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Prayer for
Palm Sunday |
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By: Annabel Shilson-Thomas
Leader: Lord, you set your face towards Jerusalem and walked alongside those who suffer. Be our vision that we too may walk the way of the cross and extend a hand to those we meet. All: Lord, give us the gladness of your help And support us with a willing spirit.
Leader: Lord, you stopped to heal the sick, cure the lame and give sight to the blind. Be our vision that we too may give time to others and respond to their needs. All: Lord, give us the gladness of your help And support us with a willing spirit.
Leader: Lord, you said, "The first shall be last and the last first." Be our vision that we too may work towards your kingdom when the exalted will be brought low and the lowly exalted. All: Lord, give us the gladness of your help And support us with a willing spirit.
Leader: Lord, you ate with tax collectors and sinners and heard their stories. Be our vision that we too may listen to the despised and rejected and value their lives. All: Lord, give us the gladness of your help And support us with a willing spirit.
Leader: Lord, you took time to pray and time to be silent. Be our vision that through our prayers, fasting and almsgiving we too may draw closer to you and find your way. All: Lord, give us the gladness of your help And support us with a willing spirit.
Leader: Lord, you entered Jerusalem with peace in your heart. Be our vision that we too may desire peace where others desire war, and may work for justice where injustice reigns. All: Lord, give us the gladness of your help And support us with a willing spirit For you are our hope and our salvation.
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Lectionary Reflection: Palm Sunday
March 28, 2010 |
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Greetings!
This weekend is Palm Sunday. The Passionist JPIC office reflects on the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and his subsequent Passion narrative from the perspective of this past weekends immigration march. Advocating on issues of social concerns will raise impassioned feelings and concerns from all sides. Jesus offers an image of prayer and forgiveness for addressing difficult social issues which we should all take to heart as we engage in the prophetic responsibility of advocating for social justice. We again encourage you to share your thoughts and concerns on this reflection in our Lectionary Reflection Blog. We would also appreciate if you want to share these reflections with anyone who you think would appreciate the resources and commentary provided with these email bulletins.
The action-link section will again promote the Passion for Justice blog which is being update with some sharing from this weekend's advocacy experience from the Ecumenical Advocacy Days event.
This coming week is Holy Week for the Christian community. It is a time for deep reflection on the Paschal Mystery of Jesus' Passion, Death and Resurrection. We pray that all of you may be given the opportunity to pray and meditate on this central mystery and the incarnation of God with all our personal and social suffering through the sacrifice of Jesus. Please use the prayer that we are sharing on the left from the Education for Justice resource with your family, faith community, parish or just by yourself. As our St. Paul of the Cross was fond of saying: "May the Passion of Jesus be Ever in Our Hearts."
Peace,
John
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Lectionary Readings:
- Luke 19:28-40 (Gospel for the Procession). Luke's account of Jesus' messianic entry into Jerusalem heightens the struggle which Jesus will face in the city and temple.
- Isaiah 50:4-7 In the prophecy of Isaiah the third Song of the Suffering Servant combines listening and abject humiliation with dignified strength.
- Philippians 2:6-11. Jesus emptied himself of his divine dignity, to be incarnated in our midst and suffer the humiliation of the cross.
- Luke 22:14-23:56. The Passion according to Luke portrays Jesus more frequently than the other gospels in prayer, in forgiveness, and in concern for others.
Calendar:
March 24: 30th Anniversary of Archbishop Romero's assasination
March 25: Feast Day of the Annunciation of the Lord
March 25: International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery
March 28: Palm Sunday
March 28- April 3: Holy Week
April 1: Holy Thursday
April 2: Good Friday
April 2: World Autism Awareness Day
Quotes:
Man is worth so much to God that he himself became man in order to suffer with man in an utterly real way-in flesh and blood-as is revealed to us in the account of Jesus's Passion. Hence in all human suffering we are joined by one who experiences and carries that suffering with us; hence con-solatio is present in all suffering, the consolation of God's compassionate love-and so the star of hope rises.
-Pope Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi, #39
The Gospel of reconciliation and peace, when it is interiorized, changes the impulses of aggression that cause us to increase conflicts, that cause us to believe that nonviolence is impractical, that cause us to think of war as a consequence that cannot be avoided. Christian reconciliation, in fact, radically transforms our inner orientation and overcomes our self-centeredness. It is not merely the elimination of a state of guilt but a transformation, a deeply rooted reorientation, so deeply rooted that even our way of "knowing" is transformed. . . The transformation brought about by reconciliation is the discarding of old systems of evaluation: systems based on race, connected to social or religious discrimination. The person who is reconciled no longer knows according to national or earthly categories, but according to universal categories.
-Cardinal Martino, "Reconciliation and Peace" Pontifical Commission of Justice and Peace
We the bishops of Mexico and the United States seek to awaken our peoples to the mysterious presence of the crucified and risen Lord in the person of the migrant and to renew in them the values of the Kingdom of God that he proclaimed.
-US and Mexican Bishops, "Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope", #3
This is the great duty of the people of today. My dear Christians, I have always told you, and I will repeat that the true liberators of our people must come from us Christians, from the people of God. Any historical plan that's not based on what we spoke of in the first point--the dignity of the human being, the love of God, the kingdom of Christ among people--will be a fleeting project. Your project, however, will grow in stability the more it reflects the eternal design of God. It will be a solution of the common good of the people every time, if it meets the needs of the people.
-Archbishop Oscar Romero, From his Last Sermon
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Thoughts for your own consideration: By John GonzalezI am on a train leaving Washington DC as I reflect on the lectionary readings for Palm Sunday. This past weekend a multitude gathered in the Capitol, marching and advocating for the rights of immigrants, refugees and displaced peoples. I cannot help but consider the similarity between the  immigrant march and the historical moment when Jesus was triumphantly entering Jerusalem. The march brought a hundred thousand people to be in solidarity over an issue that concerns all of us. We all felt great. The success that some of us had with our representatives afterwards only fueled these powerful feelings. Likewise we read that Jesus entered Jerusalem with great fanfare. Even as the Pharisees request that the disciples tone down their message Jesus suggested to them that this excitement would continue with the stones themselves. In other words the energy was palpable, just as it was for us this past Saturday. But even as we began to pack and head back to our respective regions many of us began to reflect on the challenging political atmosphere that is awaiting us. Our congressional representatives applauded this exciting event but they too reminded us of the pragmatic political reality that would compromise this initiative. I feel a deep sense of solidarity with Jesus who immediately after his triumphant entry wept over the city saying, "If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes." During the workshops over the weekend we were reminded of a value that is at the heart of the first reading and the Gospel. The suffering servant is distinguished by his ability to listen, pray and forgive. Issues such as healthcare, abortion and immigration touch people at their core because in some real way they are affected by these issues. This past weekend we in the United States have been affected by all three issues. People react to issues in any number of ways: they can be defensive, reactionary and possibly provocative (for or against the issue) or they may be thoughtful and reasonable and yet here again they may take any number of positions with the issues. The workshops taught us to listen to the legitimate feelings and frustrations of people who will share with us their perspective on these issues with us and to reconcile their feelings and concerns with the broader principles of faith. The Church, like Jesus, is called to be prophetic and to not compromise the values of the Kingdom of God. But in fulfilling our prophetic role we must raise these values while pastorally attending to the feelings and concerns of all the people who will be either in support or against the principles of our Catholic social teachings. Jesus laments how the greater value of peace eludes the people of Jerusalem. The peace of God flows from the principles of the common good and the preferential option for the poor, principles that we learn from Jesus' parables and teachings. But when people are challenged by issues that affect them directly, it may be too difficult for them to envision broader community principles that seem to go against their own self-interest. Our challenge is to listen attentively to their stories and to pray with them in hopes that we can walk together in reconciling their issues with the concern of all God's people.
However there will be times that we will hit an impasse. We may have to endure insult and betrayal. This is perhaps the most challenging role of the suffering servant, but in following the ways of Christ we will be asked to forgive. Jesus forgives Peter, the executioners and the thief. He consoles the women in the midst of his own suffering. Being completely imperfect my own reaction is to vent my own frustrations when I encounter severe and sometimes irrational disagreements on social issues. But this is the challenge we are given in following the Lamb of God. The example of Jesus is to pray and to offer up to God these social challenges. It will be from God that we will get the courage to continue being both prophetic and pastoral. |
Action-Links:
 The Ecumenical Advocacy Days was a great experience. We marched in solidarity to promote justice for immigrants, refugees and displaced peoples and then we spoke to our congressional representatives over the three asks. In order to build on this momentum the Passion for Justice blog will be uploading the specific legislative concerns regarding the three asks from the EAD workshops including:
Please visit the Passion for Justice Blog for these issues and for stories from members of the Passionist community who participated in this event.
Next week we will also be sharing some experience from members of our community who work on the criminal justice system.
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 May the Passion of Jesus Be Ever in our Hearts
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 North American Passionist JPIC Office |
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