Word:        Christ’s victory over death assures us of everlasting life.
Order:         “Take this cup away from me, but not what I will but what you will.”
(Mark 14:36)

Reflection:

Holy Week which is an important event for us Catholics brings to a close the period of sacrifice and self-denial that was the underlying theme of the Season of Lent. Beginning on Palm Sunday, our focus shifts to the passion of Jesus Christ and his Resurrection.
Some may ask why we continue to commemorate Holy Week, and the usual response is that it reminds us of the sacrifice and suffering that Jesus Christ endured to save us and restore us to the image and likeness of God.  Those who made a vow to spend the entire paschal event – from the Ash Wednesday to the Holy Week, the Easter Triduum and the 50 days of Easter – in deep reflection will find that their lives are changed forever because there is now a deeper appreciation of what Christ went through for love of us.  The feeling that we are special reaches its crescendo during the Easter Triduum because it provides us with the opportunity to understand what it is to be a Christian.

Holy Week is a time for us to clear our minds of unnecessary worries and concerns, and fix our gaze, our minds and our hearts on what Jesus has done for us.  We must feel the weight of the cross so that we may be lifted up with him in glory.

First Week: Love and Betrayal (Mk 14:1-15, 47)

For the Jews, the Feast of Passover is a highly anticipated event commemorating their deliverance from slavery in Egypt. It was also a popular belief among the Jews that the promised Messiah would come during the Passover. And the religious leaders were plotting to arrest Jesus when he comes for the Passover Feast.

The Gospel for this Palm Sunday is a beautiful narrative of two contrasting scenarios. On one hand there was the love of Mary (the sister of Martha and Lazarus) for Jesus whom she anointed with the most precious ointment used only for burial purposes. Juxtaposed against this is the betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot, one of his 12 Apostles.  Mary’s action is motivated by love; she had taken the most precious thing she had and poured it out on Jesus’ feet.  Mark the Evangelist draws the contrast between this love and the treacherous act of Judas.

While Jesus knew what would befall him, still it must have been painful to be betrayed by someone so close to him.  But just as God can use any individual as his instrument, so too, can Satan, his arch-enemy and our adversary, use people to carry out his purpose. We can either be instruments for good and servants of God, or instruments of evil, and servants of Satan. The choice is ours. Are we, like Judas, to allow greed and selfishness to rule our hearts, or would we rather bask in the extravagant love and mercy of God?

The same passage demonstrates yet another contrast.  Judas and the other disciples view Mary’s action as a waste of an expensive and rare ointment (vv.4-9), Jesus saw it as a form of worship. The disciples failed to see that the anointing of the feet of Jesus by Mary was a foreshadowing of his death, and the first step in preparing His body for the grave.

This scenario raises the question – how do we honor our Lord? Do we faithfully give tithes and love offerings? Do we make use of our time, talent and treasure to serve him even when it is inconvenient for us? What act of worship do we give to Jesus while we still have the opportunity? Jesus Himself gives us a clue when he credited Mary for “doing a beautiful thing to me” (v.6). In other words, genuine humble service is what pleases the Lord.

Second Week: Promise Fulfilled (Jn 20:1-9)

The Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ is the most amazing news the world has ever heard. That Mary Magdalene, Peter and John found an empty tomb could only mean that Jesus had risen from the dead, and was indeed the Son of God. For us, it means that Jesus Christ is alive today,  and through the gift of the Holy Spirit working in us, we can be touched by His life and power so that we may come to know him (Jn 17:33), love him (Matt 22:37), serve him (Jn 12:26) and be happy with him through all eternity (Jn 16:22) .

The resurrection of Jesus holds the key to Christian faith. Why? Because it is the fulfillment of his promise.  And there are at least four major pieces of evidence to support that Jesus indeed rose from the dead. (1) Jesus died and this could not be denied (Jn 19:33). (2) There was no way anyone could have gone past the guards at the entrance to the tomb, but it was found empty by Mary Magdalene, Peter and John. Jesus could not have rolled the stone from the inside and the linen cloth used to wrap his body lay as if he had simply passed through them (vv.5-9). (3) Jesus appeared to many witnesses after his death. Mary Magdalene saw him (vv.11-18). He appeared before his disciples (vv. 19-20). He appeared to Thomas (Mk 16:14) and to seven disciples in the Sea of Galilee (Jn 21: 1-25). (4) The countless numbers of people, including atheists, who have encountered Him and who have been transformed from their unbelief, skepticism, doubt and indifference to faith in Him. What, but meeting the living Jesus, could have changed them?

Jesus is as alive now as he was on that first Easter morning, and He continues to invite people to know him, to love him, to serve him, for it is only in him can we find true joy.

Third Week: Equipped and Empowered (Jn 20: 19-31)

Aware of the difficulty his Apostles may have in understanding the truth about him, Jesus revealed the glory of his resurrection to them gradually, over a period of time. Even after they had seen the empty tomb and heard reports of Jesus’ appearance to the women, they remained weak in faith. One, Thomas, even refused to believe until he could personally touch his pierced hands and side.

Jesus brought them peace, the kind that reconciles and makes sinners friends of God. Jesus did something else which only love and trust can do. He commissioned his weak and timid apostles to carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth. This sending out of the Apostles parallels the sending out of Jesus himself, by his Father. Jesus fulfilled his mission through his perfect love and obedience to the will of the Father. He called his disciples to spread the gospel, and he is calling us to do the same.

Just as he gave his first disciples the gift of the Holy Spirit (v.22), he also breathes on each of us the same Holy Spirit who equips us with new life, power, joy, and the courage to live each day as followers of the Risen Lord. While some require signs to come to belief, Jesus says they are blessed who believe without seeing (v.29). The same Jesus who equipped and empowered the Apostles and first disciples also empowers us to go and make disciples of all nations (Matt 28:18-20).

Fourth Week: The Vision Revealed (Lk 24: 35-48)

What comes as concrete proof that Jesus indeed resurrected, is the fact that he appeared before his disciples, not as a disembodied ghost without form or substance, but as a glorified body, a person they could touch, eat a meal with, talk with and walk with. His resurrected body wasn’t merely like that of Lazarus who was simply restored to life.  He could pass through closed doors and could appear and disappear at will, which can only mean that his resurrected body is immortal.

Jesus spent the next 40 days following his resurrection being physically present to his disciples. He walked with two of them on their way to Emmaus, and showed himself to his disciples in Jerusalem to give them his final instruction, sending on their mission in what is now known as ‘The Great Commission’.

Jesus has shown us the way to overcome sin and despair, and that is by dying to our sinful selves. Just as the first disciples were tasked to bring the Good News of salvation to all the nations, so we, too, are called to be witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus Christ to all who live on the face of the earth.

Fifth Week: Power in Self-Sacrifice (Jn 10:11-18)

The Old Testament often speaks of God as shepherd of his people, Israel. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). Jesus is also pictured as the shepherd of God’s people: He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms (Isa 40:11). Jesus says he is the Good Shepherd who will risk his life to seek out and save the stray and the lost (Matt 18:12, Lk 15:4). He is the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls (1 Pet 2:25).

As the Good Shepherd, Jesus made three promises to his followers. He promised them everlasting life, and if they will accept him and follow him, they will have the life of God in them. Jesus also promised them a life that knows no end. Death would not be the end but the beginning and they would know the glory of an indestructible life. Jesus also gave the assurance of a secure life, promising that nothing could snatch his own from his hand, not sorrow nor death, for he is everlasting life itself, and our lives are safe in his hands.

In this Gospel, Jesus shows us his power to keep us secure in his love Only Jesus has this kind of power and he is now impressing upon us his ability to lay down his life for others (vv.17-18). Today, we are being commanded by Jesus to do the same, to look out not just for own interests, but also for the interest of others (Phil 2:4).