Palm Sunday

 Mark 14: 1-15: 47

 The Passion according to Mark

(Note: Because of the length of today's Gospel, even though it is the shortest of the four, I quote only part of it, leaving you to find time to continue your reading of it during the day, I hope.)

14 Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. ² “But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.”

³ While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.

⁴ Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? ⁵ It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.

⁶ “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. ⁷ The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. ⁸ She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. ⁹ Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

¹⁰ Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. ¹¹ They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

The Last Supper

¹² On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”

¹³ So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. ¹⁴ Say to the owner of the house he enters, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ ¹⁵ He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”

Earlier in today's liturgy, when the Palms were blessed, we heard Mark's description of the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, in which the waving of the palm branches and shouts of Hosanna! give the reason for calling this Palm Sunday.  This is just a prelude to a difficult week, (to say the least) for Jesus, as the confrontation with the Pharisees intensifies and results in his crucifixion.  Even so, the peace and love of the "The Last Supper" strike a calming note during the turmoil, as this passages recalls the excitement of Jesus's arrival before being replaced by the shouts of  "Crucify him."

Life is like this, isn't it?  Good moments, "Triumphal Entries and Acclamations",  followed by challenges, trials and apparent failures. How we need the the help of the ONE who underwent all of this to survive!  And that we will, even through the worst, for he did so, and rose to new life...Each one of our difficulties will bring us new strength, new life.  Let us follow Jesus closely this week and and ask him to be at our side.

Bro. Rene