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Readings: | Procession | Matthew 21:1-11
| 1st Reading
| Isaiah 50:4-7
| Responsorial Psalm
| Psalm 22:7-8, 16-23
| 2nd Reading
| Philippians 2:6-11
| Gospel
| Matthew 26:14-27:66 |
Theme: This Sunday begins Holy Week. This week, we celebrate the triumphant entry of Jesus,his sufferings and death, and his resurrection. There are four readings this Sunday and one psalm. The celebration begins with a reading from the gospel which narrates the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. The priest will then lead a procession into the church and the liturgy will continue. The first reading is taken from Isaiah. It is one of the songs of the suffering servant. It shows us how this prophecy is fulfilled in the sufferings of Jesus. The responsorial psalm continues with this theme. However, the psalm ends with a message of hope – that God will rescue the psalmist. The second reading speaks of the humility of Jesus. He humbled himself and left everything and became man. His humility led him to obey the Father, which led him to his glory. The gospel reading covers almost two chapters. It narrates the passion and death of Jesus. The Church invites us to reflect on the sufferings and death of Jesus. Questions: Day 1: The gospel reading for the procession speaks of the triumphant entry of Jesus. This also signals the start of his passion. The people were shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”. Hosanna means “God saves”. What does this mean? How is this relevant to the triumphant entry of Jesus? What does it mean when one says “Jesus is my Savior”? Is Jesus YOUR Savior? Do you want him to be your Savior? What do you want to tell him?
Day 2: The first reading speaks of the suffering servant. It ends with the vindication of the servant. What does it mean when the servant said that he was given a tongue to sustain the weary? Do you believe that Jesus came to sustain the weary? Do you believe that Jesus came to sustain YOU? If you do not believe, what is preventing you from doing so? If you do believe, can you point to an experience in your life when this has happened?
Day 3: The responsorial psalm gives a detailed account of the the psalmist experienced. This is the same experience of Jesus during his suffering. In fact, on the cross, Jesus prayed this psalm when he said, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”. This was not a cry of despair. It was a prayer of confidence. Notice in the psalm how the despair and complaint turns into confidence in God. What did the psalmist mean when he asked God to come quickly to his aid? Do you believe that God comes quickly to YOUR aid? Obviously, in a lot of instances, God does not give us help at the moment that we ask. What does the word quickly mean in this psalm? Towards the end of the psalm, the psalmist was confident that God will save him. And he said that he will praise the Lord in the congregation. What did he mean by that?
Day 4: The second reading shows how Jesus emptied himself and took the form of a slave and died on the cross. It does not end there. It continues to speak of his rising from the dead. We are a resurrection people. We know that after Good Friday comes Easter. Our life is not meant to end in death. We were not created to die. We were created to life. St. Paul says that Jesus became a slave. What does it mean to be a slave? How did Jesus humble himself? What is obedience? How can you be obedient to God?
Day 5: After obeying the Father, the Father exalted Jesus above every name. What does this phrase mean – “highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name”? What des it mean when St. Paul said that “at the name of Jesus, every knee should bend ... and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father”? What does it mean to say that Jesus is Lord? Have you made Jesus your Lord? What do you want to tell Jesus?
Day 6: The gospel reading begins with the betrayal of Judas and ends with the burial of Jesus. At this time, Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist and with it, the new priesthood based on faith and not on a person's ancestry. What did Jesus mean when he said “Take, eat; this is my body”? Does Jesus have the power to change the bread and wine to his body and blood? Jesus said that his blood is the blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. By saying this, Jesus is offering his blood to pay for all the sins of the world, including yours. What does forgiveness of sins mean? If you sincerely repent, do you think that there is a sin that Jesus cannot forgive? Do you feel that there a sin that Jesus has not forgiven you? If yes, how can you reconcile that belief when he says that he has forgiven ALL your sins? What do you want to tell Jesus?
Day 7: Towards the end of his trial, Pilate brought two men before the crowd and have them choose between Jesus the Son of the Father or Barabbas, when translated means, son (bar) of the Father (abba). Two men were presented: the True Son of the Father and the son of the father.
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