Palm Sunday (Cycle B, Year I)

Community Word:  Jesus Christ is the reflection of God’s love in us and for us.

Theme: We are a reflection of God’s love when we confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Promise: “You will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.”(Mk 14:62)

Reflection:
When we read the story of the passion we cannot fail to notice that the crowds who had welcomed Jesus with enthusiasm all went away and abandoned him when He was accused. Nobody came to his defense. Jesus was surrounded on all sides by darkness. He experienced powerlessness, desertion and failure in His fight against injustice and falsehood.He began to feel terror and anguish over which He had no control.

In his gospel, St. Mark depicts Jesus as frail and human, like us.We can all relate to the description of what He went through and the emotions he felt. Like Jesus, we can become despondent, disappointed, humiliated, feel neglected or abandoned in the face of trials and challenges we have faced in past or are experiencing in the present.We become so involved in our problems, they hinder us from giving witness to our faith, making us fearful and disobedient to the commandments of the Father.Our arrogance and pride blindside us to the promptings and guidance of the Holy Spirit.We continue to engage in negativity despite all the miracles and blessings we have received from our Triune God. However, Jesus did not waver. He stood His ground in obeying the Father.

We can also learn from the Roman Centurion, who knew nothing about Jesus, yet declared with conviction when he stood at the foot of the crucified Jesus, “In truth this man was the Son of God.” His conversion can be attributed, not to miracles or blessings he experienced, but to the realization that Christ’s love was so great, it enabled him to give his life for his brothers and sisters.This mindset leads to true faith and acceptance of Christ.

Joseph of Arimatheae provides us another example we can learn from.A member of the Sanhedrin, he boldly asked Pilate to bury his “friend – Jesus.” Can we also boldly declare Jesus to be our friend in front of our friends who are non-believers?

The Christian community of Philippi was a good one, in fact, exemplary.  St. Paul was proud of it.But even the best communities – including ours, BLD — can sometimes be beset by envy and treachery, with some members lording it over the others.We aspire for power and insist on getting our way. St. Paul warns us: “Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vanity; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves.” Likewise, he enjoins us to learn to empty ourselves, not looking after our own interests, but that of others.We should remain humble, especially when we have been given responsibilities and hold positions of authority.Like the Centurion, we need to be able to declare and confess with conviction that Jesus Christ is Lord of our life and of everyone.

Prayer:
Lord of Life, Jesus Christ, cause me to stand witness to Your unfailing love with meekness and humility.Cause me to empty myself and to be bold in declaring that it is Your Holy Spirit that empowers me to conquer all fear and to stand victorious over the challenges of life, thus opening the eyes of scoffers and unbelievers to believe and acknowledge You as the Savior of mankind. Thank you for the Cross, the Mighty Cross.Amen.

Reflection Questions:
1. What “veils” separate us from standing witness to Christ’s love?
2. What makes me ashamed to “boldly” declare my faith in Christ Jesus?
3. What causes me to “think” that God is in a faraway place and not here, beside or in me?
4. What makes it hard for me to become obedient to duly constituted authority, and to God?

This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
March 29, 2015 (Sun)    Is 50:4-7/Ps 22:8-9,17-18,19-20,23-24/Phil 2:6-11/Mk 14:1-15:47
March 30, 2015 (Mon)    Is 42:1-7/Ps 27:1,2,3,13-14/Jn 12:1-11
March 31, 2015 (Tue)    Is 49:1-6/Ps 71:1-2,3-4,5-6,17/Jn 13:21-33,36-38
April 1, 2015 (Wed)       Is 50:4-9/Ps 69:8-10,21-22,31,33-34/Mt 26:14-25
April 2, 2015 (Thur)      Is 61:1-3,6,8-9/Ps 89:21-22,25,27/Rv 1:5-8/Lk 4:16-21
April 3, 2015 (Fri)          Is 52L132-53:12/Ps 31:2,6,12-13,15-16,17,25/Heb 4:14-16,5:7-9/Jn 18:1-19:42
April 4, 2015 (Sat)        Gn 1:1-2:2 or 1:1,26-31/Ps 104:1-2,5-6,10,12,13-14,24,35
or Ps 33:4-5,6-7,12-13,20-22/Gn 22:1-18

“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ.  Read your Bible daily!”

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