Hosanna...Horror

~~~ Palm Sunday...Passion Sunday ~~~

~~~ Isaiah 50:4-7 ~~~ Psalm 22 ~~~ Philippians 2:6-11 ~~~ 

~~~ Luke 22:14—23:56 ~~~ 

My God, my God, 

why have you abandoned me?

In the span a few hours

 the people sing hosanna as Jesus enters into the town

and turn around clamoring for his death.

How can it be that before the echoes of joy have subsided

the shouts of condemnation become louder?

Jesus could have escaped

 he could bypassed all of his passion,

but he did not...he took his place among us

as fully human.

He chose to put aside his being God

 instead he embraces, even endures his 

place in the plan of the Father.

The joy we feel today is the joy from the knowledge

 that our salvation was freely gained for us.

God loves us so much

 that he created the most outrageous 

visible way to bring us back to him for all eternity.

The passion and crucifixion of 

Jesus is crude and brutal...

only God could offer such mercy to us

his chosen ones.

 ...at the name of Jesus

every knee should bend,

of those in heaven and on earth 

and under the earth...

There is nothing we can do to express our gratitude 

for being saved more than to praise God 

every chance we get.

Look for opportunities to praise him...

to thank him...

he has done great things for us 

and holy is his name.

Never be intimidated to praise and thank God.

Where would we be without his mercy?

My God, my God, 

why have you abandoned me?

The truth is that God has not abandoned us

it is not part of his love plan.

Let the palms of today be a reminder 

of your desire to praise God more frequently.

We are Blessed today in our palms of praise

and in facing the words of the Passion.

~~~Peace~~~

Soul Accounting

~~~ Romans 14:7-12 ~~~ Psalm 27 ~~~ Luke 15:1-10 ~~~

...there will be rejoicing among the angels of God

over one sinner who repents.

It is never too late to come back to the Lord.
Jesus chose to mingle with sinners.
Pope Francis chose to wash the feet of those in prison.

The shepherd goes in search of the lost sheep
even if they may not realize they are lost.
Jesus is the way for sinners to receive forgiveness.

None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself.

Jesus is the living truth that you do not live for yourself alone.
Life would be too simple if your priority was only 'you'.

The lost sheep is found because the shepherd
knew one was missing.
Jesus is seeking you every moment of your life.
Jesus seeks you now for the times when you may be lost.
He knows you. You are so precious to him.

So then each of us shall give an account of himself to God.

What will God ask of you on your final day?
Will you be given the opportunity to admit your failings?

How will you balance the ledger?
Will your acts of love, kindness, and forgiveness
be greater than your failings?

It does not matter how many or how severe
your sins may be Jesus restores life to your soul.

He is the only one who can restore your soul
to its original beauty.

...every knee shall bend before me,
and every tongue shall give praise to God.

The soul, when restored to its beauty,
spontaneously bows before God;
praising him for his great mercy.

Giving an account before God
is the result of understanding and humility.
There will be no denial on your part
when you stand face to face with God.

God cannot be anything but transparent with you.
He is transparent through his desire
 to love you in spite of your sins.

He will bring you back amidst great heavenly rejoicing.

He knows the original unblemished
beauty of your soul; just as he created it.

May you be Blessed to believe
you are as precious as the one found sheep.

~~~Peace~~~

Remain Here...Keep Watch

~~~Palm Sunday~~~

~~Isaiah 50:4-7~~Psalm 22~~Philippians 2:6-11~~Matthew 26:14-27:66~~

...at the name of Jesus

every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Today the readings carry us through a full range of emotions.
We begin with the triumphant palm waving entry into Jerusalem,
 within minutes we are in the agony in the garden
soon we are on our knees.

“Hosanna to the Son of David;
blessed is the he who comes in the name of the Lord;
hosanna in the highest.”

Blessed is the name of the Lord...Jesus.
Sometimes I reflect on how difficult it must have been for God the Father
 to silently remain in the distance
as Jesus was being mocked and scourged.
Even knowing that it had to be the agony must have been great.

Jesus was betrayed by one of those in his inner circle, Judas.
It is hard to grasp how someone that close to Jesus
could hand him over to the authorities just for a few coins.
Is money really that important?

Would you be willing to betray a friend for financial gain?
Maybe we would not, but it does still happen in our society today.

The teacher says, “My appointed time draws near;
in your house I shall celebrate the Passover with my disciples.”

The Pharisees were correct in believing
 that Jesus would come out of the desert for the Passover meal.
Only this Passover would be different.
This would be his last Passover meal with his friends.
The same God that led the people out of slavery
 is now preparing sit at the table with the one who will betray him.

Then Jesus said to them,
“This night all of you will have your faith in me shaken...

We know this statement was shocking, at least to Peter,
who is convicted in his belief in Jesus.
Even though Jesus had tried many times to tell them
 he would go away where they would not be able to come;
they could not fully grasp his words.

Has your faith in God ever been shaken?
I think many good and faithful people would answer 'yes'.
We are not very different than the apostles;
we have our own expectations of God.
When he does not fulfill those expectations our faith is shaken.

When we feel that our faith is shaken
 that is when we must cling to the Lord with even greater tenacity.
Many times in the face of great pain and sorrow
we want to cry out 'where are you God?'
We want to know why he has allowed this to happen.
Often our questions remain unanswered.
Some questions are not meant to have answers.

“My soul is sorrowful even to death.
Remain here and keep watch with me.”

During this Holy Week join me as we remain
 and keep watch with the realities of our redemption.
Surrender to the Lord those times when your faith is most shaken.
Keep watch knowing that he is with you.
Pause to kneel before the Lord.
Give him all of your fears and concerns;
no one understands better than he does.

May you have a Blessed Holy Week.