Sunday Meditation: Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion

We arrive at Holy Week and Jesus’s triumphant entrance into Jerusalem, known as Palm Sunday.  Today at Palm Sunday Mass, sitting next to Olga, who serves as our Eucharistic Minister, she made a palm cross for me.  She is an expert on making these.

 

Thank you Olga.  God bless you.

I have posted quite often on Palm Sunday, and you can peruse the various Palm Sunday posts here.  There is a lot of good stuff in the various posts over the years.  I will try to make this post contain fresh and new material.  First the Gospel reading for Year C.  I cannot post the entire Passion narrative from Luke, but I will post the Gospel reading. 

 

Jesus proceeded on his journey up to Jerusalem.

As he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany

at the place called the Mount of Olives,

he sent two of his disciples.

He said, "Go into the village opposite you,

and as you enter it you will find a colt tethered

on which no one has ever sat.

Untie it and bring it here.

And if anyone should ask you,

'Why are you untying it?'

you will answer,

'The Master has need of it.'"

So those who had been sent went off

and found everything just as he had told them.

And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them,

"Why are you untying this colt?"

They answered,

"The Master has need of it."

So they brought it to Jesus,

threw their cloaks over the colt,

and helped Jesus to mount.

As he rode along,

the people were spreading their cloaks on the road;

and now as he was approaching the slope of the Mount of Olives,

the whole multitude of his disciples

began to praise God aloud with joy

for all the mighty deeds they had seen.

They proclaimed:

"Blessed is the king who comes

in the name of the Lord.

Peace in heaven

and glory in the highest."

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him,

"Teacher, rebuke your disciples."

He said in reply,

"I tell you, if they keep silent,

the stones will cry out!"

~Lk 19:28-40

Fr. Geoffrey Plant has a wealth of information on Palm Sunday.  So do you know which of the four Gospels is the only one that mentions palms for the entry into Jerusalem?  Find out.

Fr. Geoffrey quotes Hans Urs von Balthasar : “Through the cross and only through the cross will the gates of the kingdom be opened.” 

 

Along those same lines of the cross, Bishop Robert Barron gives a homily that knocked my socks off.  This is a must watch.

That is one of the best pastoral homilies I have ever heard.  “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

 

Sunday Meditation: "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.  Peace in heaven and glory in the highest."

 

For the hymn, let’s double up on the good thief’s contrite words, performed by Taizé. 

 

The images to go with the music are as spectacular as the musical rendition.

Sunday Meditation: The Merciless Servant

Jesus this Sunday responding to a question instructs with another parable.

 

Peter approached Jesus and asked him,

"Lord, if my brother sins against me,

how often must I forgive?

As many as seven times?"

Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.

That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king

who decided to settle accounts with his servants.

When he began the accounting,

a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.

Since he had no way of paying it back,

his master ordered him to be sold,

along with his wife, his children, and all his property,

in payment of the debt.

At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,

'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.'

Moved with compassion the master of that servant

let him go and forgave him the loan.

When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants

who owed him a much smaller amount.

He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,

'Pay back what you owe.'

Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,

'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'

But he refused.

Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prison

until he paid back the debt.

Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,

they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master

and reported the whole affair.

His master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant!

I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.

Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,

as I had pity on you?'

Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers

until he should pay back the whole debt.

So will my heavenly Father do to you,

unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart."

~Mt 18:21-35

 

Jeff Cavins gives a masterful sermon on this passage..

 

 

Meditation: “That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants."

What will your account be when it is settled?