philippians 2:6-22​

Gospel
Luke 22:14-23:56

**Interesting Details **

**JESUS ESTABLISHES THE NEW COVENANT: **
In the Old Covenant, the blood of the lamb on door posts saves the children of Israel. In the New Covenant, Jesus’ blood on the cross saves those who believe in Him (22:14-20).

THE HUMAN WEAKNESSES:
These are weaknesses in the battle against the power on earth, as demonstrated by Juda’s joining this power (22:21,48), Peter’s being fearful of the overwhelming crowd (22:31,54-60), their unawareness of the difference between glory on earth and glory in the Kingdom of God (22:24-29), between the way they would physically fight with one another and the way their soul would fight against the power on earth (22:35-38). To overcome His human weakness when facing death on the cross, Jesus has used all of His strength to pray to the Father (22:39-46).

THE POWER OF DARKNESS AND OF THE WORLD:
Being arrested in the night (22:53), and condemned by the crowd (23:1-25), the Son of God has submitted himself to be among human beings to be in the hands of this power. But in the end, all will be destroyed by God’s power, as Jesus warns the women of Jerusalem to cry for themselves (23:28-31).

THE POWER OF FAITH:
After Peter has failed, he realizes his weakness and immediately repents, thus his faith is strengthened to carry out the mission of establishing the Church later (22:31,54-62).

THE POWER OF LOVE:
Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they’re doing (23:34).

**THE TRIUMPH OF THE SPIRIT: **
Father, in your hands I place my spirit (23:46).

BEING DEFEATED ON EARTH AND HAVING GLORY FROM HEAVEN:
In worldly eyes, Jesus has been tortured and nailed to the cross, died and got buried (23:49,55). But the true victory with glory from the Kingdom of God really belongs to Him on the day He rises from death to open the salvation path to all mankind.

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One Main Point

The passion that Jesus has gone through demonstrates how the power on earth will reign and have its victory over our earthly life, but strong and prepared spirits will make their way through and have the true victory of getting to the Kingdom of God.

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Reflections **

How do I relate myself to human weaknesses, unawareness, and wickedness as demonstrated in the Passion of Jesus ? When Jesus asks the Father to forgive those who have betrayed, mocked, beat, accused, and killed Him, do I feel the love Jesus has for me as a sinner, as I have done the same to others around me? How can I follow His way of expressing Love?

Jesus has let the power on earth have its victory, but He has the true victory in the mission of saving God’s children. Am I willing to give up my material life, and listened to Jesus in preparing myself to face the darkness, hardship, and temptation in my life and not fall, so my spirit can be included in the journey to the Kingdom of God?

What can I do to live the Good News of Jesus so the light can be seen by others, in order that we will all be saved from the darkness of sins?

 

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A meditation on the Passion from the Word Among Us magazine:

Meditation: Luke 22:14–23:56: *The Passion of the Lord *

How Jesus must have enjoyed celebrating his final Passover with his disciples! For three years, he had been with them, enjoyed their company, taught them, even laughed with them. He knew their strengths and weaknesses, their quirks and idiosyncrasies—and he loved them. Jesus knew the time had come for him to give up his life, but he was still able to share a meal with these close friends.

Jesus knew that these men would fall away when he was arrested. But he also knew that they would turn around and become the leaders he had formed them to be. Peter would weep over denying him, but then would become the rock. James and John would stop seeking seats of honor and would instead consider it an honor to give up their lives for the church. And Thomas would have his moment of doubt and stubbornness, but would also become a fearless preacher of the gospel. Jesus also knew that his Father would hear his prayer for them—that they would hold fast to who Jesus is and be protected from the evil one.

We may not have been present at the Last Supper, but we can still use our imaginations to place ourselves there. Imagine Jesus telling you about the gift of his body and blood—and linking that to his ultimate gift of his very life on the cross. See the expression on his face, a combination of love and determination, of sadness and hope. He knows what he is giving up for you, and he longs for you to respond in the deepest way possible.

Even though the Passion happened nearly two thousand years ago, it has lost none of its power. That power is available to us at every Mass—the power to change, the power to love, the power to be raised up with Jesus on Easter Sunday. May God bless you this Holy Week as you recall his love and mercy.

“Thank you, Jesus, for sharing your life with me. May I never forget all that you have done for me!”

Questions for Individual Reflection or Group Discussion

Isaiah 50:4-7, Psalm 22:8-9,17-20,23-24, Philippians 2:6-11, Luke 22:14–23:56

1. In the Gospel at the procession with palms, we read of the crowd’s joy and celebration at Christ’s arrival in Jerusalem on Sunday. By Friday, much of this same crowd was to turn against him. In what ways can your own relationship with Christ be like a “fair weather” friend? What steps can you do to strengthen your relationship with Jesus?

1. The first reading provides us with one of the many prophecies in Isaiah on the suffering Christ would endure for us. It also speaks of a well-trained tongue the Lord has given Isaiah to “speak to the weary a word that will rouse them” (Isaiah 50:4). What steps can you take to train your tongue to speak words of comfort to the weary you encounter during the day?

1. Again in the Responsorial Psalm, we find words foretelling Christ’s suffering. As in the first reading, even in the midst of his suffering, he prays to and honors God. What are some of the reasons, listed in the first reading and the Responsorial Psalm, that enables him to do this? How do you handle suffering and misfortune in your own life? What can you learn from the first reading and the Responsorial Psalm that will help to strengthen you in times of suffering?

1. In the letter to the Philippians, St. Paul says that Christ “emptied himself” of his rights as God to save us. Do you tend to stand on your “rights” in your relationships with others? In order to serve and save others, what might God be asking you to empty yourself of?

1. In Luke’s version of the passion narrative, at supper the disciples are arguing about which of them is the greatest. Christ gives them himself as an example: “I am among you as the one who serves”. In imitation of Christ, how might you be of more loving service to others in your family, or in your parish, or at work?

1. In the garden, Jesus asks his disciples to pray with him? What steps can you take during Holy Week to spend extra time with Christ in prayer and Scripture reading?

1. In the meditation, we hear these words: “Even though the Passion happened nearly two thousand years ago, it has lost none of its power. That power is available to us at every Mass—the power to change, the power to love, the power to be raised up with Jesus on Easter Sunday.” In preparing for Mass, what can you do to open yourself more to the transforming power of the Eucharist?

 

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Also from The Word Among Us magazine, a *Lectio Divina *on the Lord’s Passion:

Place a crucifix, cross, or palm branch before you to help you focus on the Lord’s passion and death. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you listen and respond to the sacra pagina as you reflect on the texts for the beginning of this Holy Week.

Lectio

Place a crucifix, cross, or palm branch before you to help you focus on the Lord’s passion and death. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you listen and respond to the sacra pagina as you reflect on the texts for the beginning of this Holy Week.

When you have quieted your external and internal distractions, dedicate this time for sacred conversation with God.

Isaiah 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.

As the church gathers to proclaim the Passion of Jesus Christ during Holy Week, we also hear the words of the Servant Songs of Isaiah (42:1-9; 49:1-7; 50:4-11; 52:13–53:12). On Palm Sunday, as the Passion is proclaimed from Matthew, Mark, or Luke, we hear this third Servant Song, and on Good Friday, as the Passion from John’s Gospel is proclaimed, we listen to the fourth of the Servant Songs. These Servant texts have profoundly shaped the church’s understanding of Jesus, and they find their fullest meaning in his suffering and death. Like Jesus, the Servant is beaten, spat upon, struck in the face, and persecuted for carrying out his divinely appointed mission.

Though God’s Servant is treated disgracefully, he says, “I am not disgraced” (Isaiah 50:7). He suffers insults and beating without receiving them internally. He does not lose his honor and is not put to shame because God is his help and strength. His persecutors may take his life, but they cannot destroy who he is. Though the humiliation inflicted upon him is real enough, it fails in its purpose. God’s Servant knows that in reality, he is the victor.

The key to the Servant’s strength and endurance is his attention to God’s word. Morning after morning he listens, and then his life becomes a proclamation. He internalizes God’s word; the word becomes flesh within him. He know “how to speak to the weary” (Isaiah 50:4) because he speaks God’s word with his lips and especially with his life.

Motivated by God’s inspired prophet to internalize the word of God, prepare to listen and receive within you the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.

 

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Luke 23:1-49

*The elders of the people and chief priests and scribes arose and brought Jesus before Pilate. They brought charges against him, saying, “We found this man misleading our people; he opposes the payment of taxes to Caesar and maintains that he is the Christ, a king.” Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” He said to him in reply, “You say so.” Pilate then addressed the chief priests and the crowds, “I find this man not guilty.” But they were adamant and said, “He is inciting the people with his teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he began even to here.”

On hearing this Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean; and upon learning that he was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod who was in Jerusalem at that time. Herod was very glad to see Jesus; he had been wanting to see him for a long time, for he had heard about him and had been hoping to see him perform some sign. He questioned him at length, but he gave him no answer. The chief priests and scribes, meanwhile, stood by accusing him harshly. Herod and his soldiers treated him contemptuously and mocked him, and after clothing him in resplendent garb, he sent him back to Pilate. Herod and Pilate became friends that very day, even though they had been enemies formerly. Pilate then summoned the chief priests, the rulers, and the people and said to them, “You brought this man to me and accused him of inciting the people to revolt. I have conducted my investigation in your presence and have not found this man guilty of the charges you have brought against him, nor did Herod, for he sent him back to us. So no capital crime has been committed by him. Therefore I shall have him flogged and then release him.”

But all together they shouted out, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us.”—Now Barabbas had been imprisoned for a rebellion that had taken place in the city and for murder.—Again Pilate addressed them, still wishing to release Jesus, but they continued their shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Pilate addressed them a third time, “What evil has this man done? I found him guilty of no capital crime. Therefore I shall have him flogged and then release him.” With loud shouts, however, they persisted in calling for his crucifixion, and their voices prevailed. The verdict of Pilate was that their demand should be granted. So he released the man who had been imprisoned for rebellion and murder, for whom they asked, and he handed Jesus over to them to deal with as they wished.

As they led him away they took hold of a certain Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country; and after laying the cross on him, they made him carry it behind Jesus. A large crowd of people followed Jesus, including many women who mourned and lamented him. Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children for indeed, the days are coming when people will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed.’ At that time people will say to the mountains, ‘Fall upon us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’ for if these things are done when the wood is green what will happen when it is dry?” Now two others, both criminals, were led away with him to be executed.

When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him and the criminals there, one on his right, the other on his left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” They divided his garments by casting lots. The people stood by and watched; the rulers, meanwhile, sneered at him and said, “He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God.” Even the soldiers jeered at him. As they approached to offer him wine they called out, “If you are King of the Jews, save yourself.” Above him there was an inscription that read, “This is the King of the Jews.”

Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us.” The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, “Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon because of an eclipse of the sun. Then the veil of the temple was torn down the middle. Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”; and when he had said this he breathed his last.*

[Here all kneel and pause for a short time.]

 

[Fidelis]

*The centurion who witnessed what had happened glorified God and said, “This man was innocent beyond doubt.” When all the people who had gathered for this spectacle saw what had happened, they returned home beating their breasts; but all his acquaintances stood at a distance, including the women who had followed him from Galilee and saw these events. *

In a scene unique to Luke’s Passion account, Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem and tells them not to weep for him but for themselves and their children. For the Passion is not just the sad story of Jesus. It is, rather, a story of divine nobility, passionate love, steadfast courage, and unlimited forgiveness. The cross is the great intersection between divine goodness and human helplessness, in which God becomes vulnerable and humanity becomes strong. The real sadness is not the suffering of Jesus; it is the tragedy of human sin and the destruction it inflicts upon the world.

In another detail found only in Luke’s narrative, Jesus asks God to forgive his torturers. As he is nailed to the cross, in a remarkable expression of compassion, Jesus says, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). For those of us who find it next to impossible to imitate Jesus’ tremendous example of love, it is helpful to note that Jesus’ statement is a prayer. Whether or not Jesus was humanly ready to forgive, he prayed for his persecutors as an expression of love of enemies. When we are confronted with the challenge of forgiving unrepentant adversaries, we can turn to the prayer of Jesus on the cross. What may not come spontaneously from the human heart can be requested in prayer.

Luke’s Passion is also the only version to compare the responses of the two criminals crucified beside Jesus. While one joins in the mockery of the crowds, the other repents on the cross. First, the repentant criminal acknowledges his sins, admitting that he has been condemned justly and deserves punishment for his deeds. Then he turns to Jesus for help: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Luke 23:42). The sinner calls on the name of Jesus, recognizing that in his death, Jesus is the source of his salvation. The repentant criminal receives salvation from Jesus without hesitation: “Today you will be with me in Paradise” (23:43). Jesus, the one who came “to seek and to save what was lost” (19:10), continued to welcome the outcast and the sinner until his final breath. Jesus died as he had lived, extending his saving mercy to all.

Meditatio

Just as God prepared his Servant for the word, God has opened your ears that you might hear, and you have heard with the ears of your heart. Now seek to assimilate these texts in all their depth so that you can respond to them with your life as you journey through this Holy Week.

• How is it possible not to be disgraced and suffer shame when you are mistreated or humiliated by others? What modern-day prophets embody this mind-set of God’s Servant?

• We can tell much about the unique emphasis of each evangelist by comparing the texts of the three synoptic gospels side by side. What does the Passion according to Luke seem to especially emphasize about Jesus?

• Though our usual Holy Week liturgies focus on the solitary cross of Jesus, occasionally we are reminded that there were three crosses on Calvary. What do you want to remember the next time you see the image of the three crosses? How do they remind you of your relationship to the crucified Savior?

• What does the repentant criminal teach you about the process of conversion? What do you want to imitate as you draw close to the crucified Jesus this week?

• As we age, there are many things in life for which it becomes too late. But it is never too late to turn over one’s life to Jesus Christ. How do you feel about people who turn to Christ in the final hours of life? What do you believe about their salvation?

Oratio

In Luke’s account, the final cry of Jesus from the cross is from Psalm 31. Speak the words of this psalm as a prayerful response to God’s word.

You, O Lord, are my rock and my fortress; for your name’s sake you will lead and guide me. You will free me from the snare they set for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hands I commend my spirit; you will redeem me, O Lord, O faithful God.

Continue to pray in your own words, seeking to imitate Jesus’ complete trust in the Father.

***Contemplatio ***

Spend some moments in silence, uniting your heart with the trust and confidence of Jesus. Slowly repeat the phrase “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”

Operatio

As you enter the church’s most holy week, determine to follow Jesus on his journey to the cross so that you might experience the joy of his resurrection. Join with the church’s liturgical rituals so that Christ’s paschal mystery may be present to you in all its saving power.

(An excerpt from Conversing with God in Lent by Stephen J. Binz.)

 

[Fidelis]

From Presentation Ministries, a reflection on the Second Reading:

Luke 19:28-40 (Entrance Processional)
Isaiah 50:4-7
Philippians 2:6-11
View Readings Psalm 22:8-9, 17-20, 23-24
Luke 22:14—23:56

** SHOCK TREATMENTS **

*“He emptied Himself and took the form of a slave, being born in the likeness of men. He was known to be of human estate, and it was thus that He humbled Himself, obediently accepting even death, death on a cross!” *—Philippians 2:7-8

Today the Church tries to shock us into repentance by contrasting the “Hosanna” of Palm Sunday with the “Crucify Him” of Good Friday. How can human beings be so perverse as to viciously murder God Himself, the perfectly loving and innocent Jesus? How can we be so unfaithful and violent?

Our abuse of the Savior definitely proves we need a savior. In this Holy Week, we must repent and radically change our lives. Like the good thief, we must change from blasphemy (see Mt 27:44) to commitment. Like the centurion, we must no longer rationalize our sins but admit that Jesus is innocent and we are guilty of putting to death the innocent God-Man (Lk 23:47; Catechism, 598). In confessing our sins, we will give glory to God (see Lk 23:47).

Like Joseph of Arimathea, we can repent of giving in to fear and being a “secret” disciple of Jesus (Jn 19:38). During this Holy Week, we can become another Simon of Cyrene and carry the daily cross (Lk 9:23) with Jesus. The way of the cross is over for Jesus but continues for us. Holy Week is now. Repentance is now.

**Prayer: **“Lord, let me walk that lonely road with You under the weight of the wood.”

**Promise: **“Morning after morning He opens my ear that I may hear.” —Is 50:4

**Praise: **“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Mt 21:9)

 

[Fidelis]

A Scriptural Reflection on the Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, Carl E. Olson, from Ignatius Insight:

Readings for Sunday, March 28, 2010:

• Isa. 50:4-7
• Psa. 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24
• Phil. 2:6-11
• Lk. 22:14—23:56 or 23:1-49

Thirteen years ago today my wife and I were able to say to each other, “Soon!” Just seven more days, including the Triduum, before we would be able to receive the Eucharist—the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ—for the first time.

As Evangelical Protestants making our way into the Catholic Church—by God’s grace and with the supportive witness of many wonderful Catholics—we were often asked, “Why did you decide to become Catholic?” There were numerous reasons, of course, but at the core of our decision was the reality of the Eucharist. As Evangelicals we believed in Jesus Christ, His sacrificial death, and His glorious resurrection. But we had been taught and had long believed that Communion (when it was occasionally celebrated) was a metaphor—a mere symbolic reminder.

The Gospel reading on this Palm Sunday says much about the Eucharist and the sacrifice of Christ, while the other readings emphasize, among other truths, the divine humility that makes the Eucharist a reality. The great “Christ-Hymn” of Philippians 2 contemplates the mystery of the Incarnation, in which the Son willingly descended to the level of a creature: “Christ Jesus … 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.” Such is the divine response to everyone who asks, “Where is God? Why doesn’t He hear me?” He has heard, and He has answered by becoming a man and giving His life for the world.

Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem on a young donkey displays the same humble love. He does not rebuke the acclamations of the crowds, for He does deserve their joyful reception. Solomon, an earlier son of David, also rode into Jerusalem on a mule and likewise received praise, along with causing a commotion (1 Kng. 1:32-45). But Solomon, contrary to the Law (cf. Deut. 17:14-20), began to breed and use horses. Jesus uses the donkey, a symbol of humility, and fulfills the words of the prophet Zechariah: “See, your king shall come to you; a just savior is he, meek, and riding on an ***, on a colt, the foal of an ***. He shall … banish the horse from Jerusalem” (Zech. 9:9-10).

It is upon the Mount of Olives, wrote Zechariah, that the Lord will stand when He delivers God’s people from their enemies (Zech. 14:1-9). “Jesus conquers the Daughter of Zion,” states the Catechism, “a figure of his Church, neither by ruse nor by violence, but by the humility that bears witness to the truth” The cry of the people, “Blessed be he who comes in the name of the Lord”, is repeated each week at Mass in “the ‘Sanctus’ of the Eucharistic liturgy that introduces the memorial of the Lord’s Passover” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, par. 559).

The institution of the gift of the Eucharist at the Last Supper is described in Luke 22. In celebrating the Passover meal, Jesus offers bread and wine, but in a new and unique way. The Eucharist is sacrifice and meal—the two realities are intimately joined. The Second Vatican Council’s “Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy” explained that Jesus instituted the sacrament “in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the centuries until He should come again, and so to entrust to His beloved spouse, the Church, a memorial of His death and resurrection…” (par 47).

Hanging on the Cross, Jesus endured the taunts: “He saved others, let him save himself.” But the Son of God had no thought of saving Himself, only of saving us. His humility knew no bounds. He had descended from heaven, born in a cave, poor and obscure. Thirty-three years later He ascended the Cross, dying in poverty and obscurity. Or so it seemed. The new covenant had been given, offered in flesh and blood. And Easter? Soon!

(This “Opening the Word” column originally appeared in a slightly different form in the April 1, 2007, edition of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper.)

 

[Fidelis]

:tiphat: Thanks to the faithful few who followed this thread (and all the Lenten Scripture study threads this Lent) to the end. I hope this Lenten series has been helpful and uplifting for you, and if you have any additional meditations or positive and holy thoughts on the readings for Palm Sunday to add, please feel free to do so.

Have a prayerful and fruitful Holy Week , and a blessed and joyful Easter! :extrahappy:

Buh Bye!

Fidelis

 

[CatholicZ09]

This Sunday’s Second Reading is from st; Paul’s great Christological hymn found in Philippians 2:6-11.

St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians is one of the Captivity Epistles, written from Rome ca. 60 AD. Paul founded the church there around 50 AD and visited there at least once (Acts 16:20). He seems to have had a special affection for the Philippian church and elsewhere he expresses his gratitude for their support of him when others had apparently abandoned him. The letter is, overall, positive with only a few doctrinal corrections and warnings regarding disunity.

To provide a little context, I want to back up to the verses immediately preceding our reading (verses 1-5, RSV):

The Navarre Bible comments as follows:

Overall, then, St. Paul is exhorting his beloved Philippians to unity and selflessness.

Here is the Second Reading as we will hear it this Sunday:

I just wanted to scream “AMEN!” at the end of the second reading. It was really powerful, haha.

 

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One I just found one I really liked from an Orthodox point of view on the blog Glory To God In All Things:

Palm Sunday and Hearing the Word of God
By fatherstephen

I am convinced after years of preaching and listening to preaching that the bulk of Scripture has become lost to our ears. We hear it, but fail to “hear” it. And I do not mean this merely in the moral sense (doubtless we fail to be “doers” of the word). Rather, I am aware of a kind of dullness, of seeing a very narrow set of things that become the lens through which we see and understand. We read amazing statements as though they were commonplace, and we make commonplace that which should be utterly astounding.

Much of my conviction on this matter has come in the last 12 years or more and my immersion into the services of the Orthodox Church. These services, long and with ample “hymnography” that is but a poetic commentary on the Scriptures and doctrines that surround any particular feast, are probably the richest surviving engagement with the Word of God to be found in a 21st century Church. Here no Reformation has occurred and reduced all Scripture to a “riff” on Justification by Faith, or a subset of Calvin’s paradigms. Here no Enlightenment has shown with its darkness of doubt and obfuscation.

Instead, there is a constant wonderment at the Scriptures themselves, as if the hymnographer were discovering something for the first time or had found a rare gem to share to any willing to listen – and all in the form of praise and thanksgiving to God.

It is true to say that in Orthodoxy, “Theology sings.” It is possible to be lulled into a near trance as the choir or chanter utters mysteries to God and to miss treasures that should truly astound. But careful attention is always rewarded with something you never considered.

Continued below…

 

[Fidelis]

I am further convinced that our modern complacencies have made us deaf to the form and shape of Scripture so that we listen like sceptics and frown like Pharisees. In our modern context most people have either been shaped by fundamentalist literalism; by modernist historical criticism; or by nearly nothing at all. In each case the Scriptures will not sing – they will not yield up their treasures.

I was struck by a particular case this evening – at the Vigil for Palm Sunday. The gospel account in question was the Matthean version of Christ’s entry into Jerusalem:

*And when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find an *** tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If any one says anything to you, you shall say, `The Lord has need of them,’ and he will send them immediately.” This took place to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet, saying, “Tell the daughter of Zion, Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on an ***, and on a colt, the foal of an **.” The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the *** and the colt, and put their garments on them, and he sat thereon.

Modern historical criticism hears in this only the “foolishness” of Matthew. Matthew has cited the prophecy in Zechariah that “your king is coming to you…mounted on an ***, and on a colt, the foal of an ***,” and has crafted his story in precisely that manner, placing Jesus astride two animals. The same critics will note that in other gospel accounts Christ is only on a “foal of an ***,” i.e., one animal. Historical Critics have a field day with such problems (I was first confronted with this “discrepancy” in my sophomore year of college – it was presented as if the professor had noticed something no one had ever seen before). Modern fundamentalists will rush to defend the integrity of the gospel accounts, “Two different eye-witnesses reported on the same thing and one emphasized one thing and the other emphasized another.”

Both explanations lack imagination and are precisely the sort of blindness that afflicts so much modern reading of Scripture. Listening to the hymnody for the Vigil of Palm Sunday, the hymnographer, without apology for the discrepancy, races to it and declares:

*O gracious Lord, who ridest upon the cherubim, who art praised by the seraphim, now Thou dost ride like David on the foal of an **, The children sing hymns worthy of God, while the priests and scribes blaspheme against Thee. By riding an untamed colt, Thou hast prefigured the salvation of the Gentiles, those wild beasts, who will be brought from unbelief to faith! Glory to Thee, O merciful Christ. Our King and the Lover of man!

Here (the reading had been from Matthew) the second beast is handled under the mystery of the faith. Christ, Lord of Israel, the *** who has been tamed, and Lord of the Gentiles, the untamed foal, is the Lord of both! Modern critics might race to cry “foul” (no pun intended), but the ancient hymnographer has come closer to the heart of Scripture than either the modern sceptic or the modern literalist will ever know.

The inspired (I know no other word) imagination of the early Church that took the “Apostolic Hypothesis,” as St. Irenaeus would call it, and fashioned the framework on which the Old Testament would be read, is the same early Church that gave us the Gospels (inspired indeed) and the other writings of Scripture. Their treatment of prophecy is not obvious. Where is the three day resurrection prophesied (only in Jonah’s sojourn in the belly of the whale – now that is inspired interpretation)? The writers of the New Testament believed that everything in the Old, when read rightly would yield insight into the Messiah and the mystery of our salvation. But their creative insight (again, I believe it is inspired) is far removed from the flat-footed nonsense that we hear out of modern fundamentalist “prophetic” scholars, whose reading of the Old Testament is almost as poorly constructed as the 19th century false prophecies of the book of Mormon! Neither bear any resemblance to the treatment of prophecy found in the New Testament.

And thus I return to my original point. We have become deaf. We listen with ears either hardened by modernist scepticism, or by a false literalism that has substituted Darbyite nonsense for the Apostolic faith, or reduced Scripture to delicate harmonizations. None of them have the boldness and audacity of the patristic hymnographers who stood in the proper line of succession, proclaiming the faith as it had been taught and received and continuing to expound its mysteries. Thank God that somewhere in this modern world, you can still stand and listen to the wonders of our salvation, sung and unraveled before the unbelieving heart of man. Glory to God who has so loved mankind!