31 Mar 2012

1st April 2012 - Palm (Passion) Sunday

On this weeks programme, we join with the universal church in marking the beginning of the highlight of the church's year - Holy Week with Palm Sunday. Fr Noel Kirwin joins us for a reflection on Holy Week and what happened 2000 years ago means for us today in 2012, we have the reading of the Passion Gospel and some local notices.

This weeks podcast is available HERE.


Reflections on Palm Sunday - Fr Noel Kirwin


Hosanna to the Son of David;
blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel,
Hosanna in the highest
 


We are joined by Fr Noel Kirwin this week from Limerick Diocesan Pastoral Centre who gives us a reflection on Holy Week focusing on the Passion Gospel.

Holy Week is a story of the death of Jesus but it begins with a story of joy with the entry into Jerusalem with Jesus entering as a King on the back of a donkey, over turning the misconception of what the Messiah will be. The Jerusalem which welcomes him in joy is also the city which kills the prophets. It is the beginning of a season of joy as it brings us to the celebration of Resurrection which brings us into touch with our own lives.

We bring ourselves to mingle with the stories of the past then we find we are being changed by going through and being part of these liturgies which re-enact the great drama between good and evil, such a drama which goes on in every life, but Jesus reminds us to like him to trust in the Father to bring us through. We are reminded that Jesus stands in solidarity with us in our suffering because he has been there too, he is in solidarity with us even when it seems at its bleakest.

A podcast of Fr Noel's reflection is available here.

Additional reflections and commentary on Palm Sunday:

Gospel - Passion of Jesus Christ - Mark 14: 1-57


Normally on Sacred Space 102fm we usually read the gospel of the Sunday and then share our thoughts and reflections on the passage. This week however, we took a slightly different approach.

The focus of our prayer and reflection this week is on the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ as is recounted to us in scripture. But because it is a story we hear so often it can become too familiar and we can miss the starkness of the events of 2000 years ago. So this week, we suggest that we let Scripture speak for itself, let God's word speak directly to each of us as we enter into this Holy Week and we encourage you to slowly read through the Passion Gospel and reflect and pray with the text.

Read it, slowly, line by and line and let the Spirit speak to you heart to heart.



As soon as morning came,


the chief priests with the elders and the scribes,
that is, the whole Sanhedrin held a council.
They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.
Pilate questioned him,
“Are you the king of the Jews?”
He said to him in reply, “You say so.”
The chief priests accused him of many things.
Again Pilate questioned him,
“Have you no answer?
See how many things they accuse you of.”
Jesus gave him no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.
Now on the occasion of the feast he used to release to them
one prisoner whom they requested.
A man called Barabbas was then in prison
along with the rebels who had committed murder in a rebellion.
The crowd came forward and began to ask him
to do for them as he was accustomed.
Pilate answered,
“Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?”
For he knew that it was out of envy
that the chief priests had handed him over.
But the chief priests stirred up the crowd
to have him release Barabbas for them instead.
Pilate again said to them in reply,
“Then what do you want me to do
with the man you call the king of the Jews?”
They shouted again, “Crucify him.”
Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?”
They only shouted the louder, “Crucify him.”
So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd,
released Barabbas to them and, after he had Jesus scourged,
handed him over to be crucified.
The soldiers led him away inside the palace,
that is, the praetorium, and assembled the whole cohort.
They clothed him in purple and,
weaving a crown of thorns, placed it on him.
They began to salute him with, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
and kept striking his head with a reed and spitting upon him.
They knelt before him in homage.
And when they had mocked him,
they stripped him of the purple cloak,
dressed him in his own clothes,
and led him out to crucify him.
They pressed into service a passer-by, Simon,
a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country,
the father of Alexander and Rufus,
to carry his cross.
They brought him to the place of Golgotha
—which is translated Place of the Skull —
They gave him wine drugged with myrrh,
but he did not take it.
Then they crucified him and divided his garments
by casting lots for them to see what each should take.
It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him.
The inscription of the charge against him read,
“The King of the Jews.”
With him they crucified two revolutionaries,
one on his right and one on his left.
Those passing by reviled him,
shaking their heads and saying,
“Aha! You who would destroy the temple
and rebuild it in three days,
save yourself by coming down from the cross.”
Likewise the chief priests, with the scribes,
mocked him among themselves and said,
“He saved others; he cannot save himself.
Let the Christ, the King of Israel,
come down now from the cross
that we may see and believe.”
Those who were crucified with him also kept abusing him.
At noon darkness came over the whole land
until three in the afternoon.
And at three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
“Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?”
which is translated,
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Some of the bystanders who heard it said,
“Look, he is calling Elijah.”
One of them ran, soaked a sponge with wine, put it on a reed
and gave it to him to drink saying,
“Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to take him down.”
Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.
The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom.
When the centurion who stood facing him
saw how he breathed his last he said,
“Truly this man was the Son of God!”




Crucem tuam adoramus Domine, resurrectionem tuam laudamus Domine. Laudamus et glorificamus. resurrectionem tuam laudamus Domine. (We adore your cross, Lord. We praise your resurrection.)

Salvador Dali, Crucifixion, 1954

Other reflections this week:
Word on Fire
Sunday Reflections
English Dominicans - Fr Timothy Radcliffe
Renewal Ministries
Centre for Liturgy


Notes for the Week


As the days of Holy Week out rank all feasts and memoria of saints, we won't be posting any saints of the week this week.
Paslter - Week 2

Chrism Mass - as the Diocese of Limerick is still without a bishop this Holy Week, the holy oils are being blessed by Bishop Reilly of Killaloe and there will be a holy hour in St John's Cathedral on Wednesday evening at 7.30pm.
Holy Thursday - Mass of the Lord's Supper - Reminder to bring back your Trocaire boxes/donations to your parish.
Good Friday - Passion Cermony - Day of Fast & Abstinance (First Friday) - traditional to perform the Stations of the Cross.
Holy Saturday - Easter Vigil Cermony - reminder that in the diocese of Limerick all Easter Vigil Masses will be after sunset.
Easter Sunday - for those interested Sunrise Mass of the Resurrection on Knockpatrick in Shanagolden is at 5.30am.
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