This series of posts considers, in detail, the gospel reading from Mark for Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion. This is the sixth post in the series.

22 While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is my body.” 23 Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many. 25 Amen, I say to you, I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” 26 Then, after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Continue reading →

This series of posts considers, in detail, the gospel reading from Mark for Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion. This is the fifth post in the series.

17 When it was evening, he came with the Twelve. 18 And as they reclined at table and were eating, Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” 19 They began to be distressed and to say to him, one by one, “Surely it is not I?” 20 He said to them, “One of the Twelve, the one who dips with me into the dish. 21 For the Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never been born.”  Continue reading →

This series of posts considers, in detail, the gospel reading from Mark for Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion. This is the third post in the series.

10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went off to the chief priests to hand him over to them. 11 When they heard him they were pleased and promised to pay him money. Then he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.  Continue reading →

This series of posts considers, in detail, the gospel reading from Mark for Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion. This is the second post in the series.

3 When he was in Bethany reclining at table in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of perfumed oil, costly genuine spikenard. She broke the alabaster jar and poured it on his head. 4 There were some who were indignant. “Why has there been this waste of perfumed oil? 5 It could have been sold for more than three hundred days’ wages and the money given to the poor.” They were infuriated with her. 6 Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you make trouble for her? She has done a good thing for me. 7 The poor you will always have with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them, but you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could. She has anticipated anointing my body for burial. 9 Amen, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed to the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.” 

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The Conspiracy Against Jesus

This series of posts considers, in detail, the gospel reading from Mark for Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion. This is the first post in the series.

There is much that occurs between the entry gospel on Palm Sunday and the gospel proclaimed during the Mass. If one wanted to give a moniker to what falls between it may be best described as a “conflict between the kingdoms.” The passages (11:12 – 13:37) between include:

• Arguments surrounding the authority of Jesus, taxes to Caesar, the Resurrection, the greatest commandment, and the nature of the Messiah
• The parable of the vineyard and the widow’s mite
• The Markan discourse of the things to come and the end time.

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