Betwixt and Between

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I have to admit that Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion leaves me feeling betwixt-and-between. In the flow of the Lenten readings it seems like there is the building wave of love and goodness and so filled with the presence of God. On the 2nd Sunday of Lent we shared the story of the Transfiguration

On the 3rd Sunday there was the owner of the orchard that wanted to cut down the fig tree that had not borne fruit in three seasons. But the gardener interceded, asking for time, promising to give special care and attention in hope that the fig tree would bear fruit. Lent is like that special time given to us, letting us know the divine gardener watches over us: the presence of God.

On the 4th Sunday was the story of the Prodigal Son. I love the image of the father always on the lookout for us, praying we would return home from our misadventures. Even before we can explain or apologize, we are embraced, welcomed home, and know we are deeply loved: the presence of God.

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The Passion Narrative

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Each year “Psalm Sunday” includes not only the entry into Jerusalem, but also a proclamation of the Passion Narrative – this year from the Gospel of Luke. Each gospel includes a version of the narrative which provides the climax for each of the four gospels, catching up themes that have woven their way through the evangelists’ entire portrayal of Jesus’ life and bringing them to a dramatic completion. In deft strokes the evangelists tell us of the final hours of Jesus’ life – his last meal with his disciples; his arrest in Gethsemane; his interrogation by the religious leaders; the trial before Pilate; and finally the heart clutching scenes of Jesus’ crucifixion, death and burial.

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Inside and Out

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Tomorrow is Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion in which we will hear the well-known gospel of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem (from outside), The Passion narrative recounts many events inside the city as do the daily gospel readings. But at the end of the Passion, Jesus is again outside the city, crucified and entombed. There were those who cried Hosanna on Sunday and crucify him on Friday. There are those who swore they would stand by him no matter what and then ran away. With respect to the Messiah, Jerusalem and its inhabitants are a divided city. Continue reading →

The opposition grows

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This coming Sunday is the sixth Sunday in the Lenten season called Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion.

39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He said in reply, “I tell you, if they keep silent, the stones will cry out!”

The first sign of opposition to Jesus in Jerusalem arises in the response of the Pharisees to the phenomenon of Jesus’ approach to the city.

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USS Thresher SSN-593

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On this day in history, 1963, the USS Thresher (SSN 593) sank during sea/dive trials. One hundred and twenty-nine officers, enlisted men, and shipyard workers were killed. Twelve of those who perished were US Naval Academy graduates, but one graduate recently having completed nuclear power training and sub school was delayed in reporting aboard Tresher.

The loss of the Thresher was a watershed for the U.S. Navy, leading to the implementation of a rigorous submarine safety program known as SUBSAFE, a quality assurance program of the United States Navy designed to maintain the safety of its submarine fleet, specifically, to provide maximum reasonable assurance that submarine hulls will stay watertight, and that they can recover from unanticipated flooding. A “Thresher Design Appraisal Board” determined that, although the basic design of the Thresher class was sound, measures should be taken to improve the condition of the hull and the ability of submarines to control and recover from flooding casualties. The SUBSAFE program became a model for a similar program implemented by NASA following the 2003 loss of Space Shuttle Columbia.

Following Navy tradition, this class of subs was originally named Thresher after the lead boat. When Thresher was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 10 April 1963, the class name was changed to that of the second boat, Permit. Having been lost at sea, Thresher was not decommissioned by the U.S. Navy and remains on “Eternal Patrol.”

The King

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This coming Sunday is the sixth Sunday in the Lenten season called Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion. The kingship motif that is implicit in the details of the processional entrance to this point becomes explicit in the praise of the multitude: “Blessed is the king….”  The verse is drawn from one of the Hallel psalms (Ps 118:26), which was used to welcome pilgrims coming to Jerusalem for the pilgrimage festivals. Luke, however, has added both the royal title “the king” and the last couplet. The use of the title contributes to the kingship motif developed by the acclamation of Jesus as the “Son of David” in Jericho (18:38–39), the parable of the greedy and vengeful king (19:11–27), and by the overtones of the entrance procession. The last couplet echoes the words of the heavenly host at Jesus’ birth (2:14). Now, Jesus is hailed as the bringer of “peace in heaven” and “glory in the highest heaven.” Jesus’ reign as king will bring shalom on the earth and glory to God.

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Enslaved

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If you are attentive to the gospel readings so far this week it is clear that there is controversy in the air. The gospels are from John 8 and follow immediately upon the scene of the “woman caught in adultery.” It is important to note that John 7 is filled with back-and-forth arguments between Jesus and the religious leaders about Jesus’ identity. In John 7 Jesus uses terms like “the one sent” and behind closed doors the religious leaders wonder if Jesus is portraying himself as the Messiah or the great-Prophet-to-come as promised by Moses.  Ranging behind all this is the question of what is Jesus’ relationship to the Father? Is it something so completely different, so unique, that God is his Father in a way that God is Father to no other human being? This controversy ranges through the whole of the chapter; the issue refuses to stay down or go away. 

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Palm Sunday – did you know?

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Every year on the Sunday before Easter – the sixth Sunday of Lent – the church celebrates “Palm Sunday.”  Most general calendars list the day as “Palm Sunday,” but if you look closely at a liturgical calendar you will see that it is actually called “Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion.” The name is appropriate as it celebrates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem but also commemorates the beginning of Holy Week and Jesus’ final journey to the cross.

But that wasn’t always the name of the sixth Sunday of Lent.

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The entrance procession

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This coming Sunday is the sixth Sunday in the Lenten season called Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion. Each year we read a different gospel at the beginning of this Mass as we follow the Lectionary cycle. Mark, Matthew and Luke all have accounts – John too – and all are similar, none are identical. The differences are sometimes just that, differences, but sometimes there is a point the sacred author is making that is brought out in the differences. In the Lukan account we read:

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