Category Archives: Lent

Palm / Passion Sunday A

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for April 5, 2020

Liturgy of the Palms A

Gospel: Matthew 21:1-11


Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday were long celebrated separately on the two Sundays before Easter, but in modern times they are combined on the Sunday that begins Holy Week.

Entry of Christ into Jerusalem

Entry of Christ into Jerusalem (1617), oil painting by Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641). Indianapolis Museum of Art. (Click image to enlarge.)

This creates a jarring experience as we begin the liturgy with Jerusalem’s crowds celebrating the arrival of Jesus as Messiah and King in the Gospel of the Palms; and then, later in the same service, we hear them shouting “crucify him!” in the Gospel of the Passion. In the Gospel of the Psalms, Matthew tells of Jesus’s triumphal procession into the city riding two animals at once, an odd image based on Zechariah’s prophecy that Israel’s shepherd-king would come “mounted on a donkey, and on a colt.” Soon Jesus will anger the authorities again when he drives the money-changers out of the temple, as the Gospel narrative leads inexorably to his passion and death on the cross.

Psalm: Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29

We often sing this Psalm as we process into church on Palm Sunday, waving our palm leaves. This ancient hymn depicts another festive procession in honor of a righteous and merciful Lord and God. In familiar words we celebrate “the day that the Lord has made.” As we think of Jesus as Messiah, we remember the stone the builders rejected that became the cornerstone.

Liturgy of the Passion A

First Reading: Isaiah 50:4-9a


When Christians hear Isaiah’s verses about the suffering servant, our thoughts naturally turn to Jesus Christ, our messiah and king. In our Creeds, we profess that Jesus was crucified for our sake, suffered death and was buried. Our Gospels reveal a Jesus who taught us to turn our cheeks to those who strike us, knowing that a peaceful response to enemies is no cause for disgrace. We must never forget, though, that Isaiah was not writing for Christians in the future time but to a Jewish audience in his own time. He prophesied to a people living in exile in Babylon, a suffering body of faithful servants, all hoping and praying for a Messiah and King to lead them home.

Psalm: Psalm 31:9-16

Perhaps the Psalmist who wrote these ancient verses of sorrow and lamentation had Isaiah’s Suffering Servant in mind. We also might think of Job’s suffering as we chant this litany of sorrow, distress, grief, sighing, misery, scorn, horror, dread and more. While we suffer, the Psalmist sings, our neighbors scheme; they even plot our death. But the tone changes from sorrow to hope as the Psalm continues. With faith in God, hope still glows for us like the sun breaking through clouds: We trust in God’s love. We wait to be saved.

Second Reading: Philippians 2:5-11


Paul sets out these poetic verses from an early Christian hymn, an ancient confession in song that preceded the Nicene and Apostles Creed by three centuries. They declare that Christ was fully divine, yet fully human too, and willing to set aside his divinity – “emptying himself” – to bear the horrific pain of crucifixion as a vulnerable, frightened human. Jesus took on the full weight of all that suffering to show us the true exaltation of God’s love, calling us only to respond with love for God and our neighbor.

Gospel: Matthew 26:14 – 27:66


Finally Sunday’s readings reach their conclusion as we hear Matthew’s long narrative of Jesus’ passion and death. We listen through Christ’s long journey from the Last Supper to the crucifixion. There is much packed into these two chapters from Matthew, from Judas’ betrayal through the institution of the Eucharist; Jesus suffering in the garden, his arrest and trial, his journey to the cross and his death and burial. That’s a lot to grapple with all at once, so let’s reflect on one passage: When Jesus told the apostles during the Last Supper that one of them would betray him, every one of them was afraid. Every one, no matter how much he loved Jesus, wondered if he might be the traitor. Each in turn asked, ‘Surely not I, Lord?” As are we, they are human, frail and weak. And Jesus, loving us still, takes up the cross.

(As an abbreviated alternative, this Gospel may be shortened to include only verses 27:11-54. This passage recalls the events from the arrest of Jesus to his death on the cross. It ends with a foreshadowing of the resurrection with the opening of the tombs and the Roman centurion and soldiers recognizing Jesus as truly God’s Son.)

Lent 5A

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for March 29, 2020

First Reading: Ezekiel 37:1-14


As we watch from worried isolation in a time of social distancing, Holy Week and Easter are drawing near. This week’s readings begin to tantalize our spirits with promises of victory over death through resurrection.

The Raising of Lazarus, after Rembrandt

The Raising of Lazarus, after Rembrandt (1890), oil painting on canvas by Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890). Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam. (Click image to enlarge.)

Last week we walked with God through the valley of the shadow of death. Sunday we will remember the prophet Ezekiel’s musing on another valley, this one full of dry bones. Then in the Gospel we will go to Lazarus’ stone tomb. First, Ezekiel’s vision, an eerie and frightening sight. Was this the scene of a battle? A massacre? Through God’s power the dry bones are restored to life, revealing God’s promise to restore Israel from exile in its own land.

Psalm: Psalm 130

Psalm 130 is one of the half-dozen psalms explicitly suggested for use in the liturgy for burial of the dead. Familiarly known as “De Profundis” (“out of the depths”), its solemn cadences remind us that even when we are lost in deep grief, pain, and despair, our souls wait in hope for God’s love and grace. Even in death we await the resurrection. We wait “more than watchmen for the morning,” the Psalmist sings, as in night’s darkest hours we watch for the first morning light.

Second Reading: Romans 8:6-11


The short second reading gives us a quick look at Paul’s evolving understanding of the difference between flesh and spirit. All of us live embodied lives, and that even includes Jesus, who lived as fully human as us. But Paul sees the flesh as subject to death and ultimately displeasing to God, while the spirit of God living in us leads us to eternal life through righteousness. When we accept God’s spirit dwelling within us through the action of Jesus, Paul says, we gain the hope of life, peace and resurrection.

Gospel: John 11:1-45


Jesus’ dear friends, Mary and Martha, devastated by the death of their brother Lazarus, each confront Jesus in turn with the words, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” To bold, brash Martha, Jesus utters the beloved words, “I am the resurrection and the life. … everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” Then, when he sees quiet Mary crying, Jesus simply weeps. And then he calls Lazarus back from death. But there’s more to this story. Jesus thanks God that the amazed crowd that witnessed Lazarus rising will now believe that Jesus is the Messiah. But then, in the verses that follow today’s reading, things take an ominous turn as John’s Gospel pivots toward the Passion and the Cross: The temple authorities, fearful about the uproar that Jesus is causing, decide that he must die.

Lent 1A

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for March 1, 2020

First Reading: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7


Sunday’s readings open the penitential season of Lent season with a firm scriptural grounding in the theology of temptation and sin.

Christ Tempted by the Devil

Christ Tempted by the Devil (1818), oil painting on panel by John Ritto Penniman (1782-1841). Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C. (Click image to enlarge.)

The first reading draws from the second creation legend in Genesis. Eve and Adam are tempted, give in, and eat the fruit that God had told them not to touch. Not even God’s warning that the fruit would bring death was strong enough to block the overpowering temptation that came with the crafty serpent’s promise: Godlike knowledge of good and evil? Yes, please! Temptation can be powerful, but so is the shame that comes with realizing that we have distorted our relationship with God and each other, a loss of loving connection that we know as sin.

Psalm: Psalm 32

Profound guilt may indeed come with the recognition that we have done wrong, failed in our trust, and separated ourselves from God through sin. Guilt’s heavy hand weighs on us, the Psalmist sings. Guilt dries us out, withering our bones, leaving us groaning in pain. But then comes the joy, then, the relief and glad cries that burst out when we acknowledge our wrongdoing, confess our transgressions, and receive God’s loving deliverance from the pain of sin.

Second Reading: Romans 5:12-19


In his letter to the Christians in Rome, Paul draws a direct connection between the sin of Adam and the divinity of Jesus Christ, the son of God. This would have been an important image for the members of the church in Rome as they struggled to restore relationships between the church’s pagan converts and its Jewish Christians who were returning from exile. Adam, the first of creation, gave in to the temptation of the fruit and brought death into the world. But now, Paul reminds the Romans, Jesus has been incarnated as one of us. This act of righteousness restores us all with justification and life through God’s free gift of grace.

Gospel: Matthew 4:1-11


These verses come immediately after Jesus’ baptism, when he hears the voice of God declaring him God’s beloved Son. Now, in what seems a startling change of direction, the Holy Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. This may seem a very strange thing for the Holy Spirit to do, but we know that the Spirit works in mysterious ways. Jesus, famished after 40 days of fasting, encounters the devil – not a scary red horned creature but more like the Adversary who tested Job’s faith in the Old Testament story. The devil tries to test Jesus, tempting him three times to perform miracles to help himself. But Jesus holds steadfast, resisting all the temptations.

Ash Wednesday

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Thoughts on the Lessons for Ash Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020

First Reading: Isaiah 58:1-12


On Ash Wednesday we begin Lent. Traditionally a time of penitence and sacrifice, the 40 days of Lent invite us to perform acts of devotion and sacrifice as we reflect on the wrongs that we have done, and recognize the simple truth that we will not live forever.

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday (1866), oil painting on panel by Charles de Groux (1825-1870). Stedelijk Museum Wuyts-Van Campen en Baron Caroly, Liere, Belgium. (Click image to enlarge.)

Ash Wednesday’s readings begin with a selection from Isaiah that we heard just a few weeks ago. The prophet, addressing the people returning from exile, makes clear that public demonstrations of fasting and prayer, sackcloth and ashes are not enough to please God unless we also show our righteousness through service and love of neighbor. In language that might have informed both Jesus and his mother, Mary, the prophet reminds the people to oppose injustice: free the oppressed, feed the hungry, house the homeless, and clothe the naked.

Alternate First Reading: Joel 2:1-2,12-17


Joel ranks as one of the minor prophets. The book that bears his name is only three chapters long, and modern theologians aren’t even sure when he lived. We know that “Joel” means “The Lord is God” in Hebrew; and Joel may have prophesied after the return from exile to Jerusalem. Much of the short book deals with the people’s prayerful response to a plague of locusts, and in that setting, this alternate reading offers a liturgical look at a period of penitence and sacrifice … something to think about as we enter Lent.

Psalm: Psalm 103:8-14

Hear this in the Psalm for this day: God made us all from dust. God knows well that we are all only dust. We are human: broken and sinful, often wicked. Yet God’s compassion and mercy vastly exceed God’s anger. God does not punish us as we might fear that our sins deserve, the Psalmist assures us; rather, God shows mercy wider than the world itself, forgiving our sins and welcoming us in a parent’s warm embrace.

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10

Throughout much of his shorter second letter to the people of Corinth, Paul attempts to work out an ongoing quarrel with the people of this contentious little church. In these verses he speaks of reconciliation. He lists the pain and suffering that he has endured as a servant of God, from beatings and imprisonment to sleepless nights and hunger. Accept God’s grace and work together in Christ, he urges the people, as Christ reconciled us with God by taking human form and dying for us.

Gospel: Matthew 6:1-6,16-21

As Lent begins, our Ash Wednesday Gospel seems ideally suited to the season. Jesus, in the middle of Matthew’s extended account of the Sermon on the Mount, teaches the crowd how best to practice almsgiving, prayer, fasting, and self-denial of worldly pleasures. All of these have become traditional Lenten practices. In words that might remind us of the day’s Isaiah reading, Jesus urges the people to practice humble prayer. Shun hypocrisy. Don’t show off. Keep your charity, your prayers, and your fasting to yourself. Don’t brag about your fast. Don’t hoard fragile, transient earthly riches, but store in heaven the treasures that last.

Lent 5C

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for April 7, 2019

First Reading: Isaiah 43:16-21

As Palm Sunday and Holy Week draw near, Sunday’s readings direct our thoughts toward seeking our goals with God’s help.

Mary Magdalene Anointing Christ’s Feet

Mary Magdalene Anointing Christ’s Feet in the House of Simon the Pharisee. Oil painting on canvas by Artus Wolffort (1581-1641). Auctioned at Dorotheum Vienna in April 2015. (Click image to enlarge.)

In our first reading, the Prophet Isaiah remembers the time when the people were in exile in Babylon, defeated and hopeless, unable to get up; “extinguished, quenched like a wick.” Nevertheless, the prophet advises, “Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old.” In God there is hope for new ways. God will make a path in the wilderness and create rivers in the desert, protecting God’s chosen people and bringing them home.

Psalm: Psalm 126

Sunday’s Psalm mirrors the hope that we heard in the Isaiah passage, as seen from a future joyous day when all things old have been made new again. God has restored Israel’s fortunes, filling the people with laughter and shouts of joy. Those who left the holy city, weeping under burdens that seemed too great to bear, now return with shouts of joy, bringing in a bountiful harvest.

Second Reading: Philippians 3:4b-14

When Paul was a zealous Pharisee, he thought he had a lot to be proud of. He was strong in his Jewish faith as he angrily persecuted the Christians, regarding them as dangerous radicals. But then he discovered Jesus and everything changed, he tells the people of Philippi (a Gentile community of retired Roman soldiers in Greece, Christian converts themselves). Forget what lies behind, he urges them, echoing the advice we hear in Isaiah’s reading: press on, as he does, toward the goal of resurrection and life.

Gospel: John 12:1-8

We turn to John’s Gospel this week, dropping in just after Jesus has raised Lazarus from the dead. The high priests are worried about this troublesome rabbi whose miracles are exciting the crowds. They decide to have him killed if he shows his face in Jerusalem during Passover. Of course, that’s just where Jesus is headed. But first he stops in Bethany to visit his friends Mary, Martha and Lazarus. When Mary shows her love for Jesus by bathing his feet extravagantly with a costly perfumed oil, profit-minded Judas objects, but Jesus says, “Leave her alone … You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” This should not not be read as an argument against helping the poor. On the contrary, it reflects God’s explicit commandment in Torah that we must always open our hands to our poor and needy neighbors who are always among us.

Lent 4C

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for March 31, 2019

First Reading: Joshua 5:9-12

Fresh starts and new beginnings: These themes carry Sunday’s readings as we reach the midpoint of Lent.

Rembrandt and Saskia in the parable of the Prodigal Son

Rembrandt and Saskia in the parable of the Prodigal Son (c.1635). Oil painting by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606-1669). Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden, Germany. (Click image to enlarge.)

From the Israelites’ arrival at the Promised Land in the first reading to the Prodigal Son’s joyful return home in the Gospel, we hear that God stays with us through transition and change. In our first reading, the people share the joy of reaching Canaan, the land of milk and honey. With no more need for manna, they celebrate the end of 40 years in the desert with bread made from the produce of the promised land.

Psalm: Psalm 32

Who hasn’t known the anguish of doing something wrong that hurt a loved one? An angry word, a careless act, and then we see that look of pain, a sob and burst of tears, and we feel anguish and guilt. At that point, there is just one thing to say: “I’m sorry.” When this simple response brings a smile and forgiveness, everything feels better. This is the reward of repentance: When we sin and step away from God, it hurts. But then, as we chant in this Psalm, God’s forgiveness and steadfast love can make us shout for joy.

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

There is tension in Paul’s second letter to the people of Corinth. The people of this Greek Christian community have been arguing with Paul and with each other. Paul, loving them in spite of it all, entreats them to be reconciled to God on behalf of Christ. Our new direction as Christians, Paul tells them, comes when we recognize Jesus not only as human but as Christ, the Son of God, the Messiah. In Christ everything old has passed away. Everything has become new! Through Christ God forgives all our trespasses and reconciles the world to God.

Gospel: Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Everyone loves the parable of the Prodigal Son. But do we all hear it in the same way? If you are an older sibling, you may find it easier to relate to the older son’s reaction when his bratty brother came slinking home and got a feast. Like the loving father’s generous response to both sons, God’s nurturing grace is open to us all: Long-suffering good son and prodigal brother too. Page back and read the two short parables left out of the beginning of this Gospel: The shepherd who lost a sheep and the woman who lost a silver coin also rejoice when something that they lost was found. Should a father’s recovery of his lost son be any less joyful?

Lent 3C

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for March 24, 2019

First Reading: Exodus 3:1-15

Scripture offers us scores of images and metaphors to help us visualize a God who is beyond our imagining. It is no surprise that its efforts to portray some small sense of God’s power sometimes stretch our imagination.

Moses and the Burning Bush

Moses and the Burning Bush (1642-45), oil painting on canvas by Sébastien Bourdon (1616-1671). The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia. (Click image to enlarge.)

One such image is fire. God led the Israelites in the wilderness as a pillar of fire and column of smoke, and, as we hear in Sunday’s first reading, God surprises Moses by speaking out a bush that burns and burns but is not consumed. God, who is and always will be, calls Moses to lead the people out of slavery in Egypt to a promised land that flows with milk and honey.

Psalm: Psalm 63:1-8

We began the penitential season of Lent by recalling the 40 days that Jesus spent in the desert, defying temptation and preparing for his ministry on earth. Psalm 63 is set in a similar place, a barren and dry land where there is no water. The Psalmist seeks God with a thirsty soul, aching not only for liquid refreshment but for God, whose loving-kindness is better than life itself. Through prayer, the Psalmist’s hunger is satisfied. Upheld by God’s strong hand, the poet sings for joy under the shadow of God’s wings.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Paul, writing to the people of Corinth in a time when early Christians were still working out their relationship with Judaism, recalls Old Testament stories in which Israelites were struck down for failing to keep God’s ways. Paul holds up these Israelites who strayed from their commitments as examples for the early Christians to consider when they felt that God was testing them with hard times. Learn from them, Paul urges. Be faithful, don’t stray, and know that when hard times test us, God will provide us strength.

Gospel: Luke 13:1-9

A group of people came to Jesus, worried about a group of Galileans whom Pilate had killed and 18 others who died when a tower at Siloam fell on them. Did these bad things happen because the victims had sinned? Absolutely not, Jesus says. Echoing the wisdom of Job, Jesus declares that God does not punish sin with suffering. But, Jesus goes on, repentance defeats death, bringing forgiveness and eternal life. Like the gardener who defers cutting down a barren fig tree to nurture it in hope it will eventually bear fruit, we hope for forgiveness and another chance.

Lent 2C

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for March 17, 2019

First Reading: Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Even in times of darkness and fear, we hold on to our hope and trust in God.

God’s promise to Abram: progeny as numerous as the stars in the sky.

God’s promise to Abram: progeny as numerous as the stars in the sky. Woodcut (1860) for “Die Bibel in Bildern,” by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (1794-1872). (Click image to enlarge.)

In Sunday’s first reading, Abram is worried because he and his wife Sarai remain childless in old age. Will they have to adopt a slave child to receive the inheritance that God has promised? But God comes to Abram with reassuring words: “Do not be afraid … I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” God takes Abram outside to look at the countless stars, and assures him that he and Sarai – who we will know as Abraham and Sarah – will begin a family as countless as the stars; a family that will inherit the promised land to which God has brought them.

Psalm: Psalm 27

Pslam 27 echoes the message of God’s covenant with Abraham: Even when we feel under attack, beset with dangers and real-life fears, we place our confidence in God and ask for God’s protection. We sing of our trust in God, our light and salvation, whose strength is so great that nothing can stand against it. Yes, bad things sometimes do happen to good people. That is the way of our lives. But we ask God’s to show us the way and lead us on a level path, and we trust that God will be with us both in bad times and good.

Second Reading: Philippians 3:17-4:1

The people of the church in Philippi in northern Greece had endured much to embrace the Christian way. They wrestled with fear as they faced persecution by their enemies. But Paul reassures them pastorally in words that might remind us of the Psalmist’s wisdom: Look to God, through Christ, for our salvation. Stand firm in our faith and find meaning in our lives by making every effort to live as Christ would have us live: Christ is the one who will transform us.

Gospel: Luke 13:31-35

We are well into Lent now, and Sunday’s Gospel tells us of friendly Pharisees warning Jesus that King Herod wants to kill him. But Jesus, calling Herod “that fox,” presses forward in his long journey from Galilee to Jerusalem and his death on the cross. In order to have the resurrection and its promise, Jesus first must die. But then, in the middle of this dark and foreboding passage, there is a magical image that we cannot overlook: Jesus describes himself as a mother hen protecting her brood under her wings! This is not the strong, manly Good Shepherd guarding his flock, but a nurturing, feminine image that’s just as loving but very different. Reflect on Jesus as a source of gentle motherly love, and expand our vision of Christ for all.

Lent 1C

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for March 3, 2019

First Reading: Deuteronomy 26:1-11

On Ash Wednesday, we read in the Book of Common Prayer, all Christians are invited “to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word.”

Christ Tempted by the Devil

Christ Tempted by the Devil (1818), oil painting on panel by John Ritto Penniman (1782-1841). Smithsonian American Art Museum. (Click image to enlarge.)

Sunday’s readings, though, turn away from talk of punishment and guilt, gently guiding us into the season with reminders that God loves us, protects us, and calls us to follow God’s way. Our first reading comes from an ancient Jewish liturgy of thanksgiving for the harvest, in which the people tithed the bounty of their land in remembrance that God had led them from slavery in Egypt to a rich and fruitful land.

Psalm: Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16

Pay close attention as we chant verses 11 and 12 of Sunday’s Psalm: This, in slightly different wording, is the source of Luke’s words in Sunday’s Gospel, “He will command his angels concerning you … On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.” This promise underscores the Psalm’s hopeful message: Even when bad things happen, from plague, injury, even attacks by lions and venomous serpents, we live in God’s shadow. God will answer when we call. God is with us when we are in trouble.

Second Reading: Romans 10:8b-13

Paul’s pastoral advice to the early Christian community in Rome, a mixed body of Jewish and pagan Christians, continues the theme of Sunday’s other readings. In the Psalm we sing of our trust in God’s protection. Now Paul reminds the Romans that accepting Jesus and the Resurrection opens the pathway to salvation. In the first reading we remember that our spiritual ancestors were foreigners, slaves in Egypt. Now Paul reminds us that there is no Jew or Greek, no insider or outsider. all together in one God for all.

Gospel: Luke 4:1-13

Fresh from his baptismal encounter with John the Baptist in the Jordan, Jesus fasted in the desert for 40 days, a time span that is echoed in the 40 days of Lent. Famished at the end of his long fast, Jesus meets the devil, who tempts him first with food, then with visions of power and glory, if only he would turn from God. But Jesus resists each of three temptations, warning the devil not to put God to the test. The devil then leaves him “until an opportune time.” In the verses immediately following these, we find Jesus giving his first sermon in the synagogue at Nazareth (as we heard at the end of January), proclaiming good news to the poor, release to the captives, sight to the blind and freedom to the oppressed.

Palm / Passion Sunday B

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for March 25, 2018

Procession: Liturgy of the Palms B

Jesus’ Entry into Jerusalem

Jesus’ Entry into Jerusalem (1320). Fresco by Pietro Lorenzetti (1280-1348). Lower Basilica of San Francesco, Assisi. (Click image to enlarge.)

Gospel: Mark 11:1-11

Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday were once celebrated on separate Sundays, but the celebrations were brought together in the time of ecumenism that followed Vatican II. As a result, we take a quick and startling turn in the course of one Sunday’s worship. First we hear of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, riding a donkey and greeted as a King by throngs spreading their cloaks and leafy branches in his way, shouting “Hosanna!” But then, later in the liturgy, we undergo a dramatic change of tone when we hear those same crowds angrily shout “Crucify him!” This contrast sets a tone for Holy Week as we follow Jesus to the cross: God is with us in joy. God is with us in sorrow.

Alternate to the Palm Sunday Gospel: John 12:12-16

All four Gospels tell of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, riding a modest mount and hearing the acclaim of crowds; as is always the case, each Gospel narrative tells a slightly different story. John’s version, for example, is the only one that explicitly declares Jesus the King of Israel, and the only one that tells us the disciples did not understand what is going on. But all four versions share the triumphantly waving branches – here explicitly described as palms – and the joyous shouts of Hosanna.

Psalm: Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29

As we sing this ancient hymn of celebration and praise, traditionally titled “A Song of Victory,” imagine a joyous crowd approaching, the Temple, clapping hands and singing out as they celebrate the Lord their God, whose steadfast love endures forever. Its words of joyous praise for God’s works and God’s mercy foreshadow the words we sing in the Great Thanksgiving as our Eucharistic Prayer begins: “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! … Hosanna in the highest.”

Liturgy of the Passion B

First Reading: Isaiah 50:4-9a

These familiar verses from Isaiah introduce us to “the suffering servant.” Written about the people in exile in Babylon, it prophesies a servant leader who who would receive the enemy’s blows for the people in exile, and, eventually, guide them back home. While we respect the original intent, Christian readers can hardly encounter these verses without seeing parallels with Jesus, our messiah and king, who suffered for us and taught us to give our backs and turn our cheeks to those who strike us.

Psalm: Psalm 31:9-16

Perhaps the Psalmist had Isaiah’s Suffering Servant in mind as he wrote this Psalm of lament, with its litany of sorrow, distress, grief, sighing, misery, scorn, horror, dread and more. He suffers, his neighbors scheme; they plot his death. Have you ever heard a plaint more pitiful than “I am as useless as a broken pot”? Yet amid all this misery, hope glows like the sun breaking through clouds: Trust in God, place our faith in God’s love, and wait to be saved.

Second Reading: Philippians 2:5-11

Might Paul have been thinking of the Suffering Servant, too, as he wrote of Jesus’ death on the cross? We understand Jesus as both fully human and fully divine, and all the Gospels show us glimpses of a Jesus who knew his stature and God-sent mission. Yet in this relatively early letter of Paul, perhaps quoting an even older Christian hymn, Paul tells of a Jesus who willingly set aside his divinity, his equality with God – “emptying himself” – to bear the horrific pain of crucifixion as a vulnerable, frightened human. Jesus took on the full weight of all that suffering to show us the true exaltation of God’s love, calling us only to respond with love for God and our neighbor.

Gospel: Mark 14:1-15:47

And now we come to Mark’s account of Jesus’ passion and death. The palm branches and hosannas are only memories now. We hear the dark, painful way of the Cross as we prepare to walk through Holy Week with Jesus. Watch closely as we see first Jesus’ followers, and then even his friends, slip quietly away, deserting him, leaving at the end only those few most close to him – and a Roman centurion, a pagan, a soldier of the hated empire, whose faith showed him the light and thus opens the way to us all. (This Gospel reading may be reduced to Mark 15:1-47 or even to Mark 15:1-39.)