Transfigure, Psalms 22:8-24, Isaiah 50:4-7, Luke 22:1-71 & 23:5-56, Pope Frances Daily Activity, The Mystical City of God, The Divine History and Life of The Virgin Mother of God - Book 6:2 THE TRANSFIGURATION AND TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM OF OUR LORD, Palm Sunday Tradition, Catholic Catechism Part Two Section 1:2:1 The Paschal Mystery in the Church's Sacraments - The Sacraments of Christ
Good Day Bloggers! Wishing everyone a Blessed Week!
Year of Faith - October 11, 2012 - November 24, 2013
P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens). It has a remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience and tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.
The world begins and ends everyday for someone. We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have
flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge and free will,
make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in
Heaven. Its your choice whether to rise towards eternal light or lost to
eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and
survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes
from this earth to Purgatory and/or Heaven is our Soul, our Spirit...it's God's perpetual
gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...
"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill." ~ Zarya Parx 2012
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Prayers for Today: Sunday in Lent
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Papam Franciscus
(Pope Francis)
28th WORLD YOUTH DAY
POPE FRANCIS
ANGELUS
St Peter's Square
Palm Sunday, 24 March 2013
Palm Sunday, 24 March 2013
Vatican City, 24 March 2013 (VIS) – Following is the whole text of Pope Francis' homily during the Palm Sunday Mass that begins the Holy Week celebrations. The Holy Father commented on the World Youth Day that the entire Church celebrates today, asking that we live the faith “with a young heart”. The pontiff urged the youth to “tell the world that it is good to follow Christ!”
JOY
“Jesus enters Jerusalem. The crowd of disciples accompanies him in festive mood, their garments are stretched out before him, there is talk of the miracles he has accomplished, and loud praises are heard: 'Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!' (Lk 19:38).“
“Crowds, celebrating, praise, blessing, peace: joy fills the air. Jesus has awakened great hopes, especially in the hearts of the simple, the humble, the poor, the forgotten, those who do not matter in the eyes of the world. He understands human sufferings, he has shown the face of God’s mercy, he has bent down to heal body and soul.”
“This is Jesus. This is his heart that looks upon all of us, who sees our sicknesses, our sins. Jesus' love is great. And so He enters into Jerusalem with this love and looks upon all of us. It is a beautiful scene, full of light—the light of the Jesus' love, of his heart—joy, and celebration.”
“At the beginning of Mass, we repeated all this. We waved our palms. We also welcomed Jesus; we too expressed our joy at accompanying him, at knowing him to be close, present in us and among us as a friend, a brother, and also as a King: that is, a shining beacon for our lives. Jesus is God but He lowered himself to walk with us. He is our friend, our brother. He enlightens us along the journey. And thus today we have welcomed him.”
“And this is the first word that I want to tell you: 'Joy!' Do not be men and women of sadness: a Christian can never be sad! Never give way to discouragement! Ours is not a joy that comes from having many possessions, but it comes from having encountered a Person, Jesus, who is among us. It comes from knowing that with him we are never alone, even at difficult moments, even when our life’s journey comes up against problems and obstacles that seem insurmountable, and there are so many of them! This is the moment when the enemy comes, when the devil, often times dressed as an angel, comes and insidiously tells us his word. Don't listen to him! Follow Jesus! We accompany, we follow Jesus, but above all we know that he accompanies us and carries us on his shoulders. This is our joy, this is the hope that we must bring to this world of ours. Please don't let him steal our hope. Don't let him steal our hope, that hope that Jesus gives us.”
CROSS
“The second word. Why does Jesus enter Jerusalem? Or better: how does Jesus enter Jerusalem? The crowds acclaim him as King. And he does not deny it, he does not tell them to be silent (cf. Lk 19:39-40). But what kind of a King is Jesus? Let us take a look at him: He is riding on a donkey; He is not accompanied by a court; He is not surrounded by an army as a symbol of power. He is received by humble people, simple folk who had the sense to see something more in Jesus; those with a sense of faith that tells them: 'This is the Saviour. Jesus does not enter the Holy City to receive the honours reserved to earthly kings, to the powerful, to rulers. He enters to be scourged, insulted and abused, as Isaiah foretold in the First Reading (cf. Is 50:6). He enters to receive a crown of thorns, a staff, a purple robe: his kingship becomes an object of derision. He enters to climb Calvary, carrying his burden of wood.”
“And this brings us to the second word: Cross. Jesus enters Jerusalem in order to die on the Cross. And it is here that his kingship shines forth in godly fashion: his royal throne is the wood of the Cross! I think of what Benedict XVI said to the cardinals, 'You are princes, but of a crucified King.' That is Jesus' throne. Jesus takes it upon himself... Why the Cross? Because Jesus takes upon himself the evil, the filth, the sin of the world, including our own sin—all of us—and he cleanses it, he cleanses it with his blood, with the mercy and the love of God. Let us look around: how many wounds are inflicted upon humanity by evil! Wars, violence, economic conflicts that hit the weakest, greed for money, which none of us can take with us, it must be left behind.”
Here the Pope added a personal note: “My grandmother used to tell us children, 'A shroud has no pockets!'” Then he continued: “Loving money, power, corruption, divisions, crimes against human life and against creation! And also—each of us knows and recognizes—our personal sins: our failures in love and respect towards God, towards our neighbour and towards the whole of creation.”
“Jesus on the Cross feels the whole weight of the evil, and with the force of God’s love he conquers it, he defeats it with his resurrection. This is the good that Jesus' does for all of us upon his throne of the Cross. Christ’s Cross embraced with love does not lead to sadness, but to joy! It leads to the joy of being saved and of doing a little of what He did that day of his death.”
YOUTH
“Today in this Square, there are many young people: for 28 years Palm Sunday has been World Youth Day! This is our third word: Youth! Dear young people, I saw you in the procession when you entered. I think of you celebrating around Jesus, waving your olive branches. I think of you crying out his name and expressing your joy at being with him! You have an important part in the celebration of faith! You bring us the joy of faith and you tell us that we must live the faith with a young heart,” and here he emphasized, “a young heart, always, even at the age of seventy or eighty, a young heart. With Christ, the heart never grows old!”
“Yet all of us, all of you know very well that the King whom we follow and who accompanies us is very special: he is a King who loves even to the Cross and who teaches us to serve and to love. And you are not ashamed of his Cross! On the contrary, you embrace it, because you have understood that it is in giving ourselves, in giving ourselves and in going outside of ourselves, that we have true joy and through God's love He has conquered evil. You carry the pilgrim Cross through all the Continents, along the highways of the world! You carry it in response to Jesus’ call: “Go, make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19), which is the theme of World Youth Day this year. You carry it so as to tell everyone that on the Cross Jesus knocked down the wall of enmity that divides people and nations, and he brought reconciliation and peace.”
“Dear friends, I too am setting out on a journey with you today, in the footsteps of Blessed John Paul II and Benedict XVI. We are already close to the next stage of this great pilgrimage of the Cross. I look forward joyfully to this coming July in Rio de Janeiro! I will see you in that great city in Brazil! Prepare well in your communities—prepare spiritually above all—so that our gathering in Rio may be a sign of faith for the whole world.” Then, in an unscripted exhortation, the Pope called out: “Young persons, you must tell the world that it's good to follow Jesus, that it's good to go with Jesus. Jesus' message is good. It's good to go outside ourselves to the ends of the earth and of existence to bring Jesus! Three words: Joy, Cross, and Youth.”
“Let us ask the intercession of the Virgin Mary. She teaches us the joy of meeting Christ, the love with which we must look to the foot of the Cross, the enthusiasm of the young heart with which we must follow him during this Holy Week and throughout our lives. May it be so.”
Reference:
- Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2013 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed 3/24/2013.
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March 18 2013 Message to the World via Annual Apparition to Mirjana:
"Dear children! I call you to, with complete trust and joy, bless the name of the Lord and, day by day, to give Him thanks from the heart for His great love. My Son, through that love which He showed by the Cross, gave you the possibility to be forgiven for everything; so that you do not have to be ashamed or to hide, and out of fear not to open the door of your heart to my Son. To the contrary, my children, reconcile with the Heavenly Father so that you may be able to come to love yourselves as my Son loves you. When you come to love yourselves, you will also love others; in them you will see my Son and recognize the greatness of His love. Live in faith! Through me, my Son is preparing you for the works which He desires to do through you – works through which He desires to be glorified. Give Him thanks. Especially thank Him for the shepherds - for your intercessors in the reconciliation with the Heavenly Father. I am thanking you, my children. Thank you."
March 2, 2013 Message From Our Lady of Medjugorje to World:
“Dear children; Anew, in a motherly way, I am calling you not to be of a hard heart. Do not shut your eyes to the warnings which the Heavenly Father sends to you out of love. Do you love Him above all else? Do you repent for having often forgotten that the Heavenly Father, out of His great love, sent His Son to redeem us by the Cross? Do you repent for not having accepted the message? My children, do not resist the love of my Son. Do not resist hope and peace. Along with your prayers and fasting, by His Cross, my Son will cast away the darkness that wants to surround you and come to rule over you. He will give you the strength for a new life. Living it according to my Son, you will be a blessing and a hope to all those sinners who wander in the darkness of sin. My children, keep vigil. I, as a mother, am keeping vigil with you. I am especially praying and watching over those whom my Son called to be light-bearers and carriers of hope for you – for your shepherds. Thank you.”
February 25, 2013 Message From Our Lady of Medjugorje to World:
“Dear children! Also today I call you to prayer. Sin is pulling you towards worldly things and I have come to lead you towards holiness and the things of God, but you are struggling and spending your energies in the battle with the good and the evil that are in you. Therefore, little children, pray, pray, pray until prayer becomes a joy for you and your life will become a simple walk towards God. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
“Dear children! Also today I call you to prayer. Sin is pulling you towards worldly things and I have come to lead you towards holiness and the things of God, but you are struggling and spending your energies in the battle with the good and the evil that are in you. Therefore, little children, pray, pray, pray until prayer becomes a joy for you and your life will become a simple walk towards God. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
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Today's Word: transfigure trans·fig·ure [trans-fig-yer]
Origin: 1250–1300; Middle English transfiguren < Latin trānsfigūrāre to change in shape. See trans-, figure
verb (used with object), trans·fig·ured, trans·fig·ur·ing.
1. to change in outward form or appearance; transform.
2. to change so as to glorify or exalt.
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Today's Old Testament Reading - Psalms 22:8-9, 17-24
8 'He trusted himself to Yahweh, let Yahweh set him free! Let him deliver him, as he took such delight in him.'
9 It was you who drew me from the womb and soothed me on my mother's breast.
17 I can count every one of my bones, while they look on and gloat;
18 they divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.
19 Yahweh, do not hold aloof! My strength, come quickly to my help,
20 rescue my soul from the sword, the one life I have from the grasp of the dog!
23 'You who fear Yahweh, praise him! All the race of Jacob, honour him! Revere him, all the race of Israel!'
24 For he has not despised nor disregarded the poverty of the poor, has not turned away his face, but has listened to the cry for help.
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Today's Epistle - Isaiah 50:4-7
4 Lord Yahweh
has given me a disciple's tongue, for me to know how to give a word of
comfort to the weary. Morning by morning he makes my ear alert to listen
like a disciple.
5 Lord Yahweh has opened my ear and I have not resisted, I have not turned away.
6 I have offered my back to those who
struck me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; I have not turned my
face away from insult and spitting.
7 Lord Yahweh
comes to my help, this is why insult has not touched me, this is why I
have set my face like flint and know that I shall not be put to shame.
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Today's Gospel Reading – Luke 22:1-71 and 23:5-56
The death of Jesus:
when love goes to the extreme
Luke 22:1-71 and 23:5-56
when love goes to the extreme
Luke 22:1-71 and 23:5-56
1. Opening prayer
Holy Spirit,
poured out on the world by the divine Dying,
guide us to contemplate
and understand the way of the cross
of our Saviour
and the love with which He walked this way.
Grant us eyes and hearts of true believers,
so that we may perceive
the glorious mystery of the cross.
«Thanks to the cross we no longer wander through the desert,
because we know the true path;
we no longer live outside the house of God, our King,
because we have found the entrance to it;
we no longer fear the fiery spears of the devil,
because we have found a spring of water.
Through him we are no longer alone,
because we have found the spouse again;
we do not fear the world,
because now we have found the Good Shepherd.
Thanks to the cross
the injustice of the powerful does not frighten us,
because we sit at table with the King» (cfr John Chrisostome).
Holy Spirit,
poured out on the world by the divine Dying,
guide us to contemplate
and understand the way of the cross
of our Saviour
and the love with which He walked this way.
Grant us eyes and hearts of true believers,
so that we may perceive
the glorious mystery of the cross.
«Thanks to the cross we no longer wander through the desert,
because we know the true path;
we no longer live outside the house of God, our King,
because we have found the entrance to it;
we no longer fear the fiery spears of the devil,
because we have found a spring of water.
Through him we are no longer alone,
because we have found the spouse again;
we do not fear the world,
because now we have found the Good Shepherd.
Thanks to the cross
the injustice of the powerful does not frighten us,
because we sit at table with the King» (cfr John Chrisostome).
2. Reading
a) A key to the reading:
The liturgical context: the
ancient tradition of proclaiming the Gospel of the passion and death of
Jesus Christ during the celebration of the Sunday before Easter, goes
back to the time when the celebrations of Holy Week were reduced to a
minimum. The aim of the reading is to lead the hearers to contemplate
the mystery of the death that prepares for the resurrection of the Lord
and that, therefore, is the condition by which the believer enters
into the “new life” in Christ. The custom of reading this long Gospel
passage in parts, not only helps to make the reading less monotonous so
as to facilitate an attentive listening, but also in order to involve
emotionally the participation of the listeners, almost making them feel
present and taking part in the narrative.
The two readings before the Gospel of this Sunday help us with an interpretation that gives a certain perspective to the text: the Servant of JHWH is Jesus, the Christ, a divine Person who, through his ignominious death, comes into the glory of God the Father and communicates his own life to those who listen to him and welcome him.
The Gospel context: it is well
known that the literary nucleus around which the Gospels were written
was the Pasch of the Lord: his passion, death and resurrection. We have
here, therefore, a text that is ancient and homogeneous in its
literary composition, even though it was written through a gradual
process. However, its importance is paramount: in it we are told the
fundamental event of the Christian faith, that which every believer
must face and conform to (even though the text of the liturgy of this
Sunday ends with the burial of Jesus).
As usual, Luke comes through as an efficient and delicate narrator who pays attention to details and is capable of letting the reader glimpse something of the feelings and inner motivations of the main characters, above all of Jesus. The terrible and unjust suffering Jesus undergoes is filtered through his unalterable attitude of mercy towards all, even his persecutors and murderers. Some of these are touched by the way he faces suffering and death, so much so that they show signs of faith in him: the torment of the passion is rendered soft by the power of the divine love of Jesus.
In the context of the third Gospel, Jesus goes to the Holy City only once: that decisive moment for the human history of the Christ and for the history of salvation. The whole of Luke’s Gospel is like a long preparation for the events of the last days that Jesus passes in Jerusalem, preaching and acting at times even grandiosely (esp. the driving of the merchants from the Temple 19:45-48), at other times mysteriously or in a provoking manner (esp. the reply concerning the tribute to Caesar, 20:19-26). It is not by chance that the Evangelist puts together in these last days many events and words that the other Synoptic Gospels place elsewhere in the public life of Jesus. All this takes place while the plot of the chiefs of the nation thickens and becomes ever more concrete, until Judas offers them a perfect and unexpected chance (22:2-6).
In this last and definitive stage of the life of the Lord, the third Evangelist uses various terms such as a “passing” or an “exodus” (9:31), a “taking up” (9:51) and an “attaining of the end” (13:32). Thus, Luke leads us to understand, before the fact, how to interpret the terrible and scandalous death of the Christ to whom they had entrusted their life: He accomplishes a painful and difficult stage to understand, but one “necessary” in the economy of salvation (9:22; 13:33; 17:35; 22:37) in order to bring to success (“fulfilment”) his journey towards glory (cfr 24:26; 17:25). This journey of Jesus is the paradigm of the journey to be achieved by each of his disciples (Acts 14:22).
b) A division of the text to help us in its reading:
The story of the last supper: from 22:7 to 22:38;
The prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemani: from 22:39 to 22:46;
The arresting and the Jewish process: from 22:47 to 22:71
The civil process before Pilate and Herod: from 23:1 to 23:25
The sentence, crucifixion and death: from 23:26 to 23:49
Events after the death: from 23:50 to 23:56.
The prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemani: from 22:39 to 22:46;
The arresting and the Jewish process: from 22:47 to 22:71
The civil process before Pilate and Herod: from 23:1 to 23:25
The sentence, crucifixion and death: from 23:26 to 23:49
Events after the death: from 23:50 to 23:56.
c) The text:
The story of the last supper
14 And when the hour came, he sat at table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I tell you I shall not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." 17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, "Take this, and divide it among yourselves; 18 for I tell you that from now on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." 20 And likewise the cup after supper, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. 21 But behold the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. 22 For the Son of man goes as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!" 23 And they began to question one another, which of them it was that would do this.
14 And when the hour came, he sat at table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I tell you I shall not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." 17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, "Take this, and divide it among yourselves; 18 for I tell you that from now on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." 20 And likewise the cup after supper, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. 21 But behold the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. 22 For the Son of man goes as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!" 23 And they began to question one another, which of them it was that would do this.
24 A dispute also arose among them, which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25 And he said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26 But not so with you; rather let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. 27 For which is the greater, one who sits at table, or one who serves? Is it not the one who sits at table? But I am among you as one who serves.
28 "You are those who have continued with me in my trials; 29 and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, 30 that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
31 "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren." 33 And he said to him, "Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death." 34 He said, "I tell you, Peter, the cock will not crow this day, until you three times deny that you know me."
35 And he said to them, "When I sent you out with no purse or bag or sandals, did you lack anything?" They said, "Nothing." 36 He said to them, "But now, let him who has a purse take it, and likewise a bag. And let him who has no sword sell his mantle and buy one. 37 For I tell you that this scripture must be fulfilled in me, 'And he was reckoned with transgressors'; for what is written about me has its fulfilment." 38 And they said, "Look, Lord, here are two swords." And he said to them, "It is enough."
The prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemani
39 And he came out, and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him. 40 And when he came to the place he said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation." 41 And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 "Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." 45 And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, 46 and he said to them, "Why do you sleep? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation."
39 And he came out, and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him. 40 And when he came to the place he said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation." 41 And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 "Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." 45 And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, 46 and he said to them, "Why do you sleep? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation."
The arresting and the Jewish process
47 While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him; 48 but Jesus said to him, "Judas, would you betray the Son of man with a kiss?" 49 And when those who were about him saw what would follow, they said, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?" 50 And one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. 51 But Jesus said, "No more of this!" And he touched his ear and healed him. 52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? 53 When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."
47 While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him; 48 but Jesus said to him, "Judas, would you betray the Son of man with a kiss?" 49 And when those who were about him saw what would follow, they said, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?" 50 And one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. 51 But Jesus said, "No more of this!" And he touched his ear and healed him. 52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? 53 When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."
54 Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest's house. Peter followed at a distance; 55 and when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. 56 Then a maid, seeing him as he sat in the light and gazing at him, said, "This man also was with him." 57 But he denied it, saying, "Woman, I do not know him." 58 And a little later some one else saw him and said, "You also are one of them." But Peter said, "Man, I am not." 59 And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, "Certainly this man also was with him; for he is a Galilean." 60 But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are saying." And immediately, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, "Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times." 62 And he went out and wept bitterly.
63 Now the men who were holding
Jesus mocked him and beat him; 64 they also blindfolded him and asked
him, "Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?" 65 And they spoke many
other words against him, reviling him.
66 When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes; and they led him away to their council, and they said, 67 "If you are the Christ, tell us." But he said to them, "If I tell you, you will not believe; 68 and if I ask you, you will not answer. 69 But from now on the Son of man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God." 70 And they all said, "Are you the Son of God, then?" And he said to them, "You say that I am." 71 And they said, "What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips."
66 When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes; and they led him away to their council, and they said, 67 "If you are the Christ, tell us." But he said to them, "If I tell you, you will not believe; 68 and if I ask you, you will not answer. 69 But from now on the Son of man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God." 70 And they all said, "Are you the Son of God, then?" And he said to them, "You say that I am." 71 And they said, "What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips."
The civil process before Pilate and Herod
1 Then the whole company of them arose, and brought him before Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse him, saying, "We found this man perverting our nation, and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ a king." 3 And Pilate asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" And he answered him, "You have said so." 4 And Pilate said to the chief priests and the multitudes, "I find no crime in this man." 5 But they were urgent, saying, "He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place."
6 When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. 7 And when he learned that he belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. 8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. 9 So he questioned him at some length; but he made no answer. 10 The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. 11 And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him; then, arraying him in gorgeous apparel, he sent him back to Pilate. 12 And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other. 13 Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, 14 and said to them, "You brought me this man as one who was perverting the people; and after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him; 15 neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Behold, nothing deserving death has been done by him; 16 I will therefore chastise him and release him." 18 But they all cried out together, "Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas"-- 19 a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city, and for murder. 20 Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus; 21 but they shouted out, "Crucify, crucify him!" 22 A third time he said to them, "Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no crime deserving death; I will therefore chastise him and release him." 23 But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. 24 So Pilate gave sentence that their demand should be granted. 25 He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, whom they asked for; but Jesus he delivered up to their will.
1 Then the whole company of them arose, and brought him before Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse him, saying, "We found this man perverting our nation, and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ a king." 3 And Pilate asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" And he answered him, "You have said so." 4 And Pilate said to the chief priests and the multitudes, "I find no crime in this man." 5 But they were urgent, saying, "He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place."
6 When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. 7 And when he learned that he belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. 8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. 9 So he questioned him at some length; but he made no answer. 10 The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. 11 And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him; then, arraying him in gorgeous apparel, he sent him back to Pilate. 12 And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other. 13 Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, 14 and said to them, "You brought me this man as one who was perverting the people; and after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him; 15 neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Behold, nothing deserving death has been done by him; 16 I will therefore chastise him and release him." 18 But they all cried out together, "Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas"-- 19 a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city, and for murder. 20 Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus; 21 but they shouted out, "Crucify, crucify him!" 22 A third time he said to them, "Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no crime deserving death; I will therefore chastise him and release him." 23 But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. 24 So Pilate gave sentence that their demand should be granted. 25 He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, whom they asked for; but Jesus he delivered up to their will.
The sentence, crucifixion and death
26 And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. 27 And there followed him a great multitude of the people, and of women who bewailed and lamented him. 28 But Jesus turning to them said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For behold, the days are coming when they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never gave suck!' 30 Then they will begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us'; and to the hills, 'Cover us.' 31 For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?"
26 And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. 27 And there followed him a great multitude of the people, and of women who bewailed and lamented him. 28 But Jesus turning to them said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For behold, the days are coming when they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never gave suck!' 30 Then they will begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us'; and to the hills, 'Cover us.' 31 For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?"
32 Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 33 And when they came to the place which is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on the right and one on the left. 34 And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." And they cast lots to divide his garments. 35 And the people stood by, watching; but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!" 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him vinegar, 37 and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!" 38 There was also an inscription over him, "This is the King of the Jews."
39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!" 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly; for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." 42 And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." 43 And he said to him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
44 It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45 while the sun's light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, "Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!" And having said this he breathed his last. 47 Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, and said, "Certainly this man was innocent!" 48 And all the multitudes who assembled to see the sight, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. 49 And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance and saw these things.
Events after the death
50 Now there was a man named Joseph from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, 51 who had not consented to their purpose and deed, and he was looking for the kingdom of God. 52 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53 Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud, and laid him in a rock-hewn tomb, where no one had ever yet been laid. 54 It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning. 55 The women who had come with him from Galilee followed, and saw the tomb, and how his body was laid; 56 then they returned, and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
50 Now there was a man named Joseph from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, 51 who had not consented to their purpose and deed, and he was looking for the kingdom of God. 52 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53 Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud, and laid him in a rock-hewn tomb, where no one had ever yet been laid. 54 It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning. 55 The women who had come with him from Galilee followed, and saw the tomb, and how his body was laid; 56 then they returned, and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
3. A moment of prayerful silence so that the Word of God may enter into our hearts and shed light on our lives.
4. A few questions to help us in our meditation and prayer.
a) At the end of this long reading, what
feeling prevails in me: is it relief for having come to the end,
admiration for Jesus, pain for his pain, joy for the salvation achieved,
or something else?
b) I re-read the text and pay special attention to the way the many “powerful” acted: the priests, the Scribes and Pharisees, Pilate, Herod. What do I think of them? How would I have thought, acted, spoken and decided in their place?
c) I read the passion once more and, this time, pay attention to the action of the “little ones”: the disciples, the people, individuals, the women, the soldiers and others. What do I think of them? How would I have acted, thought and spoken in their place?
d) Finally, I look at my way of acting in my daily life. With which of the main or lesser characters can I identify myself? With which character would I like to identify myself?
b) I re-read the text and pay special attention to the way the many “powerful” acted: the priests, the Scribes and Pharisees, Pilate, Herod. What do I think of them? How would I have thought, acted, spoken and decided in their place?
c) I read the passion once more and, this time, pay attention to the action of the “little ones”: the disciples, the people, individuals, the women, the soldiers and others. What do I think of them? How would I have acted, thought and spoken in their place?
d) Finally, I look at my way of acting in my daily life. With which of the main or lesser characters can I identify myself? With which character would I like to identify myself?
5. A key to the reading for those who wish to go deeper into the theme. A commentary on the text with special emphasis on some key points:
22:14: When the hour came he took his place at table, and the apostles with him:
Although Luke is writing for a Christian community mostly of pagan
origin, yet he stresses that the last supper of Jesus is part of the
Jewish rite of pesah. Just before the supper he describes the
preparations (vv. 7-13).
22:15: I have longed to eat this Passover with you before I suffer:
this recalls the words in 12:50: “There is a baptism I must still
receive, and how great is my distress till it is over! (cfr also Jn
12:32). Luke gives us a ray of light on the interior dimension of Jesus
as he prepares to suffer and die: what urges him is, as always for him,
the radical choice of conforming to the will of the Father (cfr 2:49),
but in these words we glimpse a very human desire for fraternity, for
sharing and for friendship.
22:17: Then, taking a cup, he gave thanks:
we have not yet come to the eucharistic chalice strictly speaking, but
only to the first of four cups of wine that are drunk at a paschal
meal.
22:18: From now on, I tell you, I shall not drink wine until the kingdom of God comes:
this is the second explicit reference to his nearing death. It is a
repetition of the proclamations concerning the passion (9:22.44; 12:50;
18:31-32) and, like those, it refers implicitly to the resurrection.
However, the proclamation, even in all the seriousness of the moment,
contains intimations of hope and of the eschatological expectation,
together with the certainty that the Father will not abandon him to
death. Jesus is aware of what he has to face, but is quite serene,
interiorly free, certain of his final destiny and of the final results
of what he is about to experience.
22:19-20: the story of
the Eucharistic institution is quite similar to the one mentioned in
Paul (1Cor 11:23-25) and has a pronounced sacrificial character: Jesus
offers himself, not things, as an oblation for those who believe in
him.
22:21: Here with me on the table is the hand of the man who betrays me:
eating with him, Jesus allows even Judas to enter into communion with
him, and yet he knows well that this disciple is about to betray him
definitively. The contrast is strident and made so on purpose by the
Evangelist, as is true also elsewhere in this passage.
22:28: You are the men who have stood by me faithfully in my trials:
unlike Judas, the other disciples have “stood by Jesus in his trials”,
because they have stayed with him at least up to the present moment.
The Lord, then, acknowledges that they have reached a high level of
communion with him so that they deserve special honour in the glory of
the Father (v. 29). It is Jesus himself, then, who creates a
close parallel between the constant communion of his disciples (those
of then and those of today) with his suffering and the final and
eternal sharing in his glory (“eat and drink”, v. 30).
22:31-37: Simon,
Simon! Satan, you must know, has got his wish to sift you all like
wheat; but I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail:
this passage seems to come from another context. Jesus’ reference to
Satan and his actions against the disciples recalls what the Evangelist
had said concerning the cause of the betrayal of Judas (22: 3) and is
almost parallel with Luke’s view of the passion as the final assault of
Satan against Jesus (cfr 4:13; 22:53).
Peter is protected from the snares of the tempter by the prayers of Jesus himself and because he chose firmly to be a disciple of the Lord, also because he has a special mission towards his brothers and sisters in the faith (v. 32b). Jesus hastens to warn him: for him, as for the other disciples too, the terrible passion of Jesus will cost them a hard fight against Satan and many ambushes that, in various forms, will assail the disciples who will be close to Jesus during the various stages of the passion (vv. 35-36) on account of the terrible trial that he will have to endure (v. 37); these last words explicitly refer to the text in Isaiah concerning the “suffering Servant” (Is 53:12), with whom Jesus is clearly identified.
22:33-34: Lord… I
would be ready to go to prison with you, and to death… I tell you,
Peter, by the time the cock crows today you will have denied three
times that you know me: Peter is a generous man, also a little
impatient, as we see from his words, which seem to force Jesus to tell
him about the denials. As in verses 24-27 the chiefs of the Christian
community were faced with their responsibility as “servants” of the
faith of the brothers and sisters entrusted to them, so now they are
reminded of their duty is to be prudent and vigilant towards themselves
and towards their weakness.
22:39-46: the story of
the moral-spiritual agony in the garden of Gethsemani follows closely
the text of Mark (14:32-42), except for some details, especially those
referring to the consoling appearance of the angel (v. 43). As
the most difficult and insidious moment of his life approaches, Jesus
intensifies his prayer. As Luke says, Gethsemani was the “usual” (v.
37) place where Jesus often spent nights in (21:37).
22:47-53: The real
passion begins with the seizure of Jesus. This passage presents the
following events as “the reign of darkness” (v. 53) and shows Jesus as
he who overcomes and will overcome violence by patience and the ability
to love even his persecutors (v. 51); that is why the sad but loving
words he addresses to Judas stand out: "Judas, are you betraying the
Son of Man with a kiss? (v. 48).
22:54-71: The Jewish
process does not evolve that night. Nothing is said of Jesus as
prisoner until morning. This lack of news concerning Jesus immediately
after his arrest and until the beginning of the case is typical of
Luke.
22:60-62: “My friend,” said Peter, “I do not know what you are talking about"… the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter and Peter remembered what the Lord had said… And he went outside and wept bitterly:
the two looks meeting each other, who knows how they happened in the
confusion of that interminable night, mark the moment when Peter becomes
aware: notwithstanding his gallant declarations of fidelity, he
realises what Jesus had told him a little earlier. In that look, Peter
experiences first hand the mercy of the Lord of which he had heard Jesus
talking: it does not hide the reality of sin, but heals it and brings
men and women back to a full awareness of their own condition and of
the personal love of God for them.
22:70-71: So you
are the Son of God then? … It is you who say I am… What need of witness
have we now? We have heard it for ourselves from his own lips:
the Jewish process begins officially at first dawn of that day (v. 66)
and concentrates on seeking proofs (some true, in Luke, but cfr Mk
14:55-59) to sentence Jesus to death. According to Luke, then, the
chiefs of the Jews did not bring forth false witnesses, but – even in
their savage aversion towards Jesus – they behaved towards him in a
somewhat correct juridical manner. In replying positively to the
question “You are the Son of God then?”, Jesus shows that he is fully
aware of his divine dignity. Through this awareness, his suffering,
death and resurrection are eloquent witness of the benign will of the
Father towards humanity. Thus, however, he “signs” his own sentence of
death: it is a blasphemy that profanes the Name and the very being of
JHWH since he declares himself explicitly to be “son”.
23:3-5: Are you the king of the Jews? … It is you who say it… He is inflaming the people with his teaching:
we are passing from a Jewish juridical process to a Roman one: the
Jewish chiefs hand over the condemned person to the governor so that he
may carry out their sentence and, to give him an acceptable reason,
they “domesticate” the movements of their sentence, presenting them in a
political light. Thus, Jesus is presented as subverting the people and
usurping the royal title of Israel (which by then was but a memory and
a purely honorific title). The means used by Jesus to carry out
his crime, as chance would have it, is his preaching: the words of
peace and mercy that he spread freely are now used against him! Jesus confirms the accusation, but it is certain that he is not
accused of seeking royal status, only one of the reflections of his
divine nature. This, however, neither Pilate nor the others are able to
understand.
23:6-12: He passed him
over to Herod: Perhaps Pilate intuited that they were trying to play a
“dirty trick” on him, so he probably tries to distance himself from the
prisoner by invoking respect for jurisdiction: Jesus comes from a
district, which at that historical time, did not come under Roman
responsibility but that of Herod Antipas. The latter is
presented in the Gospels as someone quite ambiguous: he admires and at
the same time is averse to John the Baptist, because the prophet had
taken him to task over his matrimonial position, which was irregular
and almost incestuous, and finally has him arrested and then put to
death so as not to cut a poor figure before his guests (3:19-20; Mk
6:17-29). Then he tries to get to know Jesus just out of curiosity,
because he had heard of his fame as a worker of miracles, and he
concocts a case against him (v. 10), He questions Jesus personally, but
then – before the obstinate silence of Jesus (v. 9) – leaves him to the
mockery of the soldiers, as had happened at the end of the religious
process (22,63-65) and as will happen when Jesus is crucified (vv.
35-38). He ends up sending Jesus back to Pilate. Luke concludes
this episode with an interesting footnote: Pilate’s gesture begins a
new friendship between him and Herod. The circumstances speak clearly
as to the purity of the motivation of this friendship.
23:13-25: You
brought this man before me… as a political agitator; …I have found no
case against the man in respect of the charges you bring against him:
as he suspected from the first meeting with Jesus (v. 4) and as he
will repeat later (v. 22), Pilate pronounces him innocent. He tries to
convince the chiefs of the people to let Jesus go, but they have
already decided that he should die (vv. 18.21.23) and insist on a
sentence of death. What is the substance of the
interrogation of the governor? Not much, according to the few phrases
that Luke reports (v. 3). And yet, Jesus replied positively to Pilate,
declaring himself “king of the Jews”! At this point, it is clear that
Pilate does not consider Jesus a dangerous man on the political level,
nor for public order, perhaps because the tone of Jesus’ declaration
left no doubt on these scores. The intention of the Evangelist is
quite clear in that he seeks to attenuate the responsibility of the
Roman governor. The latter, however, is known from historical sources
as a “man of inflexible nature and, on top of his arrogance, hard,
capable only of extortion, violence, robbery, brutality, torture,
executions without trial and fearful and unlimited cruelty” (Philo of
Alexandria) and that “he liked to provoke the nations entrusted to him,
sometimes by being rude and at other times by hard repression
(Josephus Flavius).
23:16.22: I shall have him punished and then let him go…:
the fact that Jesus was held to be innocent would not have spared him a
hard “punishment”, inflicted solely so as not to let down the
expectations of the chiefs of the Jews.
23:16.18.25: Away
with him! Give us Barabbas! He released the man they asked for, who had
been imprisoned for rioting and murder, and handed Jesus over to them
to deal with as they pleased: in the end, Pilate gives in
completely to the insistent demands of the chiefs of the people, even
though he does not pronounce any formal sentence on Jesus. Barabbas, a real delinquent and political agitator, thus becomes the
first person saved (at least at that moment) by the sacrifice of Jesus.
23:26-27: They
seized on a man, Simon from Cyrene, who was coming in from the country,
and made him shoulder the cross and carry it behind Jesus. Large
numbers of people followed him, and of women too, who mourned and
lamented for him: Simon and the women were not only privileged
witnesses of the passion, but, in Luke, they are models of
discipleship, people who show in action to the reader how to follow the
Lord. Besides, thanks to them and to the crowd Jesus is not alone as
he approaches death, but is surrounded by men and women who are deeply
and emotionally close to him, even though they need conversion, a
matter that he recalls to them in spite of his terrible condition (vv.
28-31). Simon of Cyrene is “seized”, but Luke does not say that he was reluctant to help the Lord (cfr Mk 15:20-21). The “large numbers of people” is also quite involved in what is
happening to Jesus. This is in strident contrast with the crowd that, a
little earlier, was demanding the sentence of death from Pilate.
23,34: Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing:
Luke brings out the main concern of the crucified Lord who, in spite
of being in atrocious physical pain from the process of crucifixion,
prays for them to the Father: he is not concerned with his own
condition nor with the historical causes that produced it, but only
with the salvation of all humankind. Stephen the martyr will act like
Him (Acts 7:60), to show the paradigmatic character of the life and
death of Jesus for the existence of every Christian. To emphasise
this strong orientation of Jesus, Luke omits the anguished cry reported
by the other Synoptic Gospels: “My God, my God, why have you abandoned
me?”
23:33.39-43: They crucified him there and the two criminals… Jesus… remember me when you come into your kingdom… Indeed, I promise you… today you will be with me in paradise:
the episode of the dialogue with one of his condemned companions is
emblematic of the way Luke understands the death of Jesus: an act of
self-giving made for love and in love to bring salvation to the greatest
number of people in whatever condition or situation they may find
themselves. ”Today” (v. 43): the thief had spoken in the future,
but Jesus replies using a verb in the present: the salvation He gives
is immediate, the “final days” begin with this saving event. ”You
will be with me” (v. 43): this expression indicates the full communion
in force between God and those he welcomes to himself in eternity (cfr
1Thes 4:17). According to some apocryphal writings of the late Judaic
period, the Messiah himself had “to open the gates of paradise”.
23:44-46: It was now about the sixth hour… Jesus cried out in a loud voice, he said, Father into your hands I commit my spirit. With these words he breathed his last: Jesus’ last words, by their good nature, seem to contrast with the preceding declaration that he cried aloud. Having come to the end of his human life, Jesus, makes a supreme act
of trust in the Father, for whose will He had suffered so much. In these
words we can glimpse a hint at the resurrection: the Father will hand
him back this life that Jesus now entrusts to him (cfr Ps 16:10; Acts
2:27; 13:35). Luke writes very concisely of the last moments
of Jesus: he is not interested in dwelling on details that would offer
satisfaction to some macabre curiosity, like the one that drew and
still draws so many spectators at a capital sentence in many squares of
the world.
23:47-48: When the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God: “This was a great and good man”. So too the crowds.. went home beating their breasts:
the saving efficacy of the sacrifice of Jesus acts almost immediately
simply on the evidence of what had happened: pagans (such as the
centurion who commanded the platoon in charge of the execution) the Jews
(the people) begin to change. The centurion “glorifies God” and seems
to be just a step from becoming a Christian believer. The Jewish
people, perhaps without being aware, go back using gestures of
repentance as Jesus had asked of the women of Jerusalem (v. 38).
23:49: All those who knew him watched from afar:
at a prudent distance, knowing the Roman attitude that forbade
excessive gestures of mourning for those condemned to be crucified (on
pain of being crucified themselves), the group of disciples is present
dumbfounded by the whole scene. Luke gives no hint as to their emotions
or attitudes: perhaps the pain and violence dazed them to the point of
making them incapable of any outward reaction. Similarly, the women
disciples do not take part in any way in the work done by Joseph of
Arimathea for the burial of Jesus: they just watch (v. 55).
23:53: Joseph took him
down from the cross, wrapped him in a sheet and placed him in a tomb
dug in the rock: Jesus has really undergone torture. He is really dead,
like so many others before and after him, on the cross, in a common
body of flesh. This event, without which there would be no salvation or
eternal life for any one, is verified by the fact that it is necessary
to bury him. This is so true that Luke expands on some details
concerning the speed with which the rite of burial was carried out by
Joseph (vv. 52-54).
23:56: On the Sabbath
they observed the day of rest, according to the commandment: as the
Creator rested on the seventh day of creation, thus consecrating the
Sabbath (Gn 2,2-3), so now the Lord observes the Sabbath in the tomb.
None of his people, now, seem to be able to hope for anything: Jesus’ words concerning the resurrection seem to have been forgotten. The women limit themselves to preparing some oils to make the burial of the Master a little more dignified.
The Gospel of this “Passion Sunday”
concludes here, leaving out the story of the discovery of the empty
tomb (24,1-12) and allowing us to savour the bitter sweet sacrifice of
the lamb of God, we are left in a sad and suspended state where we
remain immersed, even though we know the final result of the Gospel
story. This terrible death of the young Rabbi of Nazareth does not lose
its significance in his resurrection, but acquires an entirely new and
unexpected value, which does not take away anything from the dimension
of having been killed in sacrifice freely accepted because of the
“excessively” high respect for our human powers of understanding: it is
pure mystery.
6. Isaiah 50,4-10
"The Lord God helps me"
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 are 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 not been confounded;
therefore I have set my face like a flint,
and I know that I shall not be put to shame;
he who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me?
Let us stand up together. Who is my adversary?
Let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord God helps me;
who will declare me guilty?
Behold, all of them will wear out like a garment;
the moth will eat them up.
Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant,
who walks in darkness and has no light,
yet trusts in the name of the Lord and relies upon his God?
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 are 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 not been confounded;
therefore I have set my face like a flint,
and I know that I shall not be put to shame;
he who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me?
Let us stand up together. Who is my adversary?
Let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord God helps me;
who will declare me guilty?
Behold, all of them will wear out like a garment;
the moth will eat them up.
Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant,
who walks in darkness and has no light,
yet trusts in the name of the Lord and relies upon his God?
7. Closing prayer
of the Eucharistic prayer for this Sunday
of the Eucharistic prayer for this Sunday
Almighty and eternal God, you have given
the human race Jesus Christ our Saviour 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.
Reference: Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.
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Featured Item of the Day from Litany Lane
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Saint of the Day: Feria
Feast Day: March 24
Patron Saint: n/a
Attributes: n/a
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Today's Snippet I: Book 6, Chapter 2,
The Mystical City of God,
The Divine History and
Life of The Virgin Mother of God
THE TRANSFIGURATION AND TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM OF OUR
LORD.
Our Redeemer and Master Jesus had already consumed more than
two years and a half in preaching and performing wonders, and He was approaching
the time predestined by the eternal wisdom for satisfying divine justice for
redeeming the human race through his Passion and Death and thus to return to his
eternal Father. Since all his works were ordered with the highest wisdom for our
instruction and salvation, the Lord resolved to prepare and strengthen some of
his Apostles for the scandal of his Passion by manifesting to them beforehand in
its glory that same body, which was so soon to exhibit in the disfigurement of
the Cross. Thus would they be reassured by the thought, they had seen it
transfigured in glory before they looked upon it disfigured by his sufferings.
This he had promised a short time before in the presence of all, although not to
all, but only to some of his disciples, as is recorded by saint Matthew (Matth.
16, 28). For his Transfiguration He selected a high mountain in the center of
Galilee, two leagues east of Nazareth and called Mount Tabor. Ascending to its
highest summit with the three Apostles, Peter, and the two brothers James and
John, He was transfigured before them (Matth. 17, hark 9, 1; Luke 9, 28). The
three Evangelists tell us that besides these Apostles, were present also the
prophets, Moses and Elias, discoursing with Jesus about his Passion, and that,
while He was thus transfigured, a voice resounded from heaven in the name of the
eternal Father, saying "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased:
hear ye Him."
The Evangelists do not say that most holy Mary was present at
this Transfiguration, nor do they say that She was not there; this did not fall
within purpose, and they did not think it proper to speak of the hidden miracle
by which She was enabled to be there. For the purpose of recording this event
here, I was given to understand that at the same time in which some of the holy
angels were commissioned to bring the soul of Moses and Elias from their abode,
others of her own guard carried the heavenly Lady to Mount Tabor, in order to
witness the Transfiguration of her divine Son, for without a doubt She really
witnessed it. There was no necessity of confirming the most holy Mother in her
faith, as was necessary with the Apostles; for She was invincibly confirmed in
faith.
But no human ingenuity can suffice fully to describe the
effects of this glorious vision of her Son on her most holy soul. With inmost
gratitude and deepest penetration She began to ponder upon what She had seen and
heard; exalted praise of the omnipotent welled forth from her lips, when She
considered how her eyes had seen refulgent in glory that same bodily substance,
which had been formed of her blood, carried in her womb and nursed at her
breast; how She had with her own ears heard the voice of the eternal Father
acknowledge her Son as his own and appoint Him as the Teacher of all the human
race. With her holy angels She composed new canticles to celebrate an event so
full of festive joy for her soul and for the most sacred humanity of her Son. I
will not expatiate upon this mystery, nor discuss in what the Transfiguration of
the body of Jesus really consisted. It is enough to know that his countenance
began to shine like the sun and his garments became whiter than the snow (Matth.
17, 2).
After the Transfiguration the most blessed Mother was brought
back to her house in Nazareth; her divine Son descended the mountain and
immediately came to visit her in order to take final leave of his parental
province and set out for Jerusalem. There, on the following Pasch, which was to
be for Him the last upon earth, He was to enter upon his Passion. Having spent
only a few days at Nazareth, He departed with his Mother, his disciples and
Apostles and some of the holy women, traveling about through Galilee and Samaria
before entering Judea and Jerusalem. The Evangelist saint Luke writes of this
journey where he says, that He set his face toward Jerusalem (Luke 9, 51); for
He journeyed to Jerusalem with a joyous countenance and full of desire to enter
upon his sufferings, in order thereby, according to his own most ardent and
generous desire, to sacrifice Himself for the human race. He was not to return
to Galilee, where had wrought so many miracles. Knowing this at his departure
from Nazareth, He glorified his eternal Father and, in the name of his sacred
humanity, gave thanks for having, in that house and neighborhood, received the
human form and existence which He was now to deliver over to suffering and
death. Of the prayers of Christ our Lord on this occasion I will record as I can
the following one:
"My eternal Father, in compliance with thy will I gladly
haste to satisfy thy justice by suffering even unto death. Thus shall I
reconcile to Thee all the children of Adam, paying their debts and opening to
them the gates of heaven which have been closed against them. I shall seek those
who have turned away and lost themselves, so that they may be restored by the
force of my love. I shall find and gather together the lost of the house of
Jacob (Is. 56, 8), raise up the fallen, enrich the poor, refresh the thirsty,
cast down the haughty and exalt the humble. I wish to vanquish hell and enhance
the glories of the triumph over Lucifer (I John 3, 8), and over the vices which
he has sown into the world. I wish to raise up the standard of the Cross,
beneath which virtue, and all those that put themselves under its protection,
are to fight their battles. I wish to satiate my heart with insults and
affronts, which are so estimable in thy eyes. I wish to humiliate Myself even to
death at the hands of my enemies, in order that our chosen friends may be
consoled in their tribulations and that they may be honored by high rewards,
whenever they choose to humiliate themselves in suffering the same persecutions.
O beloved Cross! When shalt thou receive Me in thy arms? O sweet ignominies and
affronts! When shalt thou bear Me on to overcome death through the sufferings of
my entirely guiltless flesh? Ye pains, affronts, ignominies, scourges, thorns,
torments, death, come to Me, who wish to embrace you, yield yourselves to my
welcome, since I well understand your value. If the world abhors you, I long for
you. If the world in its ignorance, despises you, I, who am truth and wisdom,
love and embrace you. Come then to Me, for in welcoming you as man, I exalt you
as the true God and am ready to efface the touch of sin from you and from all
that will embrace you. Come to Me, ye pains, and disappoint Me not; heed not my
Omnipotence, for I shall permit you to exert your full force upon my humanity.
You shall not be rejected and abhorred by Me as you are by mortals. The
deceitful fascination of the children of Adam in vainly judging the poor and the
afflicted of this world as unhappy, shall now disappear; for if they see their
true God, their Creator, Master and Father, suffering horrible insults,
scourgings, the ignominious torment and destitution of the Cross, they will
understand their error and esteem it as an honor to follow their crucified
God."
I cannot worthily express all the thoughts and affections of
the Mistress of the world in this her departure from Nazareth, her prayers and
petitions to the eternal Father, her most sweet and sorrowful conversations with
her divine Son, the greatness of her grief and the vastness of her merits. For,
on account of the conflict between the love of a true Mother, by which She
naturally desired to preserve Him from the terrible torments, and the conformity
of her will with that of Jesus and of his eternal Father, her heart was pierced
by the sword of sorrow, prophesied by Simeon (Luke 2, 35). In her affliction She
complained to her divine Son in words of deepest prudence and wisdom, yet also
of sweetest sorrow, that She should be unable to prevent his sufferings, or at
least die with Him. These sorrows of the Mother of God exceeded the sufferings
of martyrs who have died or will die for love of God to the end of the world. In
such a state of mind and affection the Sovereigns of the world pursued their way
from Nazareth toward Jerusalem through Galilee, which the Savior was not to
revisit in this life. As the end of his labors for the salvation of men drew to
a close, his miraculous works increased in number, and, as the sacred writers of
the Gospels relate, they became especially numerous in the last months
intervening between his departure from Galilee and the day of entrance into
Jerusalem. Until that day, after having celebrated the feast or the Pasch of the
Tabernacles, the Savior traveled about and labored in Judea, awaiting the
appointed time, when, according to his will, He was to offer Himself in
sacrifice.
Our Savior continued to perform his miracles in Judea. Among
them was also the resurrection of Lazarus in Bethany, whither He had been called
by the two sisters, Martha and Mary. As this miracle took place so near to
Jerusalem, the report of it was soon spread throughout the city. The priests and
Pharisees, being irritated by this miracle, held a council (John 9, 17), in
which they resolved upon the death of the Redeemer and commanded all those that
had any knowledge of his whereabouts, to make it known; for after the
resurrection of Lazarus, Jesus retired to the town of Ephrem, until the
proximate feast of the Pasch should arrive. As the time of celebrating it by his
own Death drew nigh, He showed Himself more openly with his twelve disciples,
the Apostles; and He told them privately that they should now get themselves
ready to go Jerusalem, where the Son of man, He himself, should be delivered
over to the chiefs of the Pharisees, bound as a prisoner, scourged, and
ill-treated unto the death of the Cross (Matth. 20, 18). In the meanwhile the
priests kept a sharp watch to find Him among those who came to celebrate the
Pasch. Six days previous He again visited Bethania, where He had called Lazarus
to life, and where He was entertained by the two sisters. They arranged a
banquet for the Lord and his Mother, and for all of his company. Among those
that were at table with Them, was also Lazarus, whom He had brought back to life
a few days before.
Thursday, the eve of the Passion and Death of the Savior, had
arrived; at earliest dawn the Lord called his most beloved Mother and She,
hastening to prostrate Herself at his feet, responded; "Speak, my Lord and
Master, for thy servant heareth." Raising Her up from the ground, He spoke
to Her in words of soothing and tenderest love: "My Mother, the hour
decreed by the eternal wisdom of my Father for accomplishing the salvation and
restoration of the human race and imposed upon Me by his most holy and
acceptable will, has now arrived; it is proper that now We subject to Him our
own will, as We have so often offered to do. Give Me thy permission to enter
upon my suffering and death, and, as my true Mother, consent that I deliver
Myself over to my enemies in obedience to my Father. In this manner do Thou also
willingly co-operate with Me in this work of eternal salvation, since I have
received from Thee in thy virginal womb the form of a suffering and mortal man
in which I am to redeem the world and satisfy the divine justice. Just as thou,
of thy own free will, didst consent to my Incarnation, so I now desire
thee to give consent also to my passion and death of the Cross. To sacrifice Me
now of thy own free will to the decree of my eternal Father, this shall be the
return which I ask of thee for having made thee my Mother; for He has sent Me in
order that by the sufferings of my flesh I might recover the lost sheep of his
house, the children of Adam" (Matth. 18,11).
These and other words of the Savior, spoken on that occasion,
pierced the most loving heart of Mary and cast Her into the throes of a sorrow
greater than She had ever endured before. For now had arrived that dreadful
hour, whence there was no issue for her pains, neither in an appeal to the
swift-fleeting time nor to any other tribunal against the inevitable decree of
the eternal Father, that had fixed the term of her beloved Son's life. When now
the most prudent Mother look upon Him as her God, infinite in his attributes and
perfections, and as the true Godman in hypostatical union with the person of the
Word, and beheld Him sanctified and ineffably exalted by this union with the
Godhead: She remembered the obedience He had shown Her as his Mother during so
many years and the blessings He had conferred upon Her during his long
companionship with Her; She realized that soon She was to be deprived of this
blessed companionship and of the beauty of his countenance, of the vivifying
sweetness of his words; that She was not only to lose all this at once, but
moreover that She was to deliver Him over into the hands of wicked enemies, to
ignominies and torments and to the bloody sacrifice of a death on the Cross. How
deeply must all these considerations and circumstances, now so clearly before
Her mind, have penetrated into her tender and loving heart and filled it with a
sorrow unmeasurable! But with the magnanimity of a Queen, vanquishing this
invincible pain, She prostrated Herself at the feet of Her divine Son and
Master, and, in deepest reverence, kissing his feet, answered:
"Lord and highest God, Author of all that has being,
though Thou art the Son of my womb, I am thy handmaid; the condescension of thy
ineffable love alone has raised me from the dust to the dignity of being thy
Mother. It is altogether becoming that I, vile wormlet, acknowledge and thank
thy most liberal clemency by obeying the will of the eternal Father and thy own.
I offer myself and resign myself to his divine pleasure in order that in Me,
just as in Thee, my Son and Lord his eternal and adorable will be fulfilled. The
greatest sacrifice which I can make, is that I shall not be able to die with
Thee, and that our lot should not be inverted; for to suffer in imitation of
Thee and in thy company would be a great relief for my pains, and all torments
would be sweet, if undergone in union with thine. That Thou shouldst endure all
these torments for the salvation of mankind shall be my only relief in my pains.
Receive, O my God, this sacrifice of my desire to die with Thee, and of my still
continuing to live, while thou, the most innocent Lamb and figure of the
substance of thy eternal Father undergoest Death (Heb. 1, 3). Receive also the
agonies of my sorrow to see the inhuman cruelty of thy enemies executed on thy
exalted Person because of the wickedness of the human kind. O ye heavens and
elements and all creatures within them, ye sovereign spirits, ye Patriarchs and
Prophets, assist me to deplore the death of my Beloved, who gave you being, and
bewail with me the misery of men, who are the cause of this Death, and who,
failing to profit of such great blessings, shall lose that eternal life so
dearly bought! O unhappy you, that are foreknown as doomed! and O ye happy
predestined, who shall wash your stoles in the blood of the Lamb (Apoc. 7, 14),
you, who knew how to profit by this blessed sacrifice, praise ye the Lord
Almighty! O my Son and infinite delight of my soul, give fortitude and strength
to thy afflicted Mother; admit Her as thy disciple and companion, in order that
she may participate in thy Passion and Cross, in order that the eternal Father
may receive the sacrifice of thy Mother in union with thine."
With these and other expressions of her sentiments, which I
cannot all record in words, the Queen of heaven answered her most holy Son, and
offered Herself as a companion and a coadjutrix in his Passion. Thereupon,
thoroughly instructed and prepared by divine light for all the mysteries to be
wrought by the Master of life towards accomplishing all his great ends, the most
pure Mother, having the Lord's permission, added another request in the
following words: "Beloved of my soul and light of my eyes, my Son, I am not
worthy to ask Thee what I desire from my inmost soul; but Thou, O Lord, art the
life of my hope, and this my trust I beseech Thee, if such be thy pleasure, make
me a participant in the ineffable Sacrament of thy body and blood. Thou hast
resolved to institute it as a pledge of thy glory and I desire in receiving Thee
sacramentally in my heart to share the effects of this new and admirable
Sacrament. Well do I know, O Lord, that no creature can ever merit such an
exquisite blessing, which Thou hast resolved to set above all the works of thy
magnificence; and in order to induce Thee to confer upon me, I have nothing else
to offer except thy own and all thy infinite merits. If by perpetuating merits
through the same humanity which thou hast received from my womb, creates for me
a certain right, let this right consist not so much in giving Thyself to me in
this Sacrament, as in making me thine by this new possession, which restores to
me thy sweetest companionship. All my desires and exertions I have devoted to
the worthy reception of this holy Communion from the moment in which Thou gavest
me knowledge of it and ever since it was thy fixed decree to remain in the holy
Church under the species of consecrated bread and wine. Thou then, my Lord and
God, return to thy first habitation which Thou didst find in thy beloved Mother
and thy slave, whom Thou hast prepared for thy reception by exempting Her from
the common touch of sin. Then shall I receive within me the humanity, which I
have communicated to Thee from my own blood, and thus we shall be united in a
renewed and close embrace. This prospect enkindles my heart with most ardent
love, and may I never be separated from Thee, who art the infinite Good and the
Love of my soul."
Our Savior, having thus parted with his most beloved Mother
and sorrowful Spouse, and taking along with Him all his Apostles, a little
before midday of the Thursday of the last Supper, departed on his last journey
from Bethany to Jerusalem. At the very outset He raised his eyes to the eternal
Father, and, confessing Him in words of thankfulness and praise, again professed
his most ardent love and most lovingly and obediently offered to suffer and die
for the Redemption of the human race. This prayer and sacrifice of our Savior
and Master sprang from such ineffable love and ardor of his spirit, that it
cannot be described; all that I say of it seems to me rather a gainsaying of the
truth and of what I desire to say. "Eternal Father and my God," said
Christ our Lord, "in compliance with thy will I now go to suffer and die
for the liberation of men, my brethren and the creatures of thy hands. I deliver
Myself up for their salvation and to gather those who have been scattered and
divided by the sin of Adam.
WORDS OF THE QUEEN. (The Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of
Agreda, Spain.)
My daughter, as thy soul has been furnished with gifts of
enlightenment, I call and invite thee anew to cast thyself into the sea of
mysteries contained in the passion and death of my divine Son. Direct all thy
faculties and strain all the powers of thy heart and soul, to make thyself at
least somewhat worthy of understanding and meditating upon the ignominies and
sorrows of the Son of the eternal Father in his death on the Cross for the
salvation of men; and also of considering my doings and sufferings in connection
with his bitterest Passion. This science, so much neglected by men, I desire
that thou, my daughter, study and learn, so as to be able follow thy Spouse and
imitate me, who am thy Mother and Teacher. Writing down and feeling deeply all
that I shall teach thee of these mysteries, thou shouldst detach thyself
entirely of human and earthly affections and of thy own self, so as freely to
follow our footsteps in destitution and poverty.
I wish thee also to ponder, what a horrible crime it is in
the eyes of the Lord, in mine, and in those of all the saints, that men should
despise and neglect the frequent reception of the holy Communion, and that they
should approach it without preparation and fervent devotion. Principally in
order that thou mayest understand and record this warning, I have manifested
thee, what I did on that occasion and how I prepared myself so many years for
receiving my most blessed Son in the holy Sacrament and also the rest, which
thou art yet to write for the instruction and confusion of men. For if I, who
was innocent of any hindering sin and filled with all graces, sought to increase
my fitness for this favor by such fervent acts of love, humility and gratitude,
consider what efforts thou and the other children of the Church, who every day
and hour incur new guilt and blame, must make in order to fit yourselves for the
beauty of the Divinity and humanity of my most holy Son? What excuse can those
men give in the last judgment, who have despised this ineffable love and
blessing, which they had always present in the holy Church, ready to fill them
with the plenitude of gifts, and who rather sought diversion in worldly
pleasures and attended upon the outward and deceitful vanities of this earthly
life? Be thou amazed at this insanity as were the holy angels, and guard thyself
against falling into the same error.
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Today's Snippet II: Palm Sunday Tradition
In many Christian churches, Palm Sunday is marked by the distribution of palm leaves (often tied into crosses) to the assembled worshippers.
The difficulty of procuring palms for that day's ceremonies in unfavorable climates for palms led to the substitution of boughs of box, yew, willow, olive, or other native trees. The Sunday was often designated by the names of these trees, as Yew Sunday, or by the general term Branch Sunday.
Biblical basis and symbolism
In the accounts of the four canonical Gospels, Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem takes place about a week before his Resurrection.The symbolism is captured in Zechariah 9:9 "The Coming of Zion's King – See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey". It was perceived that Jesus was declaring he was the King of Israel to the anger of the Sanhedrin.
According to the Gospels, Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem, and the celebrating people there laid down their cloaks in front of him, and also laid down small branches of trees. The people sang part of Psalm 118: 25–26 – ... Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord ....
The symbolism of the donkey may refer to the Eastern tradition that it is an animal of peace, versus the horse, which is the animal of war.[1] A king came riding upon a horse when he was bent on war and rode upon a donkey when he wanted to point out he was coming in peace. Jesus' entry to Jerusalem would thus symbolize his entry as the Prince of Peace, not as a war-waging king.[1][2]
In many lands in the ancient Near East, it was customary to cover in some way the path of someone thought worthy of the highest honour. The Hebrew Bible (2 Kings 9:13) reports that Jehu, son of Jehoshaphat, was treated this way. Both the Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of John report that people gave Jesus this form of honour. However, in the synoptics they are only reported as laying their garments and cut rushes on the street, whereas John specifies fronds of palm (Greek phoinix). In Jewish tradition, the palm is one of the Four Species carried for Sukkot, as prescribed for rejoicing at Leviticus 23:40.
The palm branch was a symbol of triumph and victory in the Greco-Roman culture of the Roman Empire, and became the most common attribute of the goddess Nike or Victory.[9] For contemporary Roman observers, the procession would have evoked the Roman triumph,[10] when the triumphator laid down his arms and wore the toga, the civilian garment of peace that might be ornamented with emblems of the palm.[11] Although the Epistles of Paul refer to Jesus as "triumphing", the entry into Jerusalem may not have been regularly pictured as a triumphal procession in this sense before the 13th century.[12] In ancient Egyptian religion, the palm was carried in funeral processions and represented eternal life. The palm branch later became a symbol of Christian martyrs and their spiritual victory or triumph over death.[13] In Revelation 7:9, the white-clad multitude stand before the throne and Lamb holding palm branches.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, Palm Sunday was marked by the burning of Jack-'o'-Lent figures. This was a straw effigy which would be stoned and abused. Its burning on Palm Sunday was often supposed to be a kind of revenge on Judas Iscariot, who had betrayed Christ. It could also have represented the hated figure of Winter whose destruction prepares the way for Spring.[14]
Observance in the liturgy
| Year | Western | Eastern |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | March 28 | |
| 2011 | April 17 | |
| 2012 | April 1 | April 8 |
| 2013 | March 24 | April 28 |
| 2014 | April 13 | |
| 2015 | March 29 | April 5 |
| 2016 | March 20 | April 24 |
| 2017 | April 9 | |
| 2018 | March 25 | April 1 |
| 2019 | April 14 | April 21 |
| 2020 | April 5 | April 12 |
| 2021 | March 28 | April 25 |
| 2022 | April 10 | April 17 |
Eastern and Oriental Christianity
Caption on the illustration: Abrieß der Muscowitischen Prozession am Palmsontag
The Troparion of the Feast indicates the resurrection of Lazarus is a prefiguration of Jesus' own Resurrection:
- O Christ our God
- When Thou didst raise Lazarus from the dead before Thy Passion,
- Thou didst confirm the resurrection of the universe.
- Wherefore, we like children,
- carry the banner of triumph and victory,
- and we cry to Thee, O Conqueror of love,
- Hosanna in the highest!
- Blessed is He that cometh
- in the Name of the Lord.
In Russia, donkey walk processions took place in different cities, but most importantly in Novgorod and, since 1558 until 1693, in Moscow. It was prominently featured in testimonies by foreign witnesses and mentioned in contemporary Western maps of the city. The Patriarch of Moscow, representing Christ, rode on a "donkey" (actually a horse draped in white cloth); the Tsar of Russia humbly led the procession on foot. Originally, Moscow processions began inside the Kremlin and terminated at Trinity Church, now known as Saint Basil's Cathedral, but in 1658 Patriarch Nikon reversed the order of procession. Peter I, as a part of his nationalisation of the church, terminated the custom; it has been occasionally recreated in the 21st century.
In Oriental Orthodox churches, palm fronds are distributed at the front of the church at the sanctuary steps, in India the sanctuary itself having been strewn with marigolds, and the congregation proceeds through and outside the church.
Western Christianity
Palm Sunday commemorates the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-9), when palm branches were placed in his path, before his arrest on Holy Thursday and his crucifixion on Good Friday. It thus marks the beginning of Holy Week, the final week of Lent.
In the Roman Catholic Church, as well as among many Anglican and Lutheran congregations, palm fronds (or in colder climates some kind of substitutes) are blessed with an aspergillum outside the church building (or in cold climates in the narthex when Easter falls early in the year). A solemn procession also takes place. It may include the normal liturgical procession of clergy and acolytes, the parish choir, or the entire congregation.
In the Catholic Church, this feast now coincides with that of Passion Sunday, which is the focus of the Mass which follows the service of the blessing of palms.
References
- Frood, J.D. & Graves, M.A.R. Seasons and Ceremonies: Tudor-Stuart England. Elizabethan Promotions, 1992
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Catechism of the Catholic Church
Part Two: The Celebration of the Christian Mystery, Sect 1:2:1
CHAPTER ONE THE PASCHAL MYSTERY IN THE AGE OF THE CHURCH
Article 2
THE PASCHAL MYSTERY IN THE CHURCH'S SACRAMENTS
1113
The whole liturgical life of the Church revolves around the Eucharistic
sacrifice and the sacraments.Cf. SC 6 There are seven sacraments in the
Church: Baptism, Confirmation or Chrismation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of
the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony.Cf. Council of Lyons II (1274) DS 860; Council of Florence (1439)
DS 1310; Council of Trent (1547): DS 1601 This article will discuss what
is common to the Church's seven sacraments from a doctrinal point of view. What
is common to them in terms of their celebration will be presented in the second
chapter, and what is distinctive about each will be the topic of the Section
Two.
I. The Sacraments of Christ
1114
"Adhering to the teaching of the Holy Scriptures, to the apostolic
traditions, and to the consensus . . . of the Fathers," we profess that
"the sacraments of the new law were . . . all instituted by Jesus Christ
our Lord."Council of Trent (1547): DS 1600-1601
1115
Jesus' words and actions during his hidden life and public ministry were
already salvific, for they anticipated the power of his Paschal mystery. They
announced and prepared what he was going to give the Church when all was
accomplished. the mysteries of Christ's life are the foundations of what he
would henceforth dispense in the sacraments, through the ministers of his
Church, for "what was visible in our Savior has passed over into his
mysteries."St. Leo the Great Sermo. 74, 2: PL 54, 398
1116
Sacraments are "powers that comes forth" from the Body of
Christ,Lk 5:17;
⇒ 6:19;
⇒ 8:46 which is ever-living and life-giving. They are actions of the
Holy Spirit at work in his Body, the Church. They are "the masterworks of
God" in the new and everlasting covenant.
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