Edited by Fr. Frank X. Reitzel, C.R

PALM{PASSION} SUNDAY

April 9, 2017

World Youth Day

Edited by Fr. Frank –X. Reitzel, C.R.

GATHERING TIME(10-15 minutes)

Introduction:

“Whenthey were near Jerusalem … the disciples brought the donkey and the colt…”

Psalm 117/118 was one of the Hebrew liturgical Hallel[“praise”] Psalms. The pilgrim, often the king who had been discarded like a broken building block (verse 22: “the stone which the builders rejected”)now suddenly received a new recognition. He goes to the Jerusalem temple to offer his thanks to the Lord. At the city gates he is hailed by the priests as one who comes in the name of the Lord: “Blessed is he who enters in the name of the Lord.” In the Hebrew liturgy the Hosanna [=“Please, save us!”] was used frequently especially during the feast days. It was sung by the priests while the people waved willow and palmbranches.Jewish spirituality linked the Hosanna with their devout expectations of the Messiah to come.This helps to explain the excitement at Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. The joyous people with branches were greeting Jesus of Nazareth as theSon of David, the Messiah,for whose coming they had so long prayed to God in the highest.

Jesus was consciously fulfilling the ancient prophecy of Zechariah (9:9-10) about the Messiah,typified by the use of a donkey and a foal (symbols of humility and meekness) in a royal procession rather than a horse (a symbol of war, and of power).Jesus chose to enact in dramatic gesture rather than words (cf. our first Gospel reading) this memorable prophecy of the sixth century B.C.On what is now Palm Sunday for us, Jesus accepted the homage of the people of God and in that very act revealed the true character of the Messiah. But within a day or two some in that crowd would be ready to reject Him and call for His crucifixion, because He disappointed their hopes for a Messiah of power who would overthrow the might of Rome. They wanted a coup d’état.Jesus was not their man.

Jesus’ attentiveness to those who lived on the margins—tax collectors, sinners, lepers, Gentiles—raised the ire of some of the religious authorities of his day. When they complained, particularly about His table fellowship with tax collectors, Jesus responded with parables that revealed how narrow-minded we can sometimes be about who should be a recipient of the Good News and our lack of compassion for those in need. In being about “His Father’s business,” Jesus revealed how God wants us to treat others, aligning himself especially with the marginalized. He was willing to trust that God would be with Him—even in suffering and death.His trust in God was not in vain. Those who follow Jesus, especially in their attentiveness to the less fortunate, will also have to place their trust in God to be with them in their own sacrifices and the suffering that may come as a result of those sacrifices. They continue to hope that God will be with them, raising them to new life, just as God continued to be with Jesus, raising Him to new life, overcoming death itself.

Warm-up Activity:

There were many different people who are present at the crucifixion of Jesus.Your small group members are invited to place yourselves in the shoes of those surrounding Jesus during those last hours of His life. For each, think about what it is that makes you uncomfortable.

i)The bystanders (perhaps including former followers) shouting “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”

ii)The soldiers who put a crown of thorns on His head and mocked Him.

iii) Pilate, who ultimately determined Jesus’ fate.

iv) Thetwo revolutionaries who revile and abuse Him.

THE TABLE OF THE WORD

Jesus Christ —a unique Servant and Saviour!

On this final Sunday of Lent, as the Church prepares to enter the sacred time of Holy Week, we acknowledge Christ as Saviour, but we are anxious to know more about what this means for us personally. In the Passion narrative—the primary reading and basis for today’sreflection—we will hear how Jesus, though in the form of God, came in the form of a servant slave—an innocent victim who was crushed and nailed to a cross as a felon.

We have so many questions and so few answers:

Why did Christ empty himself so completely?

Why does God love us with such abandon?

Lord Jesus, you showed us the fullness of being human,Lord, have mercy.

Christ Jesus, while we were yet in sin, you died for us, Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you remain with us even in your glory, Lord, have mercy.

Let us pray.Lord God, your Servant speaks the Word that all the weary long to hear. As we enter this Holy Week, let the same mind be in us

thatwas in Christ Jesus.Empty us of ourselves, and draw us close to His cross, that we

mayfind in the obedience of Christ the strength to drink of the cup that did not pass Him by.

We ask this through your Son, the Christ, our Passover and Peace, who lives and reigns

with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever. Amen.

SCRIPTURE REFLECTION TIME(45 minutes)

(As Christians we believe that the WORD of God we hear proclaimed on Sunday is an empowering Word, and that God is present in the Word proclaimed.The dynamic of the Small Christian Community, reflecting on our life-story within the context of this Word, and sharing the insights of these reflections, is such that God’s Spirit becomes present, and the gifts of the Spirit are experienced as empowering and life-giving.)

FIRST READING(Isaiah 50:4–7)

The servant of the Lord said: “The Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word. Morning by morning he wakens – wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught.The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I did not turn backward.I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face from insult and spitting.The Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame.”

The Word of the Lord.Thanks be to God.

SECOND READING(Philippians 2:6–11)

Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Therefore God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The Word of the Lord.Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL(Full text: Matthew 26:14–27:66)

The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.Glory to you, O Lord.

Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You say so.” But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he did not answer. Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many accusations they make against you?” But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed. Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted. At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Jesus Barabbas. So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over. While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about him.” Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” Pilate said to them, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” All of them said, “Let him be crucified!” Then he asked, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!” So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” Then the people as a whole answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” So he released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him. As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry his cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. And when they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots; then they sat down there and kept watch over him. Over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” Then two bandits were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to; for he said, ‘I am God’s Son.’” The bandits who were crucified with him also taunted him in the same way. From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “This man is calling for Elijah.” At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”

The Passion of the Lord.Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

(You are invited to pause for a few moments of silence,then identify a word or phrase that strikes to you in this reflection.)

COMMENTARY:

1st Reading: Our first reading is the third of four passages that are referred to as the “suffering servant songs” in Isaiah.(The four are Isa. 42:1-4, Isa. 49:1-6, Isa. 50:4-9, and Isa. 52:13-53-12.) Father Lawrence Boadt, in Reading the Old Testament (New York: Paulist Press, 1984): pp. 427-428, has a particularly helpful reflection on the “Servant Songs”.

The first servant song in Isaiah 42:1-4 describes a mission for the servant in which he will bring justice by means of gentle persuasion and quiet. The second servant song in Isaiah 49:1-6 suggests that speaking will again be part of the servant’s mission, but even more he must show trust when he has no strength. By this he will not only convert Israel but become a witness to all nations. The third song in Isaiah 50:4-9 again describes the servant’s role as speaking, but this time mixed with suffering and rejection. By accepting this, the servant will find that God supports his cause and he will emerge in victory. This is another way of affirming that in the end Yahweh accepts the helpless in their helplessness and suffering even more than he does the strong.

Our Passion Sunday reading focuses on the third of these songs, highlighting for Christians that Jesus is like this suffering servant. He has proclaimed God’s Good News in His words and in His deeds—especially in ways that would sustain and heal the weary and downtrodden. Indeed, it is Jesus’ constant attention to the marginalized and sinners that provoked controversy early in the gospels. “Who but God alone can forgive sins”? “Why do you eat with tax collectors and sinners?” “Why do your disciples not fast?” “Why do you do what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” Questions such as these dominate the thoughts of many of the religious authorities as they witness the words and deeds of Jesus. Despite their criticisms, Jesus continues to listen to God’s voice calling Him to continue to proclaim God’s Good News.Like the suffering servant in Isaiah, Jesustrusts in God as He endures the suffering that is the result of obeying God’s will.

2nd Reading:

The second reading is from one of the most ancient texts in the New Testament. It is an early hymn to Christ which existed and was in circulation before Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians. This hymn to Christ depends heavily upon the “Servant Songs”. We can identify a common pattern in both Isa 52:13-53:12 and Phil 2: 6-11. In each case, the servant in Isaiah, and Jesus in the Philippians text, follows the will of God, in obedience, becoming lowly even to death. This faithful service in the face of unjust persecution leads to blessing from God. The servant/Jesus gave themselves up to suffering and death, for the sake of others, and both are justified, vindicated, and exalted in the end. Biblical scholars recognize a similar pattern and a shared vocabulary, leading to the conclusion that the ancient hymn in Philippians—notice that it is indented in your Bible, indicating that Paul is using a hymn that has already circulated well before the writing of his letter—was probably written by a faithful Jewish Christian who knew the Old Testament and noted the similarities of Jesus’ suffering and death to that of the “suffering servant” of Isaiah. In other words, this hymn in Philippians uses the “suffering servant” of Isaiah to understand Jesus’ suffering and death and resurrection. Jesus fulfills the prophetic image in Isaiah, and the Philippians hymn used this image to instruct and illustrate their image of who Christ was.

Gospel Reading: It is helpful to remember that this passion account from Matthew comes from the same gospel that we have been reading throughout this liturgical year.In this light, Raymond Brown reminds us that we must set the Passion account in the context of the whole Gospel story (“The Passion according to Matthew,” A Crucified Christ in Holy Week, [Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1986]). Brown notes that Matthew opens with Herod the king, the chief priests, and the scribes seeking the death of the child Jesus and Matthew comes to an end with Pilate the governor, the chief priests, and the scribes instrumental in putting Jesus to death (34). Brown also notes that deeper meaning is found in some of the characters who appear in the Passion narrative, if we remember earlier references to them.For instance, unlike the disciples portrayed in Mark, the disciples portrayed in Matthew profess that Jesus is the Son of God (14:33)—so their act of desertion is all the more shocking.Similarly, in Matthew’s gospel, Peter has been rescued by Jesus as he began to sink into the sea (14:30-31) and has spoken for all when confessing Jesus as “the Messiah, the Son of the Living God”.Yet, in the Passion story he repeatedly denies Jesus with his words, “I do not know the man” (27:72, 74) (34).