Passion (Palm) SundayProcession: Luke 19:28-40 Mass: Isaiah 50:4-7 Philippians 2:6-11 Luke 22:14-23:56 The reading for the procession is this: Luke 19:28-40 After he had said this, he proceeded on his journey up toJerusalem. 29 As he drew near to Bethphage and Bethanyat the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples. 30 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. 31 And if anyone should ask you, 'Why are you untying it?' you will answer, 'The Master has need of it.'" 32 So those who had been sent went off and found everything just as he had told them. 33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, "Why are you untying this colt?" 34 They answered, "The Master has need of it." 35 So they brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks over the colt, and helped Jesus to mount. 36 As he rode along, the people were spreading their cloaks on the road; 37 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. 38 They proclaimed: "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest." 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples." 40 He said in reply, "I tell you, if they keep silent, the stones will cry out!" The long Gospel is this: Luke 22:14-23:56 When the hour came, he took his place at table with the apostles… 23:53 After he had taken the body down, he wrapped it in a linen cloth and laid him in a rock-hewn tomb in which no one had yet been buried. 54 It was the day of preparation, and the sabbath was about to begin. 55 The women who had come from Galilee with him followed behind, and when they had seen the tomb and the way in which his body was laid in it, 56 they returned and prepared spices and perfumed oils. Then they rested on the sabbath according to the commandment. The first reading is this: Isaiah 50:4-7 The Lord GOD has given me a well-trained tongue, That I might know how to speak to the weary a word that will rouse them. Morning after morning he opens my ear that I may hear; 5 And I have not rebelled, have not turned back. 6 I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; My face I did not shield from buffets and spitting. 7 The Lord GOD is my help, therefore I am not disgraced; I have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame. The second reading is this: Philippians 2:6-11 Though he was in the form of God, he did not regard equality with God something to be grasped (‘No hizo alarde de su categoría de Dios’). 7 Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, 8 he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. 9 Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. MEDITATION: This Sunday is called Palm or Passion Sunday. The palm is referred to as a token of peace, beauty and prosperity (Ps. 92:13; Songs. 7:7-8). Hence, ornamental figures of palms were carved into the walls of the Temple of Solomon (1 Kings 6:29, 32, 35). Palm branches were also used in celebrating the feast of Tabernacles (Lev. 23:40; Neh. 8:15) and in escorting the triumphal procession of Christ into Jerusalem (John 12:13). In the vision of John, the saints in heaven bear palm leaves as a symbol of victory (Rev. 7:9). I love the humility of 'the King of heaven and earth'. When eventually welcomed by the people of Jerusalem he arrives on a borrowed donkey! You could almost call today 'the day of the donkey'! And it wasn't by chance.With Zechariah in 520 B.C. begins the messianic vision of the coming of the Prince of Peace on a donkey (Zech 9:9). The verses describing the triumphant appearance of the humble king are taken up by the Gospels to describe the entry of Christ into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Zec 12 is introduced by an oracle proclaiming the victory of God's people. It closes by describing the final assault onJerusalem, after which the messianic age will begin. The cry "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” is actually a perfect repetition of what the angel proclaimed to the shepherds at Christmas (Lk 2:14)! But, of course, it leads soon to something far from blessed (the Passion)! I think that this isn't just a matter of remembering what Jesus went through, like a cold history lesson, but it's a time to feel the passion along with him. Let's place ourselves 'in his shoes'... and really appreciate the fact that he was barefoot! Yet even on that 'vía dolorosa' (painful path), Jesus was concerned about the women crying and said "Cry not for me but for your children". He was barefoot, scourged, crowned with thorns, insulted, mocked, and ended up nailed to a cross. Of course, that's not where he ends, as we will be recalling at Easter, but in many ways mankind hasn't taken their God seriously, and He's still going through his passion. People romantically in love sometimes say “We’re passionately in love” and that adverb ‘passionately’ actually links with the tremendous ‘motivation’ that moved Jesus on ‘good Friday’ carrying the cross to Calvary. The reason for making it 'palm Sunday' is because that was the traditional Jewish way of welcoming an arrival. It's how Jesus was welcomed on arrival at the entrance to Jerusalem. We soon see how superficial that welcome was. But is there a lot of superficiality in the way we attend our churches on Sundays throughout the year? ...and at Easter? But we can change that! Excuse me if I'm taking the focus off the passion of Christ 2000 years ago, but I can't help thinking of the fact that physical death awaits us all. If God our Father wanted me to 'bite the dust' soon, then I'd be glad to obey! But at the moment I don't think that He does. I think that He wants me to play some role in the world. You too are going to die for sure within a few years, but in the meantime, God wants us all to play some role. One such role, which is the one that I was given, is to communicate the Good News to others. The readings on the short readings today actually back that up. As the disciples are criticised for the noise of their joyful procession, Jesus replies that if they keep quiet, then even the stones will cry out! (Lk 19:40). But will we? In the first reading of the mass, Isaiah says that he was given a 'well-trained tongue' to speak to the weary a word that will rouse them, and every morning he discovers what God wants him to say. Preaching should always be backed up by a life of prayer. And it may sometimes be opposed in the world, so Isaiah adds that he has 'set his face like flint'! With regard to death again, of course I would like the process to be free of physical pain, and in that sense, I can see the advantages of 'euthanasia'. Terminal care is important in medicine, but I really think that if we have life, then God wants us to use it well to the very end. In that sense, I think that outright euthanasia is very wrong. It's actually practiced legally now by doctors in some places in Europe. But I wouldn't approve. We're not God! Jesus Christ went through the door before us many years ago in Jerusalem, but he did so in great physical pain. And he put up with it voluntarily in order to convince us that love is stronger than physical death! He convinces me. I long for life after death, but I don't want to be impatient! A gunshot in the brain would be an easy 'way out' (History tells us that Adolf Hitler wasn't very loving but I suppose his suicide was 'intelligent'!). Even the 'guillotine' after the French revolution, seems to have been an easy way to 'exit'. But the thing to which I really want to die, is to my selfishness. Hopefully, I'm not being selfish in tapping this keyboard! It's good to humbly remember the fact that we ourselves have had a part to play in inflicting the suffering on Christ. It may be for what we've done, or 'for what we've failed to do'! So lets be humble. As I wrote above, you could almost call today 'the day of the donkey'! When mother Teresa of Calcutta was applauded once, on a visit to Rome, she said "I'm not Jesus, but the donkey!". And as St Andrew ofCrete proposed: 'Let's not put palms beneath his feet but put ourselves'. ..........Dara. En ESPAÑOL:
Domingo de la Pasión (o de Ramos): Procesión; Lc 19:28-40. Misa: Is 50:4-7. Fil 2:6-11. Lc 22:14 hasta 23:56. Este Domingo es llamado Domingo de Ramos o de la Pasión. Los ramos simbolizan la paz, la belleza y la prosperidad (Sal 92:13; Cantares 7:7-8). Por eso las figuras ornamentales de ramos fueron insertados en las paredes del Templo de Salomón (1º Reyes 6:29, 32, 35). Se usaba los ramos también en la celebración de la fiesta de los Tabernáculos (Lev 23:40; Neh 8:15). Por eso les usaban en acoger la procesión triunfal de Jesús en Jerusalén. En la visión de Juan, loa santos en el cielo tienen ramos como símbolo de victoria (Apoc 7:9). Me encanta la humildad 'del Rey de Cielo y Tierra'. ¡Para la bienvenida en Jerusalén, llega sobre un burro prestado! Casi podrías llamarle a este domingo 'el día del burro'. Y no fue por casualidad. 520 años antes de Cristo, Zacarías escribió sobre su visión mesiánica de la venida del Príncipe de la Paz sobre un asno (Zac 9:9). Los Evangelios citan sus versículos describiendo la apariencia victoriosa del rey humilde el Domingo de Ramos. El capitulo 12 de Zacarías empieza con un oráculo proclamando la victoria del pueblo de Dios. Acaba con una entrada final en Jerusalén desde la cual empezará la edad mesiánica. ¡El grito "Bendito es él quién entra en el nombre del Señor" de hecho es una repetición perfecta de lo que el ángel proclamó a los pastores en la Navidad (Lc 2:14)! Pero, claro, llega aquí hasta algo lejos de perfecto (la Pasión)! Creo que hoy no es simplemente para recordar lo que sufrió Jesús, como una pagina fría de un libro de historia, sino para sentir la pasión con él. En Inglés se dice ‘ponernos en sus zapatos’… ¡y realmente apreciar el hecho de que estaba descalzo! Pero aún en aquella ‘vía dolorosa’, Jesús se preocupó por la mujer llorando y dijo “No lloréis por mi sino por tus hijos”. Estaba descalzo, le dieron latigazos, estaba coronado con espinas, insultado, y llegó a estar colgado en una cruz. Claro, no es allí donde termina su camino, como nos recordaremos en la pascua, pero de muchas formas la humanidad no ha tomado a su Dios en serio, y Él sigue sufriendo su pasión. Se burlaban de él. Y acabaron colgándole en cruz. Claro, de muchos modos, la humanidad no ha tomado a su Dios en serio, y todavía está pasando por la pasión. Las personas románticamente enamoradas a veces dicen “Nuestro amor es apasionado” y ese adverbio 'apasionado' describe bien lo que movió a Jesús en 'viernes santo' llevando la cruz al Calvario. Se llama Domingo de Ramos porque así era la forma tradicional de los Judíos de dar la bienvenida. Así acogieron a Jesús en su entrada en Jerusalén. Dentro de poco veremos que superficial era aquella bienvenida. Pero ¿no somos un poco superficiales todos al vestirnos muy bien para la misa de cada Domingo? ...¿y para la Pascua? ¡Pero podemos cambiar esto! Discúlpame si no me estoy centrando en el Cristo de hace dos mil años, pero yo no puedo olvidarme del hecho de que la muerte física nos espera a todos. Si mi Padre Dios quiere mi muerte-------- dentro de poco, por ejemplo antes del año 2011, ¡no me molestaría! Pero, ahora mismo no pienso que la quiere. Creo que todavía me da algún papel en el mundo. Vas a morir tú también dentro de pocos años, pero mientras tanto, Dios nos da algún papel a todos. Un ejemplo, que es él que me da a mi, es él de comunicar la Buena Nueva a otros. De hecho, las dos pequeñas lecturas de hoy-------- , fundamentan aquello. Cuando se criticaba a los discípulos por el ruido de su procesión gozosa, Jesús responde que si ellos se callan, ¡las piedras gritarán! (Lc 19:40). Pero ¿gritamos algo nosotros? En la primera lectura de la misa, Isaías dice que le ha sido dado 'una lengua de discípulo para decir a los cansados una palabra que les reavive, y mañana tras mañana descubre lo que Dios quiere que diga. La predicación debe ser fundada siempre en una vida de oración. Y puede ser que el mundo luche en contra, entonces ¡Isaías añade que Dios le ha dado cara de pedernal! Acerca de la muerte otra vez, me gustaría que el proceso fuera libre de dolor físico, y por eso entiendo que 'la eutanasia' tenga cabida para algunos. 'El cuidado terminal' es importante en la medicina, pero creo que es importante respetar que la vida es don de Dios, y si Él nos lo confía, deberíamos usarla bien hasta el fin. Por eso creo que la eutanasia sin necesidad está mal. De hecho, es administrada legalmente ahora por médicos en algunas partes de Europa. Pero yo no lo veo bien. ¡No somos Dios! Jesús pasó por esta puerta delante de nosotros hace dos mil años en Jerusalén, pero lo hizo con mucho dolor. ¡Y lo aguantó voluntariamente para convencernos de que el Amor es más fuerte que la muerte física! Me convence a mí. Anhelo la Vida después de la muerte, ¡pero no quiero ser impaciente! Una bala en el cerebro sería 'una salida fácil' (Adolfo Hitler tiene fama de malvado pero ¡hay que reconocer, aunque estaba mal, la forma de suicidarse no era nada estúpida). Parece que aún la guillotina en Francia después de la revolución, era 'una salida facil'. Pero la cosa a la cual quiero morir de verdad es a mi egoísmo. ¡Espero que no sea egoísta tener este ordenador para escribiros! Está bien recordar humildemente que hemos tenido parte en hacerle sufrir a Cristo. Puede ser por lo que hemos hecho ¡o por lo que hemos dejado de hacer! Entonces seamos humildes. Como escribí arriba, uno podría llamar este domingo 'el domingo del burro'! Cuando aplaudieron a la Madre Teresa de Calcuta en Roma, ella dijo “No soy Jesús sino el burro!”. Como propuso San Andrés de Creta: 'No pongamos ramos debajo de sus pies hoy sino pongamos nosotros mismos'. Comments are closed.
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