THAT’S NO WAY TO END UP
INTRODUCTORY RITES
Gather as a family/ community; create an environment appropriate for prayer (dress appropriately - switch off your phones...).
We are conscious that Christ is present in the Scriptures and in our hearts. Even when we are on our own, we remain part of the Body of Christ.
Place lighted candles, a crucifix, and the Bible on a covered table. Put a green branch (any branch will do; it does not need to be a palm branch). Through this green branch, we can remember Jesus’ sacrifice for us, and stay connected—despite “physical distancing”—as we enter into the holiest week of the Christian calendar.
You may sing or play an appropriate hymn. For instance:
The Sign of the Cross
Greeting and Introductory Words
L: The Lord invites us to the table of his Word: let us bless him for his goodness.
A: Blessed be God forever.
L: Today we celebrate Palm Sunday. We recall Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Let us unite ourselves with the Church around the world and pray that we may always walk with Jesus on his way to Jerusalem and Calvary. May we join our hearts to his, and imitate him in his self-emptying and powerlessness.
Penitential Rite
L: For the times we have chosen the way of power, and have forgotten the way of the Lord, we ask his mercy.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, you come to visit your people in peace:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, by the cross you brought pardon and hope:
Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you have come to create a new world:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
Gloria
Opening Prayer
L: Almighty and eternal God,
when you sent our Saviour into the world,
you gave us all an example to follow:
in humble obedience
he gave himself up to death on the cross.
In your mercy, grant us the grace
to learn from the example of his passion
and to share in the glory of his resurrection.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
A: Amen.
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
Readings
The readings are those assigned for the day in the Lectionary.
Preferably use a Bible/ Lectionary for reading.
Reading 1 Isaiah 50:4-7
Psalm Psalm 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24
Response My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Reading 2 Philippians 2:6-11
Acclamation
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.
Christ became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name which is above every name.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.
Gospel Mark 14:1—15:47 or Mark 15:1-39 (short form)
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Put yourself in the stead of one of the characters of the passion narrative or journey with Jesus through his journey from the house of Simon the leper to the upper room to Gethsemane to the chief priests and Pilate to Golgotha. Reflect on your thoughts and feelings.
Sunday Snippets
Addressing a college audience, Gordon Liddy (a former FBI agent and White House staff) emphasized that only force, ruthless use of violence, and an iron will could earn the respect of friends and foes in this “real world”.
One of the faculty rose timidly and stammered: “But… in our country, most people… base their ethics on… the teachings of Jesus… and this-doesn’t-sound-like-the-teachings-of-Jesus.”
Liddy glared a moment, took in a breath, and bellowed: “Yeah! And look what happened to Jesus!” He flailed his arms outward as if on the cross and said: “They crucified him.”
The audience was stunned. Briefly. Then there was a thunderous applause! Liddy had stated what they believed. He said: “Failure, persecution and pain, instead of success, appreciation and a good retirement—that’s no way to end up” (cf. A.J. Conyers, The Eclipse of Heaven).
The crowds in Jerusalem two millennia ago applauded Jesus and greeted him with palm branches because they expected a conquering hero. However, since Jesus’ power was not the power the world understands, since the Messiah was not a military hero but a suffering servant, their cheers quickly turned to jeers.
Paul is clear in the Letter to the Philippians: though Jesus was the Son of God, he did not cling to his privileges but humbled himself and became obedient unto a shameful death on a cross. Abused and abandoned, he did not rebel, he did not use force but was the suffering servant. It was this crucified and broken Jesus who “truly… was the son of God”, a fact the Roman centurion recognized and affirmed. Wasn’t the Roman a foe?!
Failure, persecution and pain—that’s the way Jesus chose; that’s the force of God… which has won the respect, love, and faith of millions of people through the ages.
Which way will I choose: the way of Gordon Liddy—success, appreciation, and a good retirement, or the way of Jesus—the way of obedient suffering?
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: We understand Jesus as the subject of this reading. Could it apply to others too? About what injustice do I feel strongly? What can I do to fight it or stand against it?
Reading 2: Does Jesus way of self-emptying make sense to me in today’s world? Why or why not?
Gospel: The woman “wastes” expensive perfumed oil on Jesus. Does this relate to God’s self-wasting love on humankind? Does my busy schedule allow time to “waste” on love?
The Creed
Prayer of the Faithful
L: As we remember the hardships that Jesus endured for us, we are filled with hope because God is with us always, even in difficult moments of life. Let us therefore call upon him who hears all of our needs and pray: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For the Church: that all Christians may celebrate these holy days with deep faith, we pray…
R: For the leaders of government: that they recognize in Jesus the model for leadership and follow him in serving those entrusted to their care, we pray…
R: For our human family: that every heart may reject violence and force as ways to resolve conflicts, offer support to all who have been injured, and seek new means of reconciliation and healing, we pray…
R: For all who experience bigotry, violence, or discrimination: that God may heal their spirits, protect them from harm, and help them find new communities that offer support and acceptance, we pray…
R: For the sick: that God’s healing love may bring healing to the sick, we pray…
R: For ourselves: that God’s love may sustain us and help us to trust in his providence each day, we pray…
L: God of compassion, in the death and resurrection of Jesus, you show your love for us. Sustain us in our passion and suffering, and help us accept your way of love. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
The Lord’s Prayer
Spiritual Communion
A: Jesus, I know and believe in your real presence in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. It is you I desire to love and receive above all things. As I am unable to receive your sacramental presence now, come and be with me in heart and soul. Let my entire self be united with you as I welcome you again and know your loving embrace. Amen.
Post Spiritual Communion Reflection
Lord Jesus,
the woman with the alabaster jar…
in she rushed.
She broke the jar, listening to her heart,
she emptied the genuine spikenard upon you.
And you…
you did not shield your face from pounding and spitting,
nor answer when the soldiers obscured your eyes
and asked: “Who struck you?’’
You did not rebel,
you did not turn back.
You “did not regard equality with God
as something to cling to”
but emptied yourself
and accepted everything that came on your way
of complete self-emptying.
Lord,
teach me to pour out everything for you.
Teach me to love this way.
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: God our Father,
in the passion and death of Jesus, your Son,
you have made us aware
of how deeply you love us.
Make us also conscious of evil and sin,
and to keep believing in your love
when we have to bear our daily cross. Through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
Blessing
L: The Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and lead us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
L: Go in the peace of Christ.
A: Thanks be to God.
Conclude with a hymn. For instance:
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