Palm Sunday
Mar 29, 2015
Gospel Mk 15:1-39
As soon as morning
came, the chief priests with the elders and the scribes, that is, the whole
Sanhedrin held a council. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over
to Pilate. Pilate questioned him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” He said to
him in reply, “You say so.” The chief priests accused him of many things. Again
Pilate questioned him, “Have you no answer? See how many things they accuse you
of.” Jesus gave him no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed. Now on the
occasion of the feast he used to release to them one prisoner whom they
requested. A man called Barabbas was then in prison along with the rebels who
had committed murder in a rebellion. The crowd came forward and began to ask
him to do for them as he was accustomed. Pilate answered, “Do you want me to
release to you the king of the Jews?” For he knew that it was out of envy that
the chief priests had handed him over. But the chief priests stirred up the
crowd to have him release Barabbas for them instead. Pilate again said to them
in reply, “Then what do you want me to do with the man you call the king of the
Jews?” They shouted again, “Crucify him.” Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil
has he done?” They only shouted the
louder, “Crucify him.” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas to
them and, after he had Jesus scourged, handed him over to be crucified.
The soldiers led him
away inside the palace, that is, the praetorium, and assembled the whole
cohort. They clothed him in purple and, weaving a crown of thorns, placed it on
him. They began to salute him with, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and kept striking
his head with a reed and spitting upon him. They knelt before him in homage. And
when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak, dressed him in
his own clothes, and led him out to crucify him. They pressed into service a
passer-by, Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country, the father of
Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. They brought him to the place of
Golgotha - which is translated Place of the Skull - They gave him wine drugged
with myrrh, but he did not take it. Then they crucified him and divided his
garments by casting lots for them to see hat each should take. It was nine o’clock
in the morning when they crucified him.
The inscription of
the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” With him they crucified
two revolutionaries, one on his right and one on his left. Those passing by
reviled him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the
temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself by coming down from the
cross.” Likewise the chief priests, with the scribes, mocked him among
themselves and said, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ,
the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.”
Those who were
crucified with him also kept abusing him. At noon darkness came over the whole
land until three in the afternoon. And at three o’clock Jesus cried out in a
loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, my
God, why have you forsaken me?” Some of the bystanders who heard it said, “Look,
he is calling Elijah.” One of them ran, soaked a sponge with wine, put it on a
reed and gave it to him to drink saying,
“Wait, let us see if
Elijah comes to take him down.” Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.
Here all kneel and pause for a short time.
The veil of the
sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. When the centurion who stood facing
him saw how he breathed his last he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
This week’s spotlight
A palm frond is a leaf or a
branch from a palm tree. When Jesus enters into Jerusalem on a donkey, the
crowd waves palm branches as a sign of joy and honor. This is how they welcomed
a king. Saint John tells us that these branches were from palm trees and that
they represented victory of life over death. Indeed, the crowd is proclaiming Jesus
because he brought Lazarus back to life the day before. He has all power over death;
he is the king of heaven and earth.
Honoring the priesthood
Holy Thursday is a
celebration leading into Good Friday, but it is also a special feast honoring
all priests. On Holy Thursday we remember Jesus' Last Supper before he was crucified.
This celebration, the oldest of Holy Week, also is a special feast in honor of all
priests. At the Last Supper, Jesus changed the bread and wine into his body and
blood using the very same words that priests continue to use today during the
Eucharist. When Jesus said, "Do this in memory of me,” he gave us the
Mass, and his disciples became the first priests.
Hosanna
Hosanna means "save us" in Hebrew.
When Jesus enters into Jerusalem, the crowds cheer him with this word and they
repeat a line from Psalm 118: "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the
Lord." It is a way of expressing that Jesus is the Messiah sent by God. In
the Mass, these words are repeated in the Sanctus, which praises God for his
holiness ("sanctus" means "holy” in Latin).
Reflection
When Jesus enters
Jerusalem, he is welcomed as a king. However, he is not the usual kind of king!
He is not riding in a beautifully decorated chariot but rather on a simple
donkey that isn’t even his own! Still, the people proclaim him, waving palm
branches and placing their cloaks on the ground before him.
In Jesus they
recognize the “Son of David,” the descendant of Israel’s greatest king.
They know what Jesus
has accomplished: healing the sick, pardoning sinners, and especially, just
before coming to Jerusalem, raising Lazarus from the dead. All these signs show
that he is the Messiah. They also remember what the prophet Zechariah said:
“See, your king comes to you, a just savior, gentle and riding on a donkey.”
That day, the people were sure that Jesus was the King for whom they had been
waiting. Jesus doesn’t need to appear rich and powerful to us in order for us
to love him, either; he is and always wili be the king of our hearts.
The most important truth Mark wants to communicate
is that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, whose suffering leads to glory.
When Jesus cries out from the cross, "My God, my God, why have you
forsaken me?" (Psalm 22:1), he is praying in the words of the psalmist who
continues to trust God even when all seems hopeless.
As we read or listen to the Passion, we try to unite ourselves with Jesus and all those who suffer injustice in today's world.
As we read or listen to the Passion, we try to unite ourselves with Jesus and all those who suffer injustice in today's world.
Pilate
sent Jesus to be crucified. The soldiers placed a crown of thorns on Jesus’s
head. They hit him and spat at him. How do you think this made Jesus feel? They
made Jesus carry his cross to the place where they would crucify them. The cross
was heavy and Jesus struggled to carry it so the soldiers made someone help
him. We all know that we are supposed to help other people, but how often do we
actually do so?
Do you
think it was easy or hard for Simon to help Jesus carry his cross? Why?
It is
sometimes very easy to help people – we know exactly what to do to make them
happier or to solve their problem. Sometimes it is very difficult to help
people – others may laugh at us or think that someone is not worth helping. Or
it may be that we do not know how to help them.
(http://www.cafod.org.uk)
Discussion questions
1.
What do we celebrate
on Palm Sunday?
2.
What does palm leaf
represent?
3.
What is the week
following Palm Sunday called?
4.
What does the Holy
week remind us?
5.
What do we celebrate
on Holy Thursday? Good Friday? And Holy Saturday?
6.
In the last part of
today’s Gospel, what happened when Jesus breathed his last?
7.
What did the
centurion say on seeing how Jesus breathed his last?
Praying after Communion
After receiving Holy Communion, you can
say this prayer silently to yourself. If you
have not yet
received your First Communion, you can still say this prayer because of your desire to
receive Jesus.
Father, through Jesus, in communion with the whole Church, I thank you for coming into my heart. As we enter Holy Week, we
desire to follow Jesus more closely and to participate more fully in the life
of your Church. Through this communion in the body and blood of your Son,
strengthen us in our sufferings, and
give us the grace to be faithful to you until
death.
Crossword Puzzle
Source: http://www.usccb.org - Magnifikid - www.sermons4kids.com - http://www.cafod.org.uk - http://www.sadlierreligion.com