Palm Sunday
As we read the Scripture of this day, let us ponder what we would be thinking/feeling if we were among those Jesus encountered at this very significant time:
· The apostles in the Upper Room who witnessed His blessing and distribution of the bread and wine which had been changed into His Body and Blood…
· The apostles who overheard his questioning of Judas...
· The disciples who accompanied Him to the Mt. of Olives and fell asleep as He prayed and suffered the agony in the garden...
· The large crowd who arrived with Judas armed with swords and clubs to arrest Jesus on orders of the high priest...
· The disciples who left Jesus and fled as He was arrested...
· The group of scribes and elders who had convinced themselves that Jesus was a blasphemer...
· The chief priests and the elders who took counsel together in order to bring Jesus to the Roman Governor for annihilation…
· The soldiers of the Governor who scourged and mocked Jesus before bringing Him to be crucified…
· The crowd who mocked Jesus as He hung on the Cross…
· Those who experienced the death of Jesus and the quaking of the earth, the splitting of the rocks, the opening of tombs and the raising of bodies at His death on the Cross…
· The women who had followed Jesus from Galilee and witnessed His Crucifixion…
· The guard who was assigned to secure the tomb on orders of the chief priests and the Pharisees…
It is a challenge to place ourselves in another time and place. But we do know that our lives place us in different circumstances and with different challenges every day. As we try to place ourselves in one or more of the situations listed above, let us reflect on how we would have felt and what we would have done or how we have been impacted by and respond to the circumstances of those who encountered Jesus in these situations. What do we learn about ourselves and about how we approach the challenges we meet and our own encounter with God?
As we continue these reflections during this HOLY Week, let us pray:
Lord Jesus, the Christ and our Savior, open our minds and hearts to Your Presence inviting us to Communion with You and to continuing the work of Your Hands in our time and circumstances in the name of our God and Father. Amen.
Sr. Kathleen Sullivan, OP