Passion Sunday (B)

Passion Sunday, Year B

First reading: Isaiah 50:4-7
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 22
Second reading: Philippians 2:6-11
Gospel reading: Mark 14:1 - 15:47

"Clearly this Man was the Son of God!"

Passion Sunday (traditionally known as Palm Sunday) begins the
holiest week of all the weeks in the Church's liturgical
calendar. The gospel presents a narration of the events leading
to the crucifixion of our Lord. The main events leading to the
crucifixion of Jesus are as follows:

• Jesus in the house of Simon with a woman entering and
  pouring perfume on the head of Jesus
• Judas Iscariot going to the chief priests to hand Jesus over
  to them
• Jesus celebrating the Last Supper together with His
  apostles
• Jesus going to the Mount of Olives to pray
• Judas arriving accompanied by a crowd with swords and
  clubs
• Jesus arrested and led off to the high priest
• Jesus accused of blasphemy and the abuse done on Him by the
  members of the Sanhedrin
• Peter out in the courtyard and denying Jesus three times
  before breaking down and crying
• the Sanhedrin sending Jesus to Pilate for interrogation
• Barabbas released in behalf of Jesus who was sentenced by
  the people to be crucified
• the soldiers abusing Jesus and mocking Him
• Jesus starting to journey to Golgotha carrying the cross -
  with Simon of Cyrene obliged to help Him carry the cross a
  part of the way
• Jesus crucified and the soldiers rolling dice to gamble for
  His garments
• two thiefs sentenced to die with Jesus, are placed - one on
  His left, and the other, on His right
• Jesus crying out "My God, my God, why have You forsaken
  Me?
• Jesus crying out His last breath and the sanctuary's curtain
  suddenly torn in two - from top to bottom
• a centurion who stood guard exclaimed, "Clearly this Man was
  the Son of God!
• some women and others who came up from Jerusalem, looked
  at Jesus from a distance
• Joseph of Arimathea arranging for the proper burial of
  Jesus

Listening to these events as the gospel is read, or presented in
a form of a short dramatization, and rereading them on our own
when we take time to do so, will help us to contemplate on the
great love God has for humankind and all of creation. If we look
at the crucifix on top of the altar of our parish, just the image
of Jesus wounded, suffering, and dying on the cross, is an image
that will have great impact on our soul, if we let the events
turn over in our minds and impress themselves in our hearts. We
would not only feel the drama of such a turn of events, but truly
and seriously be aware of a reality that has something to do with
God.

Christ's death on the cross is not the end; on the contrary, it
marks a glorious beginning. And as long as we are faithful to
our following of Jesus, any death-related situation or event in
our life will not faze our faith and our hope. Death will not
shock or shake our life, if we view death as - Jesus crucified,
leading us to follow Him in the glory of His resurrection.

As we observe the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the
Son of God, let us take more time to enter into the mystery of
Christ's suffering. And let us ask ourselves, by imagining also,
if I were a witness to all that was happening to Jesus (using
my imagination to be present in the scene of His crucifixion),
what would I do? Would I run and hide like the apostles? Or
would I be with the women along with others from Jerusalem
looking at Jesus from the distance?

5th Sunday of Lent (B)

5th Sunday of Lent, Year B

First reading: Jeremiah 31:31-34
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 51
Second reading: Hebrews 5:7-9
Gospel reading: John 12:20-33

"...If it dies, it produces much fruit."

On March 29, the Fifth Sunday of Lent, we will hear of Jesus in
the gospel of John telling His followers that His hour has come.
This hour would mean His passion, death and resurrection. Jesus
uses the imagery of a grain of wheat that falls to the earth and
dies, to speak of His dying, not as a loss, but one that produces
much fruit. And He goes on to teach that if we would like to
serve and follow Him, we would also have to undergo the same
death that will also bear fruit - by living life with our eternal
destiny more in mind.

In this gospel, we become aware that even though Jesus is divine,
He was human also. And He expressed this by saying, "My soul
is troubled now, yet what should I say - Father, save Me from
this hour?" But since Jesus knew He was sent by the Father to
save the world, the Father spoke in a voice from the heavens to
make the people aware that all that would transpire in that hour
is for the glory of God - a mystery so deep only God's wisdom
can fathom the fullness of its meaning.

Some psychologists made a survey in the past of what the greatest
fear of man was. Surprisingly, it was not death but that of
speaking before a crowd of people he does not know. But the fear
of death is also one of the great fears of man - for it is not
known to him. Man fears anything he does not know. But Jesus
helps us to know the truth about death from the viewpoint of
faith in God. Death, according to Christ, is like a grain of
wheat that falls to the earth and dies, and soon produces much
fruit. Human death is as natural as that. But if we have faith
in Jesus, we know that even if we die, we will reap eternal life
if we have faithfully followed His Way. And Jesus teaches us
by example what we are to do in our Christian life, by going
ahead of all of us - with Him being the first fruit of the
Resurrection.

4th Sunday of Lent (B)

4th Sunday of Lent, Year B

First reading: 2 Chronicles 36:14-17, 19-23
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 137
Second reading: Ephesians 2:4-10
Gospel reading: John 3:14-21

"God so loved the world that He gave His only Son..."

The gospel account for the 4th Sunday of Lent this coming March
22, is from the evangelist John. It presents Jesus teaching
Nicodemus about the love the Father has for the world by giving
His only Son...and that whoever believes in the Son will not die,
but have eternal life. Jesus taught that the Son of Man was
sent by God into the world so that people and all of creation
will be saved through Him.

Jesus teaching Nicodemus (a Jewish leader and a one of the
Pharisees) gives us an opportunity to also learn about God's
great love for us - a love expressed in His desire to save all
creation through His Son Jesus. And it also gives us an
opportunity to know who Jesus is. The images the gospel account
presents Jesus to us as: the crucified Savior ("the Son of Man
lifted up"); the Way to eternal life ("all who believe may have
eternal life in Him"); the Light that came into the world, and
the Truth who will set us free ("he who acts in truth comes into
the light...to make clear that his deeds are done in God")

It is truly difficult to fathom the depths of God's love for us.
That is why He sent His Son Jesus to help us know the Way and the
Truth of this Love. As long as we live in God's Love, we are on
the narrow road to salvation - a road which "denies one's self,
takes up one's cross, and follows Christ". Once we however get
sidetracked or backslide from the Way, we risk being lost and
being condemned by our own choosing. Let us therefore take all
opportunities to "come back to the Lord with all our heart", and
then hold fast to Jesus - always acting in truth, that we may be
immersed in His Light and feel assured that our deeds "are done
in God".

3rd Sunday of Lent (B)

3rd Sunday of Lent, Year B

First reading: Exodus 20:1-3, 7-8, 12-17
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 19
Second reading: 1 Corinthians 1:22-25
Gospel reading: John 2:13-25

"Stop turning My Father's house into a marketplace."

This gospel passage from the evangelist John is perhaps the only
account written in the life of Jesus where He had really
expressed His anger not only in words but also in action: "He
made a kind of whip of cords and drove them all out of the temple
area, sheep and oxen alike, and knocked over the money-changers'
tables, spilling their coins." And He shouted: "Get them out of
here! Stop turning My Father's house into a marketplace!"

Some bible commentators would say that one reason why Jesus got
angry was because many of the merchants who were selling the
animals to be offered for sacrifice were probably cheating their
customers - usually using dishonest scales and measures. The
same goes with the money-changers who were transacting with
foreigners who knew not much of the commercial value of the money
they were exchanging with.

But probably, the better commentary comes from bible scholars
who would explain the prophetic action of Jesus as an emphasis
that the Temple of God is a sacred place of prayer. As such,
noise and worldly activities would profane it and create a
sacrilegiously scandalous scene for people who would like to
visit the Temple to pray and praise Yahweh. And Jesus also took
the occasion to teach that His own Sacred Body is also the Temple
of God. But the Jews did not understand Him because what they
only knew was the physical Temple - the one that took forty-six
years to build.

In the crucifixion account, we will also see how the soldiers
who had crucified Jesus, turned the Temple of His Body into
a marketplace: "We should not tear it (the soldiers said, in
reference to the tunic of Jesus). Let us throw dice to see who
gets it." In the life and ministry of Jesus, what He taught was
for the people to have great respect for the things of God - most
especially the Temple and also the Temple of the Father in person
- His own Sacred Body that was to be sacrificed when His hour
would come to pass.

Many of us are so accustomed to noise that we make our life so
much like a marketplace. We forget the value of the sacredness
of silence and prayer. That is why we are so attracted to the
noise in the world and forget that all this noise is vanity
(as the book of Ecclesiastes teaches us) - leading us to chase
the wind rather than to seek what is eternal. During this
season of Lent, let us seek God's presence more as we choose to
take moments of prayer and silence in His church. And let us
also examine our consciences and see how much we have sought the
marketplace more than the Lord who is always there for us in His
Most Blessed Sacrament.

2nd Sunday of Lent (B)

2nd Sunday of Lent, Year B

First reading: Genesis 22:1-2, 9-13, 15-18
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 116
Second reading: Romans 8:31-34
Gospel reading: Mark 9:2-10

"This is My Son...Listen to Him."

The gospel for the 2nd Sunday of Lent (B) invites us to
meditate and contemplate on the mystery of Christ's
Transfiguration. Mark describes how Jesus was transfigured
before His inner circle of apostles (Peter, James, John): "His
clothes became dazzlingly white - whiter than the work of any
bleacher could make them...Elijah and Moses appeared and were in
conversation with Jesus...and out of the cloud a voice said
- This is my Son...Listen to Him."

In our Catholic tradition, we are familiar with many popular
images of Jesus: the gospel images of Jesus and Jesus as He is
presented to us through Catholic devotions. It is very rare
though to find an image or painting of the Transfiguration.
Probably because painters or icon-makers may find it difficult
to represent Christ transfigured in "dazzlingly white". But the
vision of Christ transfigured is a vision meant to strengthen
His apostles when they would eventually see Him beaten, crowned
with thorns, crucified, and dying on the Cross

The mystery of the Transfiguration is one of the five light
mysteries of the rosary. If we plumb the depths of this
Christian mystery, we can harvest many spiritual insights into
the nature of Jesus as both God and man. It can teach us to see
that God took our human form (except for our sinful nature), so
that He may walk with us, teach us, heal us of our sins and our
afflictions, and shepherd us to eternal life. What this eternal
life is, we will only know after our death. But in the mystery
of the Transfiguration, Jesus helps us get a glimpse of this life
in God. His transfigured form lets us behold His divinity and His
glory - a glory that He will share with us as we also deny
ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow Him.

This season of Lent calls us to see our life from a higher
perspective (like what Jesus did in leading Peter, James, and
John up a high mountain). As those called to live in the world
and work amidst the grind of earning a living and building a
family, we tend to forget our higher purpose and get mired too
easily with the concerns of worldly life. As we journey on this
season of Lent, let us ascend from the familiar milieu we are
daily immersed in, and seek God as the Light that will strengthen
us amidst the darkness of our times. As we seek God's Light, He
shall grant us the gift of wisdom and understanding so that we
may see our life better, and viewed from a stronger Christian
perspective. And as we continue our Lenten journey, let us pray
for a true sorrow for our sins, that we may be purified and
purged of all things in our being that prevents us from seeing
Jesus as the Light of our life.