CELEBRATE OUR HUMBLE KING
INTRODUCTORY RITES
Gather together 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 when we recall Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. We celebrate his kingship, not a kingship of power and might, but a kingship of humble service, a kingship of total, selfless love.
We pray that we may imitate this king and give of ourselves to our brothers and sisters in their need.
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.
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.
Gospel Luke 22:14—23:56 or Luke 23:1-49 (short form)
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Journey with Jesus from the upper room to the Mount of Olives to the house of the chief priest and the Sanhedrin to Pilate to Herod to Pilate to Golgotha. Reflect on your thoughts and feelings.
Sunday Snippets
In the movie The Lion King, young Simba sings “I Just Can’t Wait to be King”. He wants to be free with…
No one saying ‘do this,’ no one saying ‘be there,’
No one saying ‘stop that,’ no one saying ‘see here.’
Free to run around all day, free to do it all my way!
The people of Jerusalem were like Simba. They just couldn’t wait for Jesus to be king and for a similar reason. They wanted to be free from foreign rule; they didn’t want anyone saying ‘do this’ and ‘be there’ and ‘stop that’!
Their king comes…
But Jesus is not the mighty king they envisioned. His entry into Jerusalem was a deliberate fulfilling of Zechariah 9:9: “Rejoice, O daughter Zion! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey.”
Jesus underlined his kind of kingship. Only during war did kings ride upon horses; when they came in peace they came upon a donkey. Jesus came as king of love and peace, not as the conquering military hero the people expected. He would rule through humble and obedient service.
This theme is reiterated in the readings.
The first reading is the third “suffering servant” song. The mission of the servant is to encourage, console, and liberate the weary.
Paul’s hymn, in the second reading, speaks about Jesus’ humility: the Son of God did not cling to his privileges but humbled himself and became obedient unto death on a cross.
In the Gospel, following the meal, the disciples argue about who is the greatest. Jesus takes the opportunity to distinguish leadership in the Kingdom from forms of leadership seen in the world.
During his passion, Jesus is betrayed, deserted, disowned; is kicked around like a political football, flogged to pacify a politician’s conscience, and handed to the mob because of cowardice. Despite his suffering, Jesus is merciful and other-centred: he is concerned about the women who follow him; asks forgiveness for the ones crucifying him; promises the repentant thief a place in heaven.
Today’s liturgy places before me two models of leadership: the people’s model of seeking freedom and power to do one’s will and Jesus’ way of humility, self-emptying, and loving service.
Which model of power do I choose and live? May we be free to do it HIS way!
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: If Jesus hadn’t challenged the status quo, would he have gone to the cross? “Morning after morning he opens my ear that I may hear.” What am I hearing now?
Reading 2: Does Jesus way of self-emptying make sense to me in today’s world? Why or why not?
Gospel: The marginalized or the neglected went with Jesus on the way to his death. These included the women, Simon, and the good thief. What does this tell you about Jesus and those who went with him?
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 them, 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,
after you predicted that one of the disciples would betray you,
they began arguing about
“which of them should be regarded as the greatest”!
Lord,
during your passion,
you did not shield your face from pounding and spitting,
nor answer when the soldiers obscured your eyes
and asked: “Who is it that struck you?’’
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 imitate you in your self-emptying,
and not to seek greatness and glory.
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:
No comments:
Post a Comment