Benedictine Sisters of FL

Holy Name Monastery
Founded 1889

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday

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Palm Sunday

 

Note: Inspired and expanded from an unidentified note in my journal.

This Palm Sunday we are the two friends, sitting on angel wings, waiting for the unfolding of 2000-year old story. Iit unfolds each year during what earthlings call LENT.  We are  watchful, attentive, waiting.

We, you and I are aware that the ministry of Jesus has not been a secret ministry, but a public one.   People constantly surround him. Today the crowd is particularly exuberant.

All morning, the people kept coming in droves to laud his praises: to sing and wave branches, to spread their cloaks on the street.  They shouted with joy at his arrival.  But only days later, we know the story, and their shouts change.  No longer do they sing, “Hosanna in the highest.”  Their shouts that day are cruel: “Crucify Him!”  Then, just like that, there is no crowd.  There is only the tomb and Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, who “remain[ed] sitting there, facing the tomb.”  In the end, there is only the Lord, placed in the tomb, and his two friends, still there, with Him.

This Palm Sunday we are two friends, sitting watchful and attentive. Mystified.  How heavy our hearts, and yet we would not be separated from our Jesus.  We recall that He had promised, “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”  So, we stay here together, watching and waiting.

Reminiscing about the wonders we have seen (even still see around us) binds us all the more to Him. Now is not the time to abandon Him. Now is not the time to turn from faith. Now is the time to cling to Him!

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary arrive at the tomb on the morning of the third day. They bring with them spices to anoint the Lord’s body in an attempt to preserve, to keep death at bay.  And yet, the Lord has so much more in store for them. The Lord will not be beholden to death!

And so we will stay, two friends, seated beside the tomb, at a loss and shaken by what the Lord is doing. We could not yet see all that would come to pass.

This Holy Week, 2025, may we not leave Him. Let us revel in this time alone, which can be time alone with Him.  May our thoughts and prayers always turn to Him. May our hearts reach out to Him – and to each other. Let us give each other time, quiet and space to ponder the mystery about to unfold.  If we remain with Him, watchful and waiting, we will not miss the glory He intends to reveal.

   ~by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

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Palm Sunday

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Vigil of Palm Sunday

 

The contemporary author Thomas Moore writes: “The whole point of a good story is to give birth to other stories and to deep reflection.” The Palm Sunday liturgy, it seems to me, is a potpourri of themes and a roller-coaster of emotions: high hosannas, a supper with friends, an example of loving humility, washing of feet and later washing of hands, betrayal and mocking.  A temptation may be to try to reflect on these events too much.   So, a good choice may be to simply “sit with” the story as told by the evangelists.  I’ll share a little of one of my reflections with you.  It is a story of watching and waiting … and waiting … and waiting.

A crowd gathers as Jesus enters the holy city on this special day.   It’s not unusual for this crowd but today they are “over the top” with exuberance. “Hosanna!” rings from the crowd. They frantically wave branches, spread their cloaks on the street and shout with joy.  Then, days later the crowd does an about-face. Their shouts of joy turn to murderous clamor. No longer do they sing, “Hosanna in the highest.” As if from a snap of fingers, now the crowd shouts, “Crucify him!”  Then suddenly in a flash, there is no crowd.  There is only the tomb and two of his closest friends. 

We linger with Mary Magdalene and the other Mary as they remain sitting there facing the tomb. It seems the end.  There is only the Lord, placed in the tomb.  We sit quietly, silently.

And waiting, waiting, waiting.  One can only imagine the depth of our sorrow.  We must appear to be graveyard statues blending with the gravestones.  Mystified. Not understanding the work of the Lord.  But we are so bound to him by love that not even death can pierce our loyalty.  Oh! The wonders we have seen (even still see) bind us all the more to him. Now is not the time to abandon him. Now is not the time to turn from faith. Now is the time to cling to him – to comfort Him. We refuse to be cut off from our Lord!

The Lord has so much more for us. The Lord will not be bound by death!  Yes, we are two of his friends seated beside the tomb donated by the rich man Joseph of Arimathea.  We are shaken by our loss and what we’ve witnessed.  We can’t take in what is happening because we do not yet see all that will come to be. However, we are determined we will not turn our backs on Jesus. We will not be among those who forsake him.

These last few days of Lent 2024 we will use our precious time alone.  We will spend time with our King, our Jesus. May our hearts reach out to him. May our minds gaze upon him. For if we remain with him, watchful and waiting, we will not miss the glory He intends to reveal to us at Easter.

  ~by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

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Palm Sunday

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Vigil of Palm Sunday

The contemporary (former monk) author Thomas Moore says, “The whole point of a good story is to give birth to other stories and to deep reflection.”  The Palm Sunday stories certainly call us to reflection.  There are stories within stories that bring to mind more stories.   A temptation may be to try to reflect on too much.  In Lectio, as in any of the arts, we allow the music, the art, the Word to take over.  We become absorbed in the complex harmonies, tempos and textures, and become servant to the materials at hand.

Palm Sunday liturgy, it seems to me, is a potpourri of themes and a roller-coaster of emotions: high hosannas, a supper with friends, examples of loving humility, washing of feet and later washing of hands.  There are incidents of betrayal and mockery; bravery of Simon and Veronica; compassion of John and Mary.  All are acts of caring, courage and compassion.  The soldier’s declaration: “Surely this was an innocent man,” and, the donation of a burial place, the preparation of the body of a loved-one, the watching and waiting … and waiting … and waiting.

Palm Sunday services begin with such glorious solemnity: waving palms, processions, joyful singing of hosanna!  Within about an hour’s time we travel from cries of “Blessed is He who comes in the name of God!” to shouts of “Away with this man!  Crucify him!”  Then, we move on to the Eucharistic acclamation: “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again!”  We pray for forgiveness and daily bread.  We exchange God’s own peace with each other.  We recall Jesus’ supreme sacrifice and take into ourselves His body and blood.  The communion antiphon calls us back to the beginning of the story and the thread that winds through the whole story: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me.  Still, not my will but yours be done.”  A few hours later Jesus will utter: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”

This same sentiment is echoed in the prayer often used at the Stations of the Cross: “Oh, my God, I love you.  I love you more than myself.  Grant that I may love you always, then do with me what you will.”  I hand myself over to God, as Jesus did, in an act of self-surrender, “Suscipe me.”  I am asking God to accept me just as I am now, open, vulnerable, powerless.  I am also saying that I am willing to receive whatever God has in store for me in the future: the journey onward, the Palm Sundays, the Good Fridays, the Easters in my life.  “Accept us O God, as you have promised; we shall live, and we shall not be disappointed in our hope.”  A good choice for the Palm Sunday may be to simply “sit with” the story.  I repeat: “The whole point of a good story is to give birth to other stories and to deep reflection.”  (Thomas Moore Original Self p. 66)

~by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

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Life Journey = Process

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Father, not My will but yours, be done
Lk. 22:42b

It’s Palm Sunday. We’re invited to be part of the parade and celebrate. It is the start of the journey that will lead the teacher and servant leader, Jesus, an example of humility, to death on the cross and then to New Risen Life.

Life is a journey; we share this journey. It is a process; we choose to walk with Jesus and follow His Way, then we forget and have to start over again.

In the Passion we hear the long story of those last days of Jesus in Holy Week. There are many characters there.  As we prayerfully reflect, we need ask ourselves, “Who am I?”

  • the Apostles who sleep while Jesus prays
  • Peter who follows,  but says, “I don’t know Him”
  • Pilate or Herod who want to see a sign and also please the crowd
  • the Cyrenian forced to carry the cross
  • mourning women who followed, faithfully with Mary, to the ends

The truth is we’ve been all these persons in the Passion.

We share in Jesus’ Passion–pain, in body/mind, and illness;  we’ve been hurt, forgotten, suffered loss, and feel condemned.  We’ve sinned and failed to love, to practice our faith, forgive, care for others, and build the kingdom.

I invite you to take some time to reflect on how Jesus is yet condemned to suffering/death among us and then act for justice.

Who am I in the Passion narrative today?

Jesus, Loving, suffering Savior, may  I ever companion You. May Your life journey always give me direction and help me to grow more able to share  Your love, and life.  Amen.

~by Sitser Mary David Hydro

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Ask Yourself: Am I a mirror or a window?

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I like this Gospel story from Luke – used on Palm Sunday for the Blessing of the Palms.  I find Jesus’ directive intriguing – has an ESP flavor.  The first reading in the Mass for tomorrow, from Isaiah tells me: “Morning after morning God opens my ear that I may hear.”  We know Luke wasn’t there on the first Palm Sunday or at the last supper.  So, this is an incident that he recalled his friends telling him.  His ear was open to hear their story and recognize its significance.

And, it’s a challenging one …  “Go into the village and immediately you will find an ass tethered, and a colt with her.  …  Untie the animals and bring them here to me.”  What a story of trust: Jesus trusts that the disciples will do exactly what he tells

them.  The disciples trust that what Jesus asks them can be done … for He never asks of us something that can’t be done.  The owners of the donkey and the supper room trust the disciples’ honesty in their request.  What implicit trust these men had in Jesus: you’ll see an ass, a donkey – take it.

In another gospel the story continues: Follow the man with the water jar – most likely a servant – to the house he enters – and ask the owner where the feast is being held or where we can prepare it.  The title “The Teacher” conveyed all the man needed to hear.  When Jesus comes to St. Leo looking for a place to eat a Passover meal with friends, do I open my door to say, “Come In – the place is yours – stay as long as you like?”

It reminds me of an old fable about the colt that carried Jesus on Palm Sunday.  It seems the colt thought that the reception was organized to honor him.  “I am a unique colt,” the excited animal thought.  When he asked his mother the next day if he could walk down the same street alone and be honored again, his mother said, “No, you are nothing without Him who was riding you.”  Five days later, the colt saw a huge crowd of people in the street.  It was Friday, and the soldiers were taking Jesus to Calvary.  The colt could not resist the temptation of another royal reception.  Ignoring the warning of his mother, he ran to the street, but he had to flee for his life as soldiers chased him and people stoned him.  Thus, the colt finally learned the lesson that he was only a poor donkey without Jesus to ride on him.

In the Gospel story, at least this time around, it appears what Jesus wants – Jesus gets!  At least today …  this time – but not for long.  Or, do I have that wrong?  Jesus may not have wanted the suffering (afterall he was human and could experience all our feelings of dread) but he does want what His Father wants – a procession with pomp and circumstance through the city streets, an event that shook the whole city.  The actual “quake” came later.  This is a foreshadowing of the quake that will shake the whole world 5 days later – at Jesus’ crucifixion.  Today, a procession with all the hoopla that surrounds a parade; five days later we witness a procession of ignominy with Jesus dragging a heavy cross.

I am reminded of another Palm Sunday story.  A little boy was sick and wasn’t able to go to church on Palm Sunday.  When his dad came home with a palm branch, the boy asked about it.  “Well, you see,” said his dad, “when Jesus came into town, everyone waved palm branches to honor him; so we got palm branches today at church.”  The child grimaced and responded “Wouldn’t you know it!  The one Sunday I can’t go to church, and Jesus shows up!”

Everyday concerns and obligations may fill the first few days of the coming week, but when the sacred Triduum opens on Thursday evening, let’s endeavor to personally and communally contribute to an atmosphere of quiet, solemn reflection …  to set a tone that says something of great religious significance is underway.  Let us be contemplative windows into the story we commemorate – an expression of gratitude, a repayment – or a paying forward, for Jesus’ expression of GREAT love for us!   Recall the story of the donkey.  As we enter Holy Week, let us examine our lives to see whether we carry Jesus and bear witness to him through our living or are we Christian in name only.

Tomorrow when we follow the palm-decorated cross in procession into the chapel…  or maybe later in the day when you weave a cross with your palm branch, ask yourself: “Am I a mirror or a window?  Do I reflect values or reveal them?  Am I opaque or translucent glass?  Is my life stained with the magnificent colors of God’s touches or filled in with more and more chunks of dulled or muted, blackened or smudged – ill-shaped light-resistant challenges to God’s voice?”

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress

 

First Reading:  Isaiah 50: 4-7  Second Reading: Philippians 2: 6-11
Gospel: The Passion According Luke 22:14—23:56
Gospel for Blessing of Palms Luke 19:28-40
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From Holy Week into the Rest of our Lives

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Excerpts from “Opening Doors to Jesus & with Jesus”

A reflection inspired by a homily by St. Pope John Paul II

The liturgy of Palm Sunday is a kind of solemn entrance into Holy Week. Yet Holy Week itself is an entry into something greater. Palm Sunday combines a welcoming of Jesus and a welcoming of Jesus into our most sacred place. This is a place more our own than Jerusalem.   Jesus came to the so-called “city of peace” and was welcomed by a great crowd. In a certain way this city can symbolize the human race and its ambivalent reaction to the coming of Christ.

Today we want to belong to the crowd of welcomers. But if we welcome Jesus as our Lord then we must remember that he is Lord of truth, freedom, justice and love. We welcome him precisely as Lord insofar as we also welcome these realities with faith and joy, not just outside but inside ourselves. If we know what we are doing, we realize we are being called to work with Jesus, and one another, to build peace and justice and truth and love. That begins with our opening of ourselves to Jesus’ coming, and involves committing ourselves to work with him to build these realities within ourselves. This, at least, is the first step. But all are not ready to do this. So we have to be ready also to accompany Jesus to the cross. Who can guide us as we too climb the hill of Calvary with our Divine and Human Teacher? There is no better guide than Mary. What she teaches is part of the gift we receive when in accepting her as our spiritual Mother.

St. John has to open his home; we have to open ourselves, our most sacred inner place. We start by welcoming her but that will lead us to welcome others. Will we respond as generously as Mary to the Lord’s call? Will we persevere with joy and fidelity in the mission to others that this implies? Will we let Mary teach us this? O Mary, give us your eyes so that on the face of the crucified Jesus we may recognize that of the Risen One, the one who fears nothing when doing what the Heavenly Father has called him to be and do.

The first lesson is that of standing at the cross and joining Jesus’ love and forgiveness. The second lesson is that of opening our heart to all those who need love and forgiveness. This is our path into Holy Week and it is the path of our entire life as we come from Holy Week into the rest of our lives.

~ by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress
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